Sapporo Itinerary – Day 1

Sa
pporo Clock Tower.
Good morning! At first, have your breakfast, and then get ready to explore
some attractions located nearby the hotel.

Take a leisurely walk to the Sapporo Clock Tower. If you are not sure
where this place is located, use Google Maps. It’s will be an easy walk, and
you would enjoy it as much as I do.

Built in 1878, Sapporo Clock Tower is a small museum, and said to be

the oldest standing clock tower in Japan.
Go inside the museum with spending 200 JPY as entrance fee. When you are
finished exploring the building, take a walk to Nijo Market. It’s worth
visiting the market if you want to see local fish and seafood. You can taste
some fresh seafood including king crab, sea urchins, scallops and others.

I love exploring the city on foot, and it’s actually enjoyable. You don’t have
to worry about getting lost when you do have a portable wifi device.

Your next destination is Nakajima Park. You don’t need a car to reach the
park from the fish market.
 Sakura in Nakajima Koen,
Sapporo.
It’s very charming to see cherry blossoms during hanami season in the park.
This is one of favorite parks in the city where I often pay a visit too.

The park itself is very spacious and the strolling paths inside are truly
inspiring.

With a picturesque lake, hundreds of cherry trees, traditional Japanese

garden, and benches, giant trees, lawn and open spaces, a lot of tourists and
locals alike visit the park to celebrate hanami parties.
Please note a lot of visitors come to this over the weekend.

The giant shidarezakura tree

of Nakajima Koen.
There is a giant weeping cherry tree located next to the Japanese garden.
When it’s in full bloom, everyone appreciates its beauty and wants to take
picture posing in front of it. There, I was asked by a number of tourists
“Excuse me, can you take a picture of us.”

Stay in the park as long as you can, and have your lunch there. You can buy
the foods from food vendors.
It’s worth exploring the park when you take a leisurely stroll along its
walkways. I saw many pigeons there including ravens. They were friendly,
and let me took some photos of them!

Besides, there are row boats to rent to spend a lovely time on the lake.

Do
es not it look pretty?
When it’s time to leave the park, search this “Nakajimakoendori Station”
on Google Maps. Reach there and wait for the tram to get on.

Once you hop on the tram, wait to get off at Ropeway Iriguchi Station. Fare
is 200 JPY per person.
You will see a free shuttle bus there waiting for tourists to take to the lower
station of the Mount Moiwa Ropeway. Take the bus, and if you think you
don’t want to but want to walk a little, then why not?! On the way to the
ropeway station, you will see some pretty gorgeous sakura trees.

An amazing mountain view

from the observation deck.
To reach to the Mount Moiwa observation deck, you have to purchase a
roundtrip ticket for the ropeway and mini cable car. The price of the ticket is
1700 JPY.
It’s highly recommended for you get there by nightfall as there are mountains
to see in the background except the city’s skyscrapers.

Sa
pporo city’s night view from the observatory of Mt. Moiwa.
They look fabulous from the observation deck. And mind-boggling night
view over the city from there is a must thing to do. Please note that during
spring it’s cold and windy, so you are suggested to bring warm clothes
(jacket or sweater) including hand gloves.

Any idea where to go to eat your dinner? You can go to Susukino’s Ramen
Yokocho, a perfect place to try different sorts of delicious Hokkaido ramen.

Let’s call it a day! Goodnight.

Sapporo Itinerary – Day 2

he Former Hokkaido
Government Office Building.
For day two, interesting places to visit in Sapporo are the Former Hokkaido
Government Office Building, Maruyama Park, Maruyama Zoo, Hokkaido
Shrine, Odori Park, and Sapporo TV Tower.

You will be delighted to see tons sakura including plum blossoms in

Maruyama Park.
Before heading towards Maruyama Koen, you should pay a visit to
the Former Hokkaido Government Office Building. This historic landmark
is located not far from the hotels I have recommended above. A 10-minute
walk is enough!

