Things to do in Sapporo

“The Sacred Place of Lovers”, a special moment with your loved ones and a memory to relive for a lifetime, is offered by Mount Moiwa. It is located in the southwest of central Sapporo city and is one of many breath-taking forest mountains of the city. Unlike other summits, Mount Moiwa houses a remarkable view of the city from the top after the sun goes down, and the whole city lights up. The summit is 531 meters above sea level, high as 1742 feet, from where you can spot the Bay of Ishikari plain and the Mashike mountain. The atmosphere of love and romance is in the air at Moiwa as couples get hitched after grand proposals in the middle of the city with the panoramic 360-degree view as the backdrop, making it one of the best things to do in Sapporo. Taking a step forward from a romantic perspective, Moiwa has a culture of the "Fortune Bell", where the couple holds the thread and ring the bell to pray that their love for each other flourishes. To demonstrate their commitment to love, the handrail around the fortune bell has numerous padlocks hanging on it with the belief that the couple with their names engraved on the locks shall never part ways. Visiting Mt.Moiwa is one of the best things to do in Sapporo.

The access to the romantic spot is a cakewalk, as the commute is available through local buses and trains which don't consume more than half an hour from Susukino. Beautiful glass panel ropeways till Chufuku station are also available every 15 minutes, and once you reach, the “Morris Car” drives you to the mountain top.

The summer operating hours of Moiwa are 10:30 to 22:00, April to November 20^th. The mountain buildings are closed in the last week of November for maintenance, however, they reopen in winter from 1^st December to March from 11:00 to 22:00 hours.

The tower stands 483 feet high, since 1957, with an astonishing view of the Odori Park and Sapporo Park. The fact that the tower was built with a total cost of 170 million yen by the famous architect Tachu Naito, a contributor to the planning and construction of the Tokoyo tower, makes it a remarkable place to visit. The tower celebrated its Golden Jubilee in 2007, after which the plan to build hotel rooms and sports amenities at the TV tower was initiated. The Sapporo TV Tower has three floors, wherein the major tourist spot is the third floor where the restaurant and souvenir shop are located. The basement of the tower brings you to the Aurora town, which is an underground arcade for shopping and famous restaurants like the “Tele-Chika Gourmet Court". Other things to do in Sapporo is a shopping spree in the basement and a delicious meal with the view of Odori park, which separates Sapporo into North and South, is tranquil and calming. At the beginning of February, the Sapporo Snow Festival seems more joyous to witness from the TV tower. The tower is at the end of Odori Park, and the views of the park along with Maruyama and Mount Okura are enjoyed from the observation deck, which is at an elevation of 90 meters, which can be reached via the lift from the third floor.

To reach the tower, the Odori Subway Station is convenient as it hardly takes 10 mins to reach the park. The Sapporo TV tower opens at 9 am and shuts the gates at 10 pm. The ticket for the tower is 720 yen.

The University is located in the heart of the city and has a huge campus of 180 hectares. The beauty of the campus is captured in autumn due to the golden Ginkgo trees and is one of the country's premium institutes for research and higher education. William S. Clark founded the University in the year of 1876 with only five faculties and 24 students. The University offers numerous courses in the field of science, commerce, and humanities which include medicine, fisheries science, agriculture, engineering, economics, and law. It offers both graduate and postgraduate degree programs in English and the student crowd is filled with native as well as international students. Scholarships are offered for all programs, which include the amount pertaining to a discount in tuition fees. The University is ranked 6^th in Japan by the Times of High Education and is now a part of the Super Global Universities Program of Japan.

The University attracts the youth through the quality of education offered and the beautiful aura created by the campus.

Susukino offers entertainment, fun, and celebratory aspects as it is known as the largest entertainment hub of North Tokyo. The bars have a lovely ambiance and are filled with entertaining crowds and good vibes. One can have a finger-licking meal at restaurants serving the Ramen Yokocho, which is a must-try for the noodle lover. Hanging out at Karaoke shops has also been one of the main sightseer things to do in Susukino. The aura of Susukino is adventurous, especially in February, as it conducts a competition of ice sculptures. The youth is inclined towards exploring the stores and pachinko parlors. Susukino is also known for its brothels and other red-light establishments. In the streets of Susukino, every August, one can witness the Mikoshi parades.

