A selection of 7 sightseeing spots, easily accessible from within Sapporo City

Sapporo TV Tower, the symbol of Sapporo

The Sapporo TV Tower is a famous landmark that represents Sapporo. Thanks to its illuminations at nighttime, it helps create a magical atmosphere paired together with the winter landscape.

From the observation deck you can look out over Odori Park at night. It’s also relatively close to the station too, so it’s becoming an increasingly popular sightseeing spot that most travelers to Sapporo visit.

Sapporo Clock Tower, a popular spot for a commemorative photo

The Sapporo Clock Tower is one of the staple sightseeing spots, boasting high recognition in Sapporo. This structure, which used to be part of Hokkaido University, has a 130-year history behind it.

Inside, you’ll find a museum where you can learn about the history of the clock tower, and see the tower clock’s inner workings.

Odori Park, the center of Sapporo tourism

Odori Park is a vertically-long park which passes through the center of Sapporo city. Its length extends as far as 1.5 kilometers. Due to the charm of the beautiful, greenery-filled scenery, it’s known as a popular resting place for Sapporo citizens. Since it’s in the center of the city, it also features great access to other sightseeing spots.

Various events are held in Sapporo throughout the year, and Odori Park serves as the ‘main gate’ to these events.

This is where the famous snow festival, Sapporo Snow Festival, is held. There’s a beautiful fountain which is lit up at night, and helps to create an entirely atmosphere to during the day.

Mt. Moiwa, with a 360-degree panoramic view overlooking beautiful scenery

Sapporo was chosen as one of Japan’s 3 “Best New Night Sceneries” at the 2015 Yakei Summit (a convention regarding the appreciation of nighttime scenery). At Mt. Moiwa, you can take in this beautiful city landscape all at once. This perfect view that overlooks the beautiful scenery is sure to soothe your soul! It’s a location you should definitely visit if you find yourself in Sapporo.

The 360-degree panoramic view that lets you take in all of Sapporo’s cityscape is one of a kind. There are also restaurants indoors where you can enjoy your meal while looking out at the beautiful scenery.

The Bell of Happiness, which can be found at the summit observation deck, is a popular date spot for couples. It’s said that if a couple writes each others’ names on the love locks that can be attached here, they’ll always stay together.

Sapporo Maruyama Zoo, where you can meet animals from Northern Japan

Although it’s a little outside of the Sapporo city center, Sapporo Maruyama Zoo can be reached by taxi in as little as 10-15 minutes. There you can find polar bears, indigenous Yezo sika deer, red pandas, brown bears, and other animals that inhabit the northern area of the country.

Regardless of its position close to the city center, it’s a rather authentic zoo. Quite a bit of effort is being put into facility renovations, with new facilities opening one after the other.

Depending on the period, you may even have the chance to encounter rare animals! There are participatory events such as the “Minna no Doki-doki Taiken”, where you can watch animals eating meals and hearing ecological explanations by the keepers, so if you’re interested you should definitely come check it out!

Hokkaido Shrine: encounter the history of Sapporo

Hokkaido Shrine is located within walking distance from Sapporo Maruyama Zoo. A beautiful natural landscape spreads out within the expansive grounds, and the air you come into contact with here can only be described as sacred. It has a unique, tranquil atmosphere that draws in a lot of local fans as well.

Wild Hokkaido squirrels sometimes appear, so if you’re lucky you may get to see one. There are also lots of local goods such as Japanese sake made from plum trees and yakimochi (roasted rice cakes) here too, so we recommend taking your time strolling around the grounds.

Shiroi Koibito Park: the candy amusement park

This famous sightseeing spot is a bit outside of the city center, but accessible via one subway train trip. The famous factory tour lets you see the “Shiroi Koibito” manufacturing process, the sweet treat representative of Hokkaido.

There are also a number of other hands-on events where you can try your hand at making original candies. If you like sweets, this place is like heaven on earth!

A plethora of interesting sightseeing spots in Sapporo

So there you have it!
There are plenty of other sightseeing spots in Sapporo that we didn’t get a chance to introduce here,
so you come to Sapporo, try to find them by taking a walk through town. You’re sure to make some wonderful discoveries with each stroll you take!

Pricing information and schedule may not be up to date and are subject to change without notice. Please check before your trip.