The Sapporo City is known for its wonderful parks and gardens, internationally renowned scientific and cultural centers, historical sights and sites, as well as amazing museums. Foreign guests of the city must necessarily pay a visit to Hokkaido University which is a world renowned educational center established in 1872. Among the university's alumni there are many distinguished scholars who have greatly contributed to the development of modern science. Next to the university, tourists will discover a large-scale botanical garden whose territory is about 13ha.
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| Sapporo City |
It comes from the Ainu term for the area, Sari-poru-betsu, or "river running along a reedy plain." The city boasts of being the birthplace of the famous Sapporo beer and for having hosted the 1972 Winter Olympics; its mountains to the south are perfect for winter sports. Its design is mathematical, grid streets that facilitate orientation.
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| Sapporo City |
Features
Sapporo City is the capital of Japan 's northern island Hokkaido. It has almost 2 million inhabitants and is the transportation hub of the island (from here you can go to any other town in Hokkaidō and, in fact, you will pass through it if you want to see anywhere on the island ).
Sapporo beer has been brewed in the city since 1891, so the suggestive Sapporo Brewery, dating from the late 19th century, shouldn't be missed. It has a wonderful botanical garden from the same period.
The liveliest district at night is Susukino, where there are many bars and restaurants.
Annually it celebrates its summer festival (from July 21 to August 20) during which beer is drunk outdoors in the Ōdori-kōen, the park in the center of the city. They also celebrate a very famous snow festival called Yuki Matsuri in the month of February. There are several recommended excursions from Sapporo. Priority is recommended the historic town of Hokkaidō, full of traditional buildings.
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| Sapporo City |
Another visit would be to the port of Otaru, with architectural samples and very close to the capital. Finally, a visit to the slopes of Niseko, perfect for skiing, about 100 kilometers south of the town, is recommended.
Location
Sapporo is located on the island of Hokkaido. The best time to visit this city is spring and summer, since the winters are very cold (around -5 degrees), and precipitation usually falls in the form of snow that reaches 1 m in height. The minimum temperatures are reached during the months of January and February.
The most common way to visit the city is by plane: 90 minutes from Tokyo's Haneda airport (Haneda is the airport for most domestic flights), and approximately 2 hours from Nagoya or Fukuoka airports. To access the city from Chitose airport you can do it with the JR line, which will take approximately 35 minutes. The JR Pass is also used to visit Sapporo, as it operates a night train from Tokyo. In addition, you can use the ferry from Tomakomai to visit Sapporo.
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| Sapporo City |
Places of Interest
According to the inhabitants of Sapporo, their city is blessed by snow. But apart from skiing, there are many things to see and do in the city:
- Sapporo City Hall - Located approximately 10 minutes walk from Sapporo Railway Station. It is the symbol of Hokkaido: a beautiful red brick building built in American neo-baroque style.
- Tokei-dai Clock Tower: This tower and its clock are a remnant of Sapporo's early days as a city. The building was built in 1878 as a training hall for martial arts.
- Yuki Matsuri Snow Festival: This festival has been held every year since 1950 at Odori Park, Satoland, and on the main street of Susukino. For 7 days every February, Sapporo sees its population increase due to the more than 2 million visitors from all over the world. Snow sculptures adorn the city, making it a dream city of ice, lights and glass. It all started when in 1950, some university students made sculptures in the snow that attracted the attention of passers-by in Odori Park. Already in 1955 there were many who had joined this initiative, coming every year to make these sculptures. Later, and due to the large number of people who came to Odori Park every year, they decided to expand it to Satoland and Susukino. The festival is today known worldwide.
- Odori Park: One kilometer long and 65 m wide, Odori Park is the main artery of the city of Sapporo and a meeting point both in winter (snow festival) and in summer to have a beer (one of the best Japanese beers). is the Sapporo).
- Sapporo Brewery: Japan is a country that is very fond of beer. Sapporo beer is one of the best in the country. You can visit the old factory. On the way, you will surely find an ice cream stand with a taste of beer.