Sapporo Brochure

A MISAWA ITT TOUR

SAPPORO

INTRODUCTION TO SAPPORO

Sapporo, which means important river flowing through a plain in Ainu, is the capital of Hokkaido and Japan’s fifth largest city.

Sapporo is also one of the nation’s youngest major cities. In 1857, the city’s population stood at just seven people.

In the beginning of the Meiji Period, when the development of Hokkaido was started on a large scale, Sapporo was chosen as the island’s administrative center. Consequently, Sapporo was built based on a North American-style rectangular street system.

Sapporo became world famous in 1972 when the Olympic Winter Games were held there. Today, the city is well-known for its ramen, beer and the annual snow festival held each February.

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ORIENTATION

Three subway lines, one tram line and several bus companies provide an efficient network of public transportation. A oneday pass for the subway costs ¥800, while an additional ¥200 gets you an extra day of unlimited rides on subway, tram and buses. No major city in Japan is easier to navigate than Sapporo with its rectangular street layout and simple addressing system. City blocks are named and numbered according to the point of a compass, with the apex at the eastern end of Odori Park.

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SAPPORO BEER GARDEN / MUSEUM

SAPPORO SNOW FESTIVAL

The Sapporo Breweries, the oldest of Japan’s four leading breweries, opened the Sapporo Beer Museum in 1987 in the Meiji Period. The museum introduces the history of beer in Japan and the process of beer making. Sapporo Beer Museum offers free tours in Japanese but English audio tapes are also available. Free tasting and a free souvenir is included in the 50 minute tour. Advance reservations are recommended during peak tourist seasons. Next to the museum stands the Sapporo Beer Garden which consists of three spacious beer halls.

The Sapporo Snow Festival is a famous yearly festival held in Sapporo, Japan over seven days in February. It is one of the largest winter events in Japan. Teams from outside Japan come to participate and the festival is thought to be an opportunity for international relations. About two million people come to see the enormous beautiful snow sculptures on display in Odori Park. The topic for the sculptures varies and is likely to feature an event or famous person from the past year. For example, in 2004 there were statues of Matsui Hideki, the famous baseball player who plays for the New York Yankees. There are also long ice slides which people can actually slide down.

The Snow Festival began in 1950, when local high school students built six snow sculptures in Odori Park. In 1955, the Japan Self Defense Forces joined in and built the first massive snow sculpture, for which the Snow Festival has become famous. Sometimes, in years when the amount of snowfall is less than usual, the Self Defense Force has to bring in snow from other places to open the festival.

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Hokkaido is the birthplace of beer in Japan. Sapporo Beer, one of the oldest and still most popular beer brands in Japan, has been brewing in Sapporo since 1876. It is now brewed and sold internationally.

ODORI PARK & SUSUKINO

OTARU CITY

Otaru is a harbor city, located half an hour northwest of Sapporo by train. Its beautiful canal area and interesting herring mansion make Otaru a pleasant one-day trip from Sapporo or a nice stop en route to or from the Shakotan Peninsula. Otaru Unga used to be a central part of the city’s busy harbor in the first half of the 20th century when large vessels had to be unloaded by smaller ships, which then transported the goods to warehouses along the canal.

Susukino is well known as Japan’s largest entertainment district north of Sapporo. It is packed with stores, bars, restaurants, karaoke shops and pachinko parlors. Of special interest to noodle lovers is the Ramen Yokocho, a narrow lane lined with nothing but ramen shops serving the famous Sapporo ramen.

Odori Park is the broad median of Odori (“large street”) in the center of Sapporo, separating the city into North and South..

The park stretches over twelve blocks and offers pleasant green space during the warmer months, while staging the annual Sapporo Snow Festival in February. At the eastern end of Odori Park stands the TV Tower with an observation deck that offers nice views of Odori Park and the city of Sapporo.

