Spend 36 Hours In Sapporo | Places To Visit

Sapporo is the capital of the largest island of Japan, the Hokkaido. Famous for its breweries, and snow festivals, and as a hub for exploring the natural beauty of Hokkaido. Below is the sample three-day itinerary in case you happen to have a 36-hour stay in the city.

Day 1

Morning

Spend the first day of your tour at the famous Sapporo Clock Tower, which is a key landmark of the city. It was erected in 1878 and is a wooden clock tower that has become rather famous in the city. It is suggested to stop for some shots and the beauty of architecture before proceeding with the visit to the Sapporo Beer Museum located nearby. This place showcases Sapporo beer which is a famous beer in Japan and after going through the tour, visitors get to taste the beer.

From there you can easily get to Odori Park – a graceful park that is located right at the center of Sapporo city. Very beautiful, especially during the summer when they pull off music festivals, but it is also impressive to walk around the city regardless of the season. If you fancy it, drop by Sapporo TV Tower located in the park that provides a magnificent view over the city.

Afternoon

For lunch, go to one of the Ramen Alleys that is just a few blocks south of Odori Park. This is a narrow passage with numerous tiny ramen restaurants and vending machines which makes it ideal to warm up and taste Sapporo’s perspective of the traditional ramen.

In the afternoon you can take the subway and go to the Sapporo Winter Sports Museum and see how people ski. While you may not be able to visit in winter, you can find out about Sapporo’s snow festival, and get to view some beautiful snow sculptures. Of course, the museum is even more impressive during the snow festival itself in February though I didn’t have a chance to visit it in that period.

Evening

In the evening go for a walk in the Susukino district, which is the area of nightlife in Sapporo. Izakaya restaurants, bars, and crowded streets with neon indicators create a rather vibrant atmosphere here. If you have time during the evening, try sitting at one of the izakaya restaurants and taste the most famous dish of Sapporo – Genghis Khan lamb barbecue.

For the final session of the night visit the Sapporo Beer Garden and let the beer sampling continue. Especially for tourists, situated in the historical Sapporo brewery, you can try the all-night draft beer and Genghis Khan, open-air barbecued meats, with an amazing view of Sapporo at night. They also have a nice selection of seasonal beers and other brews that are unique to the location.

Day 2

Morning

On the second day of your Sapporo trip, begin the day by visiting Nijo Market – a fish and fresh produce market in the city. Stroll around the moving food stalls to capture the fancy Or purchase beautiful Japanese fruits and vegetables and Japanese candies. You can also get a Sushi breakfast in any of the restaurants which are located around the market.

Hokkaido Shrine is also located nearby; the distance from Nijo Market is only about 20 minutes of walk and this Shrine is dedicated to the souls of the first settlers and pioneers of Hokkaido. This shrine has a very large expanse of greenery which makes it one of the best scenic views in Sapporo, for instance in spring when people go to view the cherry blossom trees, or in autumn, when people go for the red maple trees.

Afternoon

Head down to Jozankei which is a valley that is located near Sapporo and popular for its rejuvenating hot springs and places of interest for taking nature walks. For lunch, grab a quick bite at one of the dining establishments around the hot springs; Soupcurry is the local specialty of curry soup served with cheese and vegetables.

Before continuing to Sapporo, one must not miss the opportunity to visit the Historic Village of Hokkaido. This is an outdoor museum that preserved buildings of Hokkaido structures in the Meiji and Taisho eras to enable visitors to learn about Hokkaido's early settlers and their way of life. It feels like you are traveling back in time as you walk between various traditional houses and stores.

Evening

In the evening, by all means, return to Susukino for the completion of your time in Sapporo. One can look for some of the nightclubs that have live bands performing or you can simply drop by one of the small bars located in Susukino’s basement. These are some very skinny main strips here that are lined with numerous small drinking places which makes it quite adventurous to be on a bar crawl. Grab a kushikatsu restaurant before you leave Susukino, there are several casual restaurants where you can have deep-fried skewers to end the Sapporo experience.

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