Hokkaido
-
Otaru, Hokkaido Is A Great Day Trip From Sapporo
Otaru is a port city located in Hokkaido, Japan, about a 30-40 minute train ride from Sapporo, it’s a popular day trip from the biggest city in Hokkaido with some notable sights to take in. Staying in Otaru is certainly an option but this post looks at making a day trip or half-day trip for those staying in Sapporo.
Table of Contents
The Otaru Canal
The most well-known feature in Otaru is the Otaru Canal. This canal was an integral part of transporting goods from the ships stationed in the main port in the 20th century. Smaller vessels would transport goods from these larger vessels down the canal and unload them at the warehouses lining the canal. The canal became obsolete as modern technology took hold and more efficient unloading methods developed.
The canal remained during this shift of goods transportation and a part of the canal was restored in the 1980s with the warehouses being renovated into various shops, restaurants, and museums.
It’s a beautiful area and makes for quite a nice stroll. You can spend the majority of your day in the area around the canal since there’s so much to see here.
The Otaru Canal 
The Otaru
Canal at night, illuminated by lightsSakaimachi Street
Located near the Otaru Canal, Sakaimachi Street is a very popular tourist destination spot. It’s convenient location next to the town’s most popular attraction means you’ll most likely spend some time on this street. It’s home to several souvenir shops, museums, restaurants, and stores. The street is quite long so there’s a TON to see and eat here.
The Food
As mentioned above, Sakaimachi Street is jam-packed with all sorts of shops and stores. As one would imagine there’s a TON of different food options. Not only is there plenty of traditional Japanese food and seafood located on the street, there’s plenty of dessert options as well, not only on Sakaimachi Street but near the canal too.
A popular spot is Sawawa whose speciality are matcha and green tea products. Even though it was early December I had to try the the green tea ice cream with matcha mochi (670 yen, $4.28 USD). The ice cream was very rich with a heavy green flavor to it while the mochi was quite soft and chewy. It was quite jelly like.
Popura Farm was another stop. It’s not on Sakaimachi Street but is quite close to it. Popura Farm offers half cut or quarter cut melons piled with ice cream. I got the quarter melon (1900 yen, $12.13 USD). Even in December, the honeydew melon I got was sweet and juicy, while the vanilla ice cream makes it that much tastier!
Naruto Honten Fried Chicken is a famous fried chicken restaurant that’s located in Otaru. About a 10 minute walk from the Otaru Canal, it’s a large two-story restaurant with a waiting room, so you know the place is quite popular.
The menu is quite large, with many options besides just fried chicken, but the restaurant is known for its chicken so it was a must try for me. I got a half chicken combo meal and a beer for 1850 yen, $12.02 USD. Quite a good deal for the amount of food you get. The fried chicken is quite good. The skin is exceptionally crispy while the meat maintains its juiciness. It really is some tasty fried chicken.
LaTao is a famous dessert company not only in Japan but in other countries throughout the world. The orignal location is found in Otaru on Sakaimachi Street. It’s easily recognizable due to the tower that’s connected to the store. The tower was the original location of LaTao and you can walk to the very top and get a nice view of the surrounding area.
LaTao made its name based off its famous Double Fromage cheesecakes, so it’s certainly an item that deserves attention. Within the store, upstairs, there’s a restaurant where you can order and enjoy the many desserts that LaTao has to offer. I got a combo that included a slice of the original cheesecake (I believe) and a slice of lemon cheesecake, and a cup of tea (1500 yen, $9.60 USD).
Both slices of cheesecake are incredibly light. With a subtle sweetness, they are not overpowering or overly sweet at all. Both maintain great flavor and are extremely tasty!
Otaru Music Box Museum
At the end Sakaimachi Street is the Otaru Music Museum. A solid stone building, this is the main building that was constructed in 1915 and used as an office for a wealthy merchant. It was converted to a music box museum in 1989 and now houses over 80,000 music boxes.
As one might imagine with a place with so many music boxes, the air is filled with music as you walk around which is quite pleasant. There are so many different types and variations of music boxes housed here. It really is amazing. The wooden interior really adds to the unique feel and it’s just a really cool place to walk around and purchase a unique music box if you’re so inclined.
