 Japan City Guides: Sapporo
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Sapporo
 population
– 1.83 million.- modern, clean city on a grid pattern.
- no rainy season, unlike the rest of Japan.
- famous for beer, the annual winter Snow Festival and skiing.
- hosted the Asian Winter Games and Winter Olympics.
- food speciality: ‘Genghis Khan’ (barbecued mutton).
- good base to explore rest of Hokkaido by hire car.
Bars, Restaurants, Clubs
in Sapporo
Sapporo, with a population approaching nearly 2 million inhabitants,
is by far Hokkaido's largest city and main commercial and business center.
The city hosted the 1972 Winter Olympics and is famous for it's Snow Festival,
Sapporo beer and ramen noodles and of course, ‘Genghis Khan’
- a barbecued mutton dish. The city's main historic sites date from the
late nineteenth century and include the Old Hokkaido Government Building
and the campus of Hokkaido University. There are some worthwhile museums
in the city including the Ainu Museum, Hokkaido Museum of Modern
Art and a natural history museum in Miyabe Hall.
Things to see and do
Sapporo Snow Festival,
Art Park, Sapporo Beer Museum, botanical gardens, Susukino entertainment
district for nightlife. The Historical Village of Hokkaido 14km east of
the city contains a collection of historic buildings from all over Hokkaido
brought to this spot and makes for a good day-trip from Sapporo.
Otaru
Otaru, 40km northwest of Sapporo, is the arrival and departure
point for ferries to the city has some restored Meiji-era (1868-1912)
buildings of interest.
Access to Otaru by bus and train (around 30 mins.) to Sapporo .
Hakodate
Hakodate, 260km southwest of Sapporo is on the main train line
to Tokyo via the Seikan Tunnel and is worth a visit for the Asa-ichi
morning market, the Motomachi area of old residences and foreign
consulates, the nineteenth Pentagon-style Goryokaku fort and the
amazing view from the top of Hakodateyama.
Access from both Sapporo and Tokyo by train and also ferry from the main
island of Honshu.
Sapporo Dome Stadium more
stadium info
Fukuzumi subway station.
The 42,122 capacity stadium has an amazing hi-tech system where the football
pitch slides into the roofed stadium from outside when the baseball pitch
is not required or in the event of bad weather.
Sapporo Accommodation [2003]:
No. of hotels, inns, hostels: 204
No. of rooms: 21,947
Capacity: 43,521
Access
Air
40 flights daily from Tokyo (Haneda Airport) to Shin-Chitose
Airport (1 hr. 30 min). From Osaka (Kansai International
Airport) 10 flights daily (2 hours). Sapporo has direct air connections
with most major cities in Japan and some international destinations. Buses
(70 mins) and trains (36 minutes) to Sapporo city center from the airport. Train From Tokyo (Ueno Station) JR express sleeper train (16
hours 35 minutes). Or Shinkansen to Morioka, then express via Aomori (10
hours). From Osaka overnight couchettes on express (22 hours 30 minutes).
From Sapporo Station to the Sapporo Dome stadium, 11 minutes on the Toho
subway to Fukuzumi Station then a ten minute stroll.
Bus
Sapporo has good long-distance bus links with cities on the main island
of Honshu and other destinations within Hokkaido. Buses leave from the main
bus station opposite the train station.
Ferry
Ferries from nearby Otaru (30 mins. to Sapporo by train) to Niigata,
Tsuruga and Maizuru.
Tourist Information Center
Sapporo Tourist Information Office
Tel: 011 232 7712
Odori Subway Station
Maps
Map of Hokkaido
Book Hotel Accommodation in Sapporo Here
Hotels
in Sapporo - Bookings
Hostels in Sapporo - Hostelworld.com
Hotels
in Sapporo - HotelClub
Hostels in Sapporo - Agoda
Rent A Mobile Phone
Rent A Mobile Phone in Sapporo
Find Bars, Restaurants and Clubs in Sapporo Here
Sapporo Entertainment:
bars, restaurants, clubs
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