SarahIn April 2018 I went to Sapporo to see the last cherry blossoms of the season and there was so much more to see! So here’s my top things to do in Sapporo in spring/ summer time!
Most people go to Sapporo in winter for skiing – but also in summer and spring it’s worth spending time here – I would recommend to plan 2-3 nights for Sapporo!
There isn’t such a vast amount of things to do in Sapporo as in Tokio obviously, but the city has its visit-worthy sites and a unique charm! And less tourists!
Visit Hokkaido Shrine and Maruyama Park
Surrounding Maruyama Park is particularly beautiful to stroll around during cherry blossom and Autumn but also nice to relax in other seasons!
See Sapporo by night from above
At night, you get a splendid view of the city up from Asahiyama Memorial Park.
If you don’t want to walk up, you can take the subway to Maruyama Koen and then the bus 13 (once an hour) to the parking lot of the park.
And the view on a clear night is really beautiful!
Eat Genghis Khan Mutton Lamb
You order little plates of fresh mutton lamb and grill them on your personal coal heated little grill, together with some veggies. The meat is then dipped in a special sauce and eaten with rice. Typically you drink fresh draught beer with it.
There is a lot of places in central Sapporo that serve this dish with some of them being very famous. Famous, in this case, results in long queues (think of 1-2h waiting!) – we skipped those and went to a lesser known with a really good rating on tripadvisor – Sapporo Genghiskhan!
Take a picture in front of the clock tower
The clock tower actually isn’t that impressive, I have to admit!
But according to Japanese friends, a visit to Sapporo is simply not complete if you don’t take a picture of you in front of the clock tower!
See the historical village of Hokkaido
The historical village of Hokkaido might be a bit on the outer skirts of Sapporo – but it is well worth the trip and for sure one of the top things to do in Sapporo region!
You will see how a small city of Japan looked like 100-150 years ago – and you can actually enter almost all of the buildings! They even have leaflets with information about what you see in various languages at the entrance!
Hokkaido village won’t keep you busy for the whole day – but plan at least two hours!
What's next after Sapporo?
Sapporo is the perfect place to start your journey through Japan with the JR East South Hokkaido Railpass!
The Shinkansen is going until Shin-Hakodate since 2017 and now it is way easier to travel from Hokkaido to Tokio! From Hakodate you have to take a normal JR Rail bound for Sapporo – but I got a whole article on the suggested JR Railpass itinerary for Hokkaido and the North of Japan!
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[…] And Sapporo is worth the long journey! It’s a city famed for its winter activities but also really beautiful to visit in spring and autumn! 😊 If you want to now more – don’t forget my post on Top Things to do in Sapporo […]