In the front of the museum is the world’s largest steam clock. Every 15 minutes, the steam whistles at the top of the clock produces a melody, which is really cool to both see and hear!
The Railway Museum
The Railway Museum is a little bit outside of Otaru Canal tourist area, about a 20 minute walk. It’s located at the site of Hokkaido’s first railway line. In the old trainyard outside there are several full size trains from various eras which are on display.
The inside of the museum has several exhibits detailing the history of trains in the Otaru area. If you have an interest in trains and museums this will be a place of interest for you!
Conclusion
There’s a lot more to see and do in Otaru but if you only have a day or half-day this is a good starting point. The Otaru Canal and its surrounding area, namely Sakaimachi Street, will undoubtedly be the biggest draw and there’s a lot to explore, especially if you enjoy shopping. You can’t really go wrong just walking around the area and exploring. It’s a charming place with lots to see and especially EAT!
Related Links
Is The Famed Naruto Honten Fried Chicken In Otaru Fulfill It’s Hype?
Does The Famous Japanese Bakery LeTAO Live Up To The Hype?
10 Popular Things To Do In Sapporo, Hokkaido
Stunning Osaka Castle Is One Of The Most Popular Places To Visit In Osaka
-
10 Popular Things To Do In Sapporo, Hokkaido
Sapporo, the capital of Japan’s northern most island, Hokkaido, is a fantastic city that offers many sights and things to do. It’s a fairly spread out city and while there is a subway, it isn’t nearly as extensive as the subway systems found in Tokyo or Osaka so some of the locations may take a little longer to get to. But certainly it’s worth the extra effort to explore this wonderful city.
So what are some of the top things to do in Sapporo? Here’s a list of 10 Popular Things To Do In Sapporo, Hokkaido.
Table of Contents
10 Popular Things To Do In Sapporo, Hokkaido:
Visit Ramen Alley
If you’re a ramen fan a visit to Sapporo’s Ramen Alley is a must. With 17 ramen shops within the alley there are plenty of places to try here each with their own unique twist on the beloved food. It’s a unique experience since it’s a narrow alleyway that is packed with ramen restaurants. You won’t this many ramen spots in such a small area anywhere else.
Take A Stroll Through Odori Park
One of the top things to do in Sapporo is to visit its famous Odori Park. Located right in the middle of the city, it’s nearly impossible to miss. This overly large strip of a park, over a mile long, that has major streets running along side of it. The Sapporo TV Tower is also located here and can be seen throughout the park.
There are several festivals held throughout the year at the park including the Snow Festival, Lilac Festival, Soran Festival, and Beer Garden.
In December Odori Park gets a Christmas makeover with several exhibits with lights and a German Village that has stalls selling Christmas decorations and food. It’s a good time!
It’s definitely worth visiting to see what’s going on even outside of the popular festivals. It’s certainly a nice stroll through a unique park which is why it lands on my popular things to do in Sapporo list.
Check Out Maruyama Park and Everything Within It
Maruyama Park is a large sprawing park in Sapporo housing over 300+ different types of trees and plants with over a hundred different types of birds. It’s a huge park that offers a lot when visiting and is certainly one of the top things to do in Sapporo.
One of the most famous shrines in Hokkaido, Hokkaido Jingu Shrine, is located right next to it.
The Maruyama Zoo has been housed within the park since 1951. It has over 170 different species including polar bears, wolves, deer, elephants, giraffes, hippos, chimpanzees, and brown bears, just to name a few.
The Maruyama-Hachijuhakkasho Trail offers a nice little hike within the park that takes you up to a point that has a spectacular view of Sapporo. It’s a short hike which will take you uphill for that view but isn’t overly strenous. A visit to Maruyama Park is definitely one of the more popular things to do in Sapporo and is well worth the visit.
Go To The Sapporo Beer Museum
The oldest beer in Japan, Sapporo, was founded in 1876 and has a long history not only within Sapporo but Japan itself. It remains one of the country’s most popular beers and is quite popular around the world. The Sapporo Beer Museum is the only museum in Japan that’s dedicated to beer. This attraction is one of the most popular things to do in Sapporo.
