Sapporo

Sapporo (札幌) is the capital and largest city of the northern island of Hokkaido, Japan. One of Japan’s newest cities, Sapporo’s population has grown from 7 in 1857 to nearly two million today. Get in Sapporo is Hokkaido’s main transport hub. By plane All international and interisland flights land at New Chitose Airport (CTS) to the south of the city. The route from Tokyo is the most heavily traveled in the world, with several dozen Jumbos flying daily on a variety of carriers and flights as low as ¥10000 one way if you book in advance. From the airport, JR trains run every 15 minutes directly to Sapporo station (36 mins, ¥1040). A few flights within Hokkaido also land at the older Okadama Airport (OKD) to the north of the city. By train JR sleeper trains run from Tokyo directly to Sapporo via the Seikan Tunnel, taking around 16 hours for the journey. These are popular, so book in advance. Note that even if traveling by Japan Rail Pass, supplements totaling around ¥13000 will be charged for a B2-class sleeper and various night express surcharges. Trains also connect Sapporo to most major cities in Hokkaido, including Hakodate, Otaru and Asahikawa. The JR Sapporo station is at North 2, West 1 on the subway Namboku line. By bus Express buses connect to most points in Hokkaido. The main terminal is next to the Bus Center-Mae station of the subway Tozai line. Get aroundMost unusually for a Japanese city, Sapporo is painfully logically organized thanks to its strict grid system. The main thoroughfare, the leafy Ō-Dōri (大通り, lit. “Big Street”), runs east-west across the city and divides the city into North and South, while the Namboku subway line divides the city into West and East. The address of every block in the center is thus of the type “North X West Y” (prominently signposted at all intersections), making navigation a snap. By subwaySapporo has three subway lines, all converging at Odori station at the center of the grid. The Namboku Line (“North-South”) runs north-south, the Tōzai Line (“East-West”) runs along Odori west-east, and only the Tōhō Line breaks the mould by running in a C-shaped curve from northeast to southeast. Single fares cost ¥200 and up, or you can buy the oddly named With You stored value card (lowest denomination ¥1000). By streetcarA streetcar (of little utility to most visitors) trundles around the southwestern side of Sapporo, connecting to the subway at Susukino. SeeThe Sapporo TV Tower, at the eastern end of Odori, is a tourist trap carbon copy of the Eiffel Tower with an observation deck at 90m (entry ¥700). The Clock Tower (時計台 Tokeidai, close to Odori station) has become a symbol of Sapporo, mostly by being the oldest building still standing; it was constructed in 1878 for the Sapporo Agricultural College and would not look out of place in Smalltown USA. The Sapporo Beer Museum (North 7, East 9; tel. 01-1731-4368), run by the Sapporo Brewing Company, offers free guided tours covering the history of beer in Japan and the process of brewing. At the end of the tour you can “taste” all the beer you want for 30 minutes or so; as you might expect, this makes the tour quite popular, so advance reservations are recommended in summer. Open 9 AM to 3:40 PM, get there on the Loop 88 Factory bus line from Odori Station. DoThe Sapporo Snow Festival (first week of February) is Sapporo’s largest event. The festival is best known for the ice sculpture competition attracting artists from around the world, competing to create the largest and most elaborate artworks from ice and snow. EatSapporo is famous for hairy crab (kegani), an expensive treat available at any seafood restaurant, and miso ramen, a more affordable local variation of the ubiquitous noodle dish with miso paste added to the stock. The ramen in particular will warm you up nicely on a chilly winter day. DrinkThe Susukino area to the south of the center is one of Japan’s largest nightlife (and red-light) districts. Get there on the subway Namboku line, Susukino station. The drink of choice when in Sapporo is obviously Sapporo beer. (Article from/based on Wikitravel article and may be copied freely) |