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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
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The Ramen Alley in Sapporo Hits The Spot For Ramen Lovers
What is the Ramen Alley in Sapporo?
The Ramen Alley in Sapporo is located in the lively Susukino district. This narrow alley has been around since 1948. Shockingly, there’s nothing but ramen shops found in this delightful alleyway, who thought with a name like that? Lol. The original Ramen Alley opened up with eight total ramen shops. There are now 17 that line the famous alley. Miso Ramen was also created here, adding to the lore.
These shops are all quite tiny, most likely seating no more than 7-15 people from what I could gather walking by. Since this is a tourist spot expect crowds, especially at peak lunch / dinner times for the most popular spots. All the shops have varying hours as well so if you know the specific place you want to go to make sure to check their hours.
I got here at an odd time when some shops weren’t open yet but was able to find a seat at Ichi Kura.
Ichi Kura
Ichi Kura was one of the places that were open and had available seats. I hadn’t done any research on the individual shops themselves, so I wasn’t sure what the most popular or well-know shops were. The ramen pictured in front of the shop looked great though so I decided to give it a try.
Toppings that are more uniquely associated with Hokkaido include corn and butter. Hokkaido is known for their dairy and produce so this would be the place to get those toppings in your ramen!
The Ramen
Like I mentioned above, the main driving force behing getting this particular bowl was for the butter and corn. I’m not entirely sure what the broth was, possibly shoyu, but it was very light. The butter once, melted really adds a richness and creaminess to it which was a welcome addition to the overall flavor. In addition to the butter and corn the ramen was topped with bamboo shoots, green onion, half an egg, and chashu.
The semi-firm noodles were light, springy, and fresh. The egg was nice and runny, and the corn was definitely sweet. All solid additions to go along with the bamboo and green onion. The chashu was good, but nothing to really write home about. Definitely tender but was lacking in flavor to a certain extent. Overall the bowl of ramen was really good. I did enjoy the butter and the corn so I was glad I got the chance to give it a try.
Is the Ramen Alley in Sapporo worth a visit?
If you’re a ramen lover like myself, without a doubt you’ll want to visit the Ramen Alley in Sapporo. Can you imagine an alley lined with nothing but ramen shops? It’s a ramen lover’s dream! It’s just a cool experience as well since the alley is quite narrow and the shops are all quite small. It’s fun walking by and checking out the different types of ramen that each shop offers. Next time I go I’ll have to do a better job of researching the restaurants to know which ones I should target!