The museum itself is free. It’s pretty tiny and will only take about 20-30 minutes to walk through. There’s a paid tour as well which provides more detail about the history of the legendary beer. On premises as well is a beer garden, a couple of stores with merchandise, and some restaurants, including a Genghis Khan restaurant.
Eat Famous Hokkaido Dishes
Hokkaido has a few signature dishes that originate from the area and are trying some of these dishes is certainly one of the most popular things to do in Sapporo. Genghis Khan, Soup Curry, and Miso Ramen, all originate from Hokkaido. You will find these dishes in other parts of Japan, but the number of places you can purchase these from are more plentiful in Hokkaido and are certainlty worth trying!
Soup Curry 
Genghis Khan 
Miso Ramen Enjoy The View Of Sapporo On The Mt. Moiwa Ropeway
Mount Moiwa is a small mountain southwest of central Sapporo. At the base of the mountain you’ll find the Mount Moiwa Ropeway. There’s a transfer station about three quarters up where you get into another cablecar that takes you to the very top of the mountain. This is where the observation deck is located along with a restaurant. The observation deck offers some stunning views of the city. It’s especially nice at night when the city is lit up! The ropeway and view are what makes this one of the most popular things to do in Sapporo.
Visit The Hokkaido University Museum
If you enjoy museums then the Hokkaido University Museum is worth a visit. This free admission museum is located on the Hokkaido University campus and is one of the more popular things to do in Sapporo. The three floor museum houses over four million specimens and documents. It educates visitors on all the different types of research that has occurred on campus. The museum also has a small cafe. The museum itself is fairly small, this is afterall on the campus of a college, but it’s fascinating to see, especially for museum buffs. Also, the ice cream in the cafe is top notch!
Do Some Shopping At Tanukikoji Shopping Street
Undoubtedly, one the of most popular things to do in Sapporo is shopping. One of the more popular areas is the Tanukikoji Shopping Street. This pedestrian only shopping street is HUGE. It runs for seven blocks and is about 900 meters. It’s home to over 200 shops, restaurants, and other stores. You can find essentially everything here be it souvenirs, clothing, food, dessert, entertainment. If you’re a shopper you’ll no doubt be spending some time here. It’s very close to Sapporo Station as well, just a 10-minute walk.
Check Out Es Con Field Hokkaido
The impressive stadium to the only baseball team in Hokkaido – the Nippon Ham Fighters – Es Con Field Hokkaido field opened in 2023 and seats 35k people. This is a beautiful stadium with a retractable roof, natural grass, and massive glass wall in the outfield which provides excellent natural lighting. The field is open to visit during the off-season as well. The food court, brewery, stadium tour, and massive team store were all open in the middle of December. It’s a little further out from Sapporo and is a 20 minute walk from the train station to the stadium but it’s certainly worth it. If you visit during the season, seeing a game here should certainly be high on the list for any baseball fan.
Sapporo Hitsujigaoka Observation Hill
This attraction is a bit of a trek if using public transit as you will need to take the bus. The pros: The scenic view of the famous bronze statue of Dr. William S. Clark. Clark was a famous American professor who came over to Hokkaido in 1876 and established the Sapporo Agricultural College, which is now Hokkaido College. His parting words “Boys, be ambitious” are immortalized on the statue as well. It’s a fantastic view with a wide open field in the background with the Sapporo Dome visible.
The cons: There’s not much else here. There’s some additional smaller buildings that serve as mini museums, and a restaurant and a place to grab some ice cream, but outside of that there’s not a ton here. It also costs yen to enter the parking lot. With the amount of time it takes to get here and how little is actually here, I wouldn’t place this at the top of the list of things to do in Sapporo.