Susukino is the best place to visit for all age groups and all moods. Need a calm evening with a cold beer, a delicious meal, or just a hang out with a group of friends, Susukino has it all. The station of Susukino is one stop away from Odori Station and at a distance of two stations from Sapporo station, which takes just three minutes to reach on the Nanboku subway line.

The name Odori means “large street” in the Japanese language and covers an area of 1.5km. Widely known as the lively park for the Lilac Festival and the Snow festival along with the Sapporo TV Tower. At the boundaries of the park, many archeologists find their musings at the Sapporo City Archive Museum. The park has explored various phases like World War II, wherein the park was used for potato production and was later turned into a snow dumping ground. As time passed, authorities took the responsibility on their shoulders and constructed a beautiful flower garden along with a baseball field and tennis court. An amusing fact about the park is the flower gardens with nameplates that are owned by different companies that showcase gardening skills every year. Out of everything that you can do here, this is one of the most satisfying things to do in Sapporo.

In the month of May, the Lilac Festival is hosted at Odori Park and is home to 400 beautiful Lilac trees. In the month of June, the Yosakoi Soran Festival is held, which demonstrates the culture of dance in Sapporo. In the month of August, Odori park hosts the annual Hokkaido Marathon. In Autumn, restaurants from the city and beyond set their own food stalls for the Autumn Fest. In summers, the park turns into a hub for beer breweries where the local breweries set up beer gardens and serve them with appetizing snacks.

Sapporo Histujigaoka is a cozy place with a chapel, restaurant, museum, and the famous 'Boys, be ambitious' statue, recognized as a remarkable symbol of frontier spirit Hokkaido. The word “Hitsujigaoka” was derived from the national cattle breeding station in 1906, which was later converted for sheep breeding 1919. The scenery in the winter is magnificent in which the statue is surrounded by snow. Whereas, a different view can be explored during the summertime where the statue is surrounded by greens. Some several small restaurants and souvenirs serve delicious meat, known as “Jingisukan”. It is interesting to see the exclusive version snow of Hatsu Miku material. For the photography enthusiast, this place is paradise as one can click striking panoramic snaps of the green field and grazing sheep. Part of the best things to do in Sapporo, tourists can visit the place between 8:30 am and 6:30 pm on weekdays and the time extends till 8 pm on weekends.

The field of lavenders is a scenic beauty to behold for a lifetime. The visiting tourists also explore the Clark chapel and the Hitsujigaokan wedding palace. To reach, local buses depart from Fukuzumi station to Hitsujigaoka Tenbodai bus stop.

Also one of the top things to do in Sapporo, located on the outskirts of the city, this resort is graced with enormous snowfall and scenic beauty. The resort opens in Mid-November, around the 20^th of the month to the first week of May. It provides a full day accommodation and a four-hour pass costing 4500 yen and 3800 yen, respectively. To reach the resort, a car drive takes about 60 mins from the central Sapporo by route 230 or a short path central Otaru with a time span of about 40 mins. There are local buses in the morning and late afternoon from Sapporo bus station to Sapporo Kokusai, which takes an hour and a half, costing 1250 yen.

The place offers a one-time experience of skiing with powder snow along with eye-capturing sceneries. In case of a visit in autumn, one may take a bus ride from the office of Jozankei tourists to Gondola station to experience Fall and witness land covered with autumn leaves. They offer five ski lifts, and two of them are gondolas. If hunger strikes, one may enjoy the delectable “All-you-can-eat-grilled-mutton” course.

The resort is one of the largest and very well-known for snow activities, adding to things to do in Sapporo list. It is all the more appealing due to its inland location as it displays the ultimate conditions for powder snow. The resort is a perfect place for skiers and snowboarders of all levels, beginners, intermediates and advanced as five lifts and one gondola offer well-balanced trails. The resort is family-friendly and includes amenities for children too. There is an ice village, and also a bravura scenery of the frost tree terrace can be experienced. So, don't worry, even if you are not keen on skiing, the resort takes care of you and provides all the amenities to make it a pleasant stay. Tomamu has two sides, the Tower- with hotels that have mild slopes used by the beginners. A must in things to do in Sapporo, this resort is preferred by families as the world's first themed family slope is established here. The other side is the Tomamu side- the one with gondola which you can take to the summit in order to experience the dreamlike landscaped beauty of the tree terrace.

