How to Get Sapporo?
From New Chitose Airport
1. By train (JR): about 40 minutes / 1,070 yen
2. By bus: about 80 minutes / 1,030 yen
3. By taxi: about 50 minutes / 9,000 yen (some taxi has fixed price to Sapporo)
Most people take train to Sapporo. It is fast and there is not much difference if you compare to price of bus.
Transportations in Sapporo
There are street cars, subways and buses in Sapporo and You can go most area by public transport.
One Day Pass for Subways
Weekday: 830 yen for adults and 420 yen for kids
Weekend and national holidays (Donichika Kippu): 520 yen for adults and 260 yen for kids
One Day Pass for Street Cars (Dosanko Pass)
Only for weekend or national holidays: 310 yen for an adult and you can take a child for free.
Four Seasons
Spring
In March, snow still remains on the street. Sometimes it snows in April. It is a little chilly in spring.
Sapporo Lilac Festival (late May): Lilac is the city tree of Sapporo. Flowers of lilac bloom in late May. You can see lilacs in Odori Park.
Summer
It is the best season for sightseeing. The highest temperature exceeds 30°C. But is not as hot as Honshu and there are no rainy season in Hokkaido. Many festivals are held in this season.
Sapporo Beer Garden (from late July to mid August) : You can drink beer and eat food at Odori Park. There are many food stalls during the festival. It is called “Beer Garden” but there are also delicious foods of Hokkaido. So even if you can’t drink alcohol, you can enjoy it.
Autumn
It sometimes gets chilly in fall but it is also good season for sightseeing. It is not as crowded as summer.
Autumn Festival (September): Autumn is harvest season in Hokkaido. At the festival, you can eat delicious food from all over Hokkaido.
Winter
There is a lot of snow and is cold in winter. But if you haven’t seen snow, it is the best season to visit. The snow in Sapporo is very beautiful.
Sapporo Snow Festival: It is one of the biggest winter events in Japan. There will be many snow sculptures.
Sightseeing Spot
Mt. Moiwa: Nightscape from Mt. Moiwa is one of “The New Three Most Beautiful Nightscapes of Japan.” Its altitude is 531m and you can take ropeway to top of the mountain. There is also restaurant where you can enjoy the nightscape.
Odori Park and Sapporo TV Tower: Odori Park is in the center of Sapporo and there are more than 90 kinds of trees and flowers. It is just like Central Park in New York. Sapporo TV Tower is in the park and you can enjoy the view of Sapporo.
Sapporo Clock Tower: Sapporo Clock Tower: It was built in 1878 as one of buildings of Sapporo Agricultural School (now Hokkaido University). The clock is like a symbol of Sapporo and used for package of souvenirs and guide books.
Shiroi Koibito Park: Shiroi Koibito is the most famous cookie in Hokkaido. Shiroi Koibito Park is theme park of Shiroi Koibito.
Hitsujigaoka Observation Hill: You can see nice views of Sapporo including Sapporo Dorms. There is a famous statue of Dr. Clark who was the first vice-principal at Sapporo Agricultural School (now Hokkaido University).
Hokkaido Jingu (Shinto Shrine): It is a biggest shrine in Hokkaido which is built in 1969. The size of shrine precinct is about 180,000 square meters and there are many trees. It is expecially beautiful in cherry blossoms season.
Jozankei Onsen (Hot Spring): Jozankei Onsen is famous hot spring area in Sapporo. It is about a hour away from center of Sapporo by car. Especially the view of autumn leaves is very beautiful.
Local Food
Genghis Khan: Genghis Khan is Japanese style Mongolian mutton barbecue and it is especially eaten in Hokkaido.
Miso Ramen Noodle: There are different kinds of ramen but Sapporo is famous for Miso (soybean paste) based ramen. There is Ramen Yokocho (Ramen Street) where you can find many ramen shops.
Soup Curry: Soup curry is curry soup with rice and it is famous local food of Sapporo. There are many different kinds but typical soup curry is Chicken and fresh vegetables in it.
Soft Ice Cream: Hokkaido is famous for dairy farming and milk in Hokkaido is very fresh. Soft ice cream in Hokkaido tastes fresh and creamy.
Shopping Spot / Duty Free
Daimaru Sapporo (department store): It is connected to JR Sapporo Station.
Tokyu Department Store: It is connected to subway Sapporo Station.
Sapporo Factory: It is a shopping mall. Subway Tozai line “Bus Center Station”
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