Sapporo
Capital Of Hokkaido; Host Of The Sapporo Snow Festival · Sapporo, Hokkaido
The capital of Hokkaido, Japan's northern island, a young city laid out on a grid in the 1870s with American advice, and the gateway to the island's ski resorts, national parks and lavender fields. Its great event is the Sapporo Snow Festival in early February, when Odori Park fills with huge snow and ice sculptures, some the size of buildings, and the Susukino district with ice carvings, drawing around two million visitors. The rest of the year the city is known for food and drink: miso ramen, soup curry, Genghis Khan grilled lamb, fresh crab and sea urchin from the Nijo and Curb markets, and Sapporo beer, whose old brewery is now a beer museum and beer hall. The ropeway up Mount Moiwa gives one of the best night views in Japan. Nearby are the canal town of Otaru, the hot springs of Jozankei, and Niseko, famous worldwide for its powder snow. Winters are long and snowy and summers mild and dry, which makes Hokkaido a summer escape from the heat of the rest of Japan. New Chitose airport is about forty minutes away.
Odori Park, Chuo Ward, Sapporo, Hokkaido, 060-0042, Japan
NO OPENING TIME HERE WAS CHECKED. The typical pattern: the Snow Festival runs for about a week in early February, with the Odori sculptures lit until about 10 pm. The Mount Moiwa ropeway runs from late morning to around 10 pm, with shorter winter hours and closures in high wind and for annual maintenance. The Beer Museum opens in the daytime and closes on some Mondays. Nijo market is best early in the morning. The last trains to the airport leave in the late evening. Confirm all times and weather closures before travelling.