Built in 1888 during the Meiji Period, this This Red brick Government
building provides visitors a lovely space to walk with family. There are
several varieties of Japanese cherry blossoms can be found alongside colorful
tulips. In fact tulips that grow there are pretty impressive.
 Sakura at Maruyama Koen.
Take the subway to Maruyama Koen Station, and walk for 5 minutes to reach
its spacious grounds.

If viewing cherry blossoms is your first priority, then start off your trip by
visiting Hokkaido Shrine. There are cherry trees planted along the approach
to the shrine.

Sakura and Ume (plum blossom) can be seen together in the park, especially
at the plum grove, located next to the approach. Along with seeing variety of
plum blossoms, you will see a number of big cherry trees. In my opinion, the
park is beautiful everywhere I look.

Plum blossoms (ume) at

Maruyama Park.
Next you go to Maruyama Zoo. During the golden week in spring, the zoo
becomes full of crowds with children and parents.

It’s impressive to see variety of endangered animals and birds at the zoo, and
you will be more impressed when you see the polar beers, wolves, penguins,
and Steller’s sea eagles. Monkeys in the cage look awful to me, but for
children they bring a lot of excitement, no doubt.

Ho
kkaido Shrine.
You can take a break here at the zoo. There are stores and restaurants to buy
foods from, and if you run out of cash, you can visit the 7-Eleven store,
located inside the zoo and withdraw some cash using your
international VISA or MasterCard.

You can spend the whole day the visiting the zoo and roaming around the
Maruyama park including a leisurely walk into the Maruyama Primeval
Forest for a unique travel experience.
 Sapporo TV Tower at Odori
Park, Sapporo City in Hokkaido.
You will spend your evening in the Odori Park, located right in the city
center with flowerbeds, statues, benches, and fountains. Here you also see
the Sapporo TV Tower – the symbol of Sapporo city.

Discover another highlight of Sapporo, called Tanukikoji Shopping

Arcade. Whether you buy things from there or not, just enjoy your walk
along the arcade. If you are not interested in it, explore Sapporo Underground
Shopping Mall. Good luck!
Sapporo Itinerary – Day 3

Sa
pporo ESTA building.
Today you are going to dedicate your time especially for shopping though I
would highly recommend you to visit the Sapporo Beer Museum,
and Sapporo Beer Garden as they are located very close to each other.

Before you get there, make your way to Sapporo Factory. There is nothing
special, but it’s worth visiting to explore the shopping complex and its indoor
garden. From here you go to the Sapporo Beer Museum. So take a walk and
enjoy walking in this neighborhood.

You can ignore visiting Sapporo Factory, but not the Sapporo Beer Museum
as it’s considered a must see attraction for tourists. This is a great place to
learn the history of beer in Japan. Don’t leave the museum without tasting
some beer.

JR
Tower!
There is a perfect place to enjoy your lunch today. Next to the museum, you
see a building called Sapporo Beer Garden. It consists of a few restaurants.
Order your Jingisukan (Genghis Khan) – a popular local dish made with
grilled mutton or lamb, and vegetables.

Please note this is not one and only place to taste Jingisukan in Sapporo, but
the city offers a number of other restaurants that are known for serving this
delicious local dish.

What to do next?!
You can spend rest of your time time by visiting Sapporo ESTA, Daimaru,
JR Tower Sapporo Stellar Palace, and JR Tower Observation Deck.

Sapporo ESTA is a great shopping complex with variety of products. For tax
free shopping, you must visit Bic Camera store located in ESTA building.
Enjoy shopping there and don’t forget to bring your passport.

Soup Curry is a famous dish originated in Sapporo. Want to try this? Visit
Soup Curry Garaku to enjoy your dinner.

That’s it! I hope this suggested itinerary makes your trip easier.

Sapporo is not a big city like Tokyo. 3 Days in Sapporo is enough to see its
attractions that become lively in the spring.

If you want to explore the other sightseeing attractions like Moerenuma Park,
Takino Suzuran Hillside National Park, the Historical Village of Hokkaido
including a day trip to Otaru or Jozankei, then stay 2 more days in the city.
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