Related Posts
The Ramen Alley in Sapporo Hits The Spot For Ramen Lovers
Lively Odori Park in Sapporo Is Well Worth A Stroll Through
Maruyama Park Sapporo Has A Lot To See And Do
Soup Curry In Hokkaido, Japan Is Simply A Must Try
Genghis Khan BBQ Is A MUST TRY If Visiting Hokkaido Japan
Things Get SPICY At This Miso Ramen Joint in Sapporo
Es Con Field Hokkaido Home To The Nippon Ham Fighters Is A Must Visit
-
Lively Odori Park in Sapporo Is Well Worth A Stroll Through
What is Odori Park?
One of the top attractions in Sapporo is Odori Park. Located right smack dab in the middle of the city, this is an easy attraction to go and see. In fact, just walking around the city you’d undoubtedly stumble upon this at some point during your Sapporo adventure.
Initially used as a fire break back in 1871, the space has gone through a lot of transformation since those days.
Odori Park is unusual since it’s really a long strip of “park” that has major streets running along the side of it. Stretching east to west, over a mile long and over 12 blocks, in the heart of the city it’s hard to miss.
The Sapporo Tower is at one end of the park. Standing about 492 feet, it’s a nice sight to see as you stroll through the park. It’s also another top attraction in Sapporo that you can visit. It has an observation deck where you can get a full view of Odori Park and the surrounding area, if you please. I didn’t go to Sapporo Tower this trip but maybe next time!
Why is it so popular?
Odori Park hosts seasonal events such as the well-known Snow Festival in the winter, the Lilac Festival in the spring, the Soran Festival and Beer Garden in the summer, and the Autumn Festival, in well, the autumn.
This is a popular location for both locals and tourists alike for a nice place to either take a stroll or just hangout. It’s just a really unique park since it’s so close to the street and isn’t an enclosed “normal” park. The seasonal events attracts MEGA crowds, with the Snow Festival being the biggest of them all, for good reason.
I went in mid December and the park was decked out with Christmas light displays. It was stretched out for most of the park and was a lot of fun to walk through and see all the displays. There was a German Christmas Village set up that had shops selling Christmas souvenirs and there were a number of stalls selling food and beverages. It was a really fun and festive environment to be in and was really enjoyable on a cold December evening!
-
Maruyama Park Sapporo Has A Lot To See And Do
Maruyama Park in Sapporo, not to be confused with the Maruyama Park in Kyoto, is a huge park that houses many different attractions and things to see and do. Located under the Maruyama Mountain, the park is home to over 300+ different trees and plants, which depending on the season you’re visiting, can create quite the scenic impression as you take a stroll through the park. There’s over 100 different types of birds located here as well, so avid bird watchers will certainly appreciate the park. Maruyama Park houses a zoo, sports facilities, a public field, a short trail that leads to a great view of the city, and a couple ponds. You could spend an entire day here if you wanted to!
I highlight of the bigger attractions below.
Hokkaido Jingu Shrine
Technically the Hokkaido Jingu Shrine is not inside Maruyama Park. It’s adjacent to it. But it’s hard to separate the two and if you’re visiting one the other one makes sense to visit as well.
The shrine is significant in Hokkaido due to it being the enshrinement of three Shinto deities – Okunitama, Onamuchi, and Sukunahikona. A fourth spirit, Emperor Meiji, has been included as well. It is very much a shrine of spiritual significance.
The area, much like Maryuma Park, becomes quite popular during cherry blossom season since it’s regarded as one of the best places to view cherry blossoms in all of Hokkaido.
Maruyama Zoo
Maruyama Zoo has been inside Maruyama Park since 1951, so it has a long history with the park. It houses over 170 different species within it including polar bears, wolves, deer, elephants, giraffes, hippos, chimpanzees, and brown bears, just to name a few. The zoo is quite massive as you’d imagine with so many different species. It’s pretty impressive. I wasn’t expecting it to be so large to be honest, and wasn’t expecting to stay as long as I did. But this was an enjoyable afternoon and I devoted around 3-4 hours here.
Maruyama-Hachijuhakkasho Trail
Feel like doing some hiking while at Maruyama Park? You can also do that here! There’s a small, short trail within the park that will take you to a point with a beautiful view of Sapporo. The hike takes about an hour both ways. It’s not overly strenous. It will take you uphill though and I was a little winded to be honest. If you take your time and take breaks if needed you will be rewarded with the view though. Just remember to bring some water along as well. The view is worth it. It’s really is quite nice!