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The canal became obsolete when modern dock facilities allowed for direct unloading of larger vessels. Thanks to a citizens’ movement, part of the canal was beautifully restored in the 1980’s instead of becoming a landfill, while the warehouses were transformed into shops, cafés, museums and restaurants. The canal makes for a pleasant stroll during the day, when various artists present their works to the passing tourists and it is very romantic in the evening when the gas lamps are lit.

When the herring fishing industry declined in the 1950’s, the makers of glass buoys diverted their business to produce refined glassware as the demand for buoys plunged. The results today are numerous glass shops, which now cater mainly to tourists. Among the glass-related attractions are the Kitaichi Glass Shops of Otaru’s most famous glass maker, the Otaru Unga Kogeikan, where tourists can create their own cups in a workshop. “The Glass Ship“ is a glass shop in a former warehouse and the Kitaichi Venetian Art Museum with glass art from Venice.

For sheer ubiquity, the only rival for glass in Otaru is the music box. The sound of Sakai-machi is the sound of “Edelweiss” and “Home on the Range” and such other evergreen music-box classics. For some reason, Otaru has decided to make itself the music-box capital of Japan, if not the world. With Otaru Orgel-do located near the melody-playing Steam Clock, the town has what is claimed to be the biggest music-box store in the world. As one might expect, there is absolutely no lack of elaboration on the musicbox idea in Otaru Orgel-do. There are music boxes in the form of robots and sea-otter orchestras; there are sad-eyed clowns, paired with rampant dolphins in a glass dome. If you can’t find the one music box of your heart’s desire in this store, you’re simply not trying. For those curious about the history of these devices, the nearby annex, Otaru Orgel-do II, has a museum with a great collection of antique music boxes, ranging in size from tiny matchboxes to ones as big as a Texan’s hat.

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FOOD & RESTAURANT GUIDE FOOD Unlike traditional Japanese cuisine, Sapporo dishes rely on their simplicity and the natural flavors of the ingredients. Crab, scallops, and salmon are local specialities and restaurants specializing in these delicacies are common in the city. Genghis Kahn, a lamb barbecue named after the Mongolian warrior, is unique to Hokkaido and especially popular at beer halls throughout the city.

Many have their own original sauces in which the lamb is either marinated or dipped after grilling.

Beer is the beverage of choice to accompany this dish and Sapporo is the preferred beer. Sapporo Beer, founded here in 1876, still brews locally along with other major national brewers; Asahi, Kirin, and a host of local micro-breweries. No street or block in Sapporo is complete without a ramen shop, the internationally acclaimed noodles in miso, soy, or salt flavoured soups.

RESTAURANTS Apart from the more upmarket, traditional Japanese cuisine found in hotel restaurants and specialist establishments, Japanese food can be enjoyed in more relaxed surroundings of an izakaya, or Japanese pub. Here, delicious grilled fish and chicken, as well as a variety of local beers and spirits can be ordered at very reasonable prices. The Sapporo Beer Hall, a fine brick structure to the northeast of Sapporo Station, was once a brewery but now hosts hundreds of customers a day. Both visitors and locals come to sample the Genghis Kahn (beer and seafood buffet available). Other local eateries provide all-you-can-eat buffets called Vikings, often with a huge selection of food, but not recommended to those who are watching their weight! In addition to traditional Chinese, Korean, and Thai restaurants, many other Asian dishes can be found either in specialty restaurants or popular “multi-national” restaurants that serve Japanese versions or variations of ethnic food. Western food is also popular, with new Italian, French,and Mediterranean restaurants opening almost every week.

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TIPS FROM LOCALS Weather in Sapporo (During the snow festival) February is the coldest part of the year in Sapporo, so it is best to dress warm before heading outdoors. It is also wise to put on skidproof shoes.

Recommended Clothes Layered clothing is recommended during the chilly month of February, with thermal underwear, a sweater and an overcoat, preferably a ski jacket. You should also bring a hat or earmuffs and gloves.

