Japan Guide
Hokkaidō
Sapporo
With a population of nearly two million, Hokkaidō's vibrant and booming capital SAPPORO is the fifth largest city in Japan. As the transport hub of the island, you're almost bound to pass through here. However, it's worth lingering as Sapporo is generously endowed with parks and gardens and laid out in an easy-to-follow grid plan. The mountains that attract skiers and snowboarders rise up to its south, while the coast is less than thirty minutes away.
Sapporo is perhaps best known for its beer, which has been brewed here since 1891; a visit to the handsome, late-nineteenth-century Sapporo Brewery is a must, as is a stroll through the grounds and museums of the Botanical Gardens, which date from the same era. After dark, the bars and restaurants of Susukino (pronounced "suskino") spark to life and you'd be hard pressed to find a livelier nightlife district outside of Tokyo or Ōsaka.
Pleasantly cool temperatures tempt many visitors to Sapporo's Summer Festival (usually July 21– Aug 20), which features outdoor beer gardens and other events in Ōdōri-kōen, the swathe of parkland that cuts through the city centre. This park is also the focus of activity during the fabulous Yuki Matsuri, a "snow festival" held every February.
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