-
Top 7 Things To Do In Hakodate, Japan
Hakodate is one of the main cities located in Hokkaido. It’s the third largest city after Sapporo and Asahikawa. If taking a bullet train from Tokyo, Hakodate is the last bullet train station into Hokkaido. The trip will take about five hours.
Some people will choose to hop on another regular train and head to Sapporo but Hakodate is worth spending a couple days in to explore. Even though it’s the third largest city in Hokkaido, it’s not too big. It’s very laid back and things are slower paced here. If coming from Tokyo, it’s a nice break from the crowds and the hustle and bustle. Two days will be good enough to see all the sights that Hakodate has to offer.
Mt. Hakodate Observatory
One of the top things to do in Hakodate is making a trip to the Mt. Hakodate Observatory (1800 yen, $12.24 USD) at sunset or at night to enjoy the panoramic view of the city. It’s certainly a spectacular view with water on either side of this particular part of town. There’s technically not a best time to go here. Day or night you’ll get a beautiful view but I’m more partial to the night when the city is fully lit up. It’s a pretty sweet view! Nighttime is also the busiest time to go so expect to see some crowds on the observatory deck. There’s also a restaurant and gift shop located here if you want to hang out a bit and soak in some more of the view.
Fort Goryokaku / Goryokaku Tower
I’ll fold these two attractions into one. But you can certainly do one or the other and skip the other one if you wanted to. Fort Goryokaku is the iconic star shaped fort located in Hakodate. Completed in 1866 as a military site in the defense of Hokkaido, the fort was later converted to a public park sometime in the early 1900s when the fort lost its military importance. The star shape of it is really quite unique, as is the moat that surrounds it. There’s not a ton to see here but the grounds are quite peaceful and nice to take a stroll around. There’s also around 1000 cherry blossom trees planted around the fort so if planned correctly during cherry blossom season it would be quite the sight! Visiting the park itself is free.
Fort Goryokaku To get a full view of the fort and it’s unique shape you can go up the Goryokaku Tower (1000 yen, $6.81 USD) which has a great view of the fort as well as other views of Hakodate since the tower provides a 360 degree view. There’s also displays up in the tower which provides the historical backdrop of the tower.
Hakodate Morning Market
The Hakodate Morning Market is a four block stretch in Hakodate that sells fresh seafood, vegetables, fruit, and snacks. It’s definitely one of the top things to do in Hakodate in the morning to start your day. It opens from 5am to about 2pm, with about 250 places total, there’s a lot of food options to choose from. The seafood here is outstanding. Even though there’s 250 places here, the market doesn’t seem huge. Crowds are fairly mellow here as well, which is nice.
Cape Tachimachi
Cape Tachimachi is a scenic spot in Hakodate with a fantastic view of the ocean, with sharp cliffs surrounding the area. There’s a paved path that loops around on top of one of the cliffs with a great lookout point with a couple benches where you can take a seat and take in the stunning view.
Kanemori Red Brick Warehouse
These old converted red brick warehouses were once used in the old trading days of feudal Japan when the Hakodate port was used for international trade. Now, the warehouses are home to souvenir, clothing, boutique type of shops. There’s a beer hall, restaurant, and some other places for snacks and dessert as well.
Eat At A Lucky Pierrot’s
One of the top things to do in Hakodate is a place you can both visit and EAT at. Lucky Pierrot is a chain of hamburger restaurants that are only located in Hakodate. There’s a total of 17 restaurants, all of which have their own individual personality and flair. No one restaurant is the same as the next. It’s immensly popular and is a tourist draw. It’s one of those things that you feel you need to try if in the area. I mean you’d try In N Out if you saw it wouldn’t you?
Hachiman Zaka Slope
Hakodate’s most famous slope, Hachiman Zaka Slope provides a scenic view on top of a hill down a stone paved, tree lined street, with a view that leads down to the bay. During Christmas time the trees are adorned with lights which provides quite the setting at night.
