Sapporo is the main city in Hokkaido. It is the centre of economy and politics of Hokkaido. The city is organized in grid patterns because the developers modeled after Kyoto.

In 1972, the name of Sapporo was known to the world by the Sapporo Winter Olympics and became famous touring site. Since most sightseeing spots are gathered in the center of the city, you can actually cover all places in half a day.

Within 5 minutes walk from Sapporo Station, you will reach former Hokkaido government office building normally called the “Aka renga”, literally meaning red bricks. The first floor stores history of Hokkaido and the second floor is office, which is open to public.

The contrast of red bricks, blue sky and white snow is beautiful.

It was built in 1888 in American Neo Baroque style. About 2.5 million bricks are used for the outer wall.

Many people were gathering and taking picture.

Their target were ducks.

As you walk towards the south for two blocks, you will reach the oasis of Sapporo people, Odori Park. Sapporo Snow Festival is held here and there were many people visiting to see the snow statue today.

On the east end of Odori Park, there is Sapporo TV tower. It is 147.2m tall and ou can see Ishikari Bay and Mt. Okura from the observatory if the sky is clear.

The TV tower will light up during the night.

Near TV tower is the symbol of the city, Sapporo Clock Tower. It was built in 1878 making it the oldest pendulum clock in Japan. The clock continues to run accurately today which is the proof of the sophisticated technology used back then.

Nijo Market is located close to Odori Park. You can try fresh fish of Hokkaido.

You can buy special Hokkaido products such as crabs here. Since the products can be sent anywhere in Japan, there were many people buying them as gifts.

As you walk to the north from Nijo Market, you will find Sapporo Factory. Sapporo Factory is a large-scale business compound building consisting 160 shops including apparel, amusement attractions, restaurants, and hotels.

There is a place where you can learn about the history of Hokkaido when it was developing. The building was built after the beer factory of the former Sapporo Beer but keeps the red bricks used back then.

Going back to Sapporo Station, the last destination is Sapporo Ramen Republic, which is connected to the station. It is a ramen theme park that includes famous ramen shops from Sapporo, Asahikawa, and Hakodate.

Ramen for cold body tastes amazing.

The sightseeing course introduced today is a plan for half a day. There are many other interesting places if you go further out of the city such as Sapporo Dome, Moerenuma Park, and Sapporo Art Village. If you have time, please visit those places as well.