To reach Hoshino Resort, buses are available from New Chitose Airport. Trains are available once you reach New Chitose Airport, you can travel in JR rapid airport train that drops you to Minami Chitose Station, then change to a limited express train.

This is the largest resort of Hokkaido, which is owned by Kamori Kanko. Rusutsu is famous for the facilities offered, which include a golf course and a fun and adventurous amusement park. No doubt, one of the top things to do in Sapporo, the Rusutsu is acclaimed for its ski slopes, but the amenities are the reason that appeals to major tourists from Sapporo. The slopes are well-fitted for skiing, snow scooting, and snowboarding for beginners, intermediates, and advanced skiers. The amusement park has more than 60 rides, which have swimming pools, and thrill rides like rope courses, and eight roller coasters along with go-karts and train rides. The golf course extends to four parts: Tower course, River Couse, Wood Course, and Izumikawa course with a total number of 72 holes.

There is an endless list of things to do in Sapporo and the Doraemon Wakuwaku sky park is a prominent one in that list. The park is located at the New Chitose Airport on the 3^rd floor and is separated into seven sections, including the play area, workshop, café, arcade, library, and shop. Doraemon is a Japanese Anime and has been a constant favorite cartoon for the kids and comes out as charming and funny as Doraemon uses his magical pocket of gadgets from the future to help the troubled kid Nobita. The park celebrates the characters of Nobita, Shizuka, who is the female character, and Nobita’s crush and other character friends of Nobita from the series. The kid's zone has a free space that can engage the toddlers as it play-safe equipped along with "Doriyaki-shaped slide”. The workshop area of the park has crafts that are inspired by the cartoon, and one can show creativity and bring his own Doraemon. There are souvenir shops near the museum which sell the toys and cafeteria that serve the snack from the show, known as "Doriyaki”, which a red bean pancake. The library offers books from the series known as "Doraemon Manga", which is available in all languages. Also a part of things to do in Sapporo , this is a fun spot for kids and space, which allows every kid in the adult to enjoy his childhood in patches of nostalgia. Don't forget your camera while entering the park, because you can't miss the chance to snap a picture with Doraemon.

There are local trains available to reach the airport, the nearest station is the New Chitose Airport Station. The Park opens doors at 10 am in the morning to 5:30 pm in the evening. The ticket for children up to the age of 12 is approximately 400 yen, Youth up to the age of 18 is about 500 yen and for adults, it is roughly around 800 yen.

Take a small trip away from the chaos of Sapporo to the Jozankei Onsen which is an hour away from the city and is located in the national park named Shikotsu Toya situated around the high cliffs of River Toyohira. Jozankei offers gender-separated baths, costing from 500 yen to 1500 yen. At Shogetsu Grand Hotel, the square tub for a bath is made of Japanese cypress along with an outdoor bath which has scenic views of the valley. It costs 1500 yen and is open from 1 pm to 5 pm. The Jozankei View hotel offers diverse and appealing baths which include scented, outdoor and jet baths along with two meals costing 9000 yen. Mid-October is the best time to visit as Jozankei is famous for its fall color destination where the leaves change its color from yellow to red. In central Jozankei, a unique temple can be spotted known as Iwato Kannondo which was built as a homage for tunnel construction workers who were killed.

To reach Jozankei Onsen, board bus number 7 or 8 Jotetsu bus, which departs in every couple of hours. It takes not more than an hour and a half to reach within the cost of 770 yen. The temple is open from 7:00 am to 8:00 pm and the ticket in 300 yen per person.

The city of Sapporo, highly recognized for eponymous beer, holds an all-round package of tourism as it includes delicious food, sights to behold, festivals, and cultures to explore and a self-satisfying and an unforgettable trip, among other things to do in Sapporo. From archaeology to amusement parks, temples to fun bars, snow to autumn leaves, Sapporo has it all. If you are looking to have a fantastic time in Japan, then Sapporo is the place you must visit.