Recommended Shoes It will be difficult to walk on the frozen sidewalks without appropriate shoes. Winter boots or other warm shoes with good traction are best.

If you find yourself slipping, you may want to buy “snow chains” for your shoes. These are made of rubber or plastic and have spikes on the bottom. They are attached to the soles of your shoes with glue; the clerk who sells them to you will put them on. Once put on, they can not be removed. They cost about ¥1,000 per pair, and you can buy them at kiosks in JR stations, subway stations, cobblers, and department stores. There are several names for this product, but if you say “Suberidome” (Soo-berry-dough-may) and point at your shoes, the clerk should understand you.

Things to Carry 1. Tissue paper: Tissue paper in small packages is quite useful in case your nose gets runny because of the coldness outside. Not all public restrooms in Japan have toilet paper, so it’s good to be prepared. Small packages of tissue paper are often handed out on the street for free.

2. Hokkailo (Handy body warmer): This is a handkerchief-sized device which generates heat by chemical reaction. It is safe and non-toxic. To use one, take off the vinyl outer cover and then rub or shake inner bag. It generates heat slightly higher than human body temperature and keeps warm nearly 24 hours. It is quite convenient and useful. Be careful not to attach it to bare skin, or wear it long hours near the skin, because it may cause low temperature burns. You can get them at kiosks in JR stations and subway stations, department stores, and drug stores. It costs around ¥100 for each warmer.

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PLACES TO SEE / WALKING TOUR

One of the first things you should do in Sapporo is walk around.

Starting from Sapporo Station, (which contains two shopping malls and a Daimaru department store), take the street leading directly south called Eki-mae Dori (which is also West 4th).

This is one of Sapporo’s main thoroughfares, and it takes you through the heart of the city.

Your First Stop -- Four blocks south of the station, turn left on N1; after a block, you’ll find Sapporo’s most famous landmark, Clock Tower (Tokeidai).

This Western-style wooden building was built in 1878 as a drill hall for the Sapporo Agricultural College, now Hokkaido University. The large clock at the top was made in Boston and was installed in 1881. In summer it attracts tourists, even at night; they hang around the outside gates just to listen to the clock strike the hour. Inside the tower is a local history museum, but it’s in Japanese. Also, across the street is Plaza i, where you can obtain information on Sapporo.

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On to Odori Park -- If you continue walking 1 block south of the Clock Tower, you’ll reach Odori Koen Promenade, a 103m (344 ft.) wide boulevard stretching almost a mile from east to west. In the middle of the boulevard is a wide median strip that has been turned into a park with trees, flower beds, and fountains. This is where much of the Sapporo Snow Festival is held in early February, when ice and packed snow are carved to form statues, palaces, and fantasies. Begun in 1950 to add a bit of spice and life to the cold winter days, the Snow Festival now features about 220 snow statues and 120 ice sculptures and draws about 2.2 million visitors a year.

The Underground Shopping Arcades -- From Odori Park, you can continue your walk either above or below ground.

Appreciated especially during inclement weather and during Hokkaido’s long, cold winters are two underground shopping arcades. Underneath Odori Park, from the Odori Station all the way to the TV tower in the east, is Aurora Town, with boutiques and restaurants. Even longer is Pole Town, with 390m (1,300 ft.) of shops, almost 100 in all. Pole Town extends from the Odori Station south all the way to Susukino, Sapporo’s nightlife amusement center, where you’ll find many restaurants and pubs. Before reaching Susukino, however, you may want to emerge at Sanchome (you’ll see escalators going up), where you’ll find more shopping at the kilometer-long, Tanuki-koji covered shopping arcade’s 300 boutiques and stores.

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MISAWA ITT

Building 973 DSN: 226-3555 Monday–Friday 10 a.m.–6 p.m.

Saturday 10 a.m–2 p.m.

Closed Sunday & federal holidays

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