Travel with You, Me, Away

Sapporo Travel Guide: Odori Park Spine, Mount Moiwa Views, and Otaru Rail Trips

Laid out on a crisp grid across a broad Hokkaido plain framed by volcanic peaks, Sapporo links its red-brick pioneer landmarks, leafy Odori Park boulevard, and seafood markets via a heated underground walkway and a three-line subway system.

Reviewed

Explore the map

Destinations on the map

The map shows selected approximate city locations. Individual hotels and restaurants are not mapped.

Dot: one place · Number: multiple places

On the mapApproximate locationSapporoApproximate city locationView itinerary

Map data: Natural Earth · Place data: GeoNames, CC BY 4.0, modified

Map markers are for orientation.

1 place

All places
  1. Sapporo (Approximate city location)

Location coordinates: Sapporo.

JR Rapid Airport train from New Chitose (CTS) and Chi-Ka-Ho walkways

New Chitose Airport (CTS) connects directly to JR Sapporo Station in 37 to 40 minutes on the JR Rapid Airport train, with departures every 12 minutes. Highway buses also link CTS directly to Odori and Susukino hotels when heavy snowfall slows rail lines.

Connecting JR Sapporo Station south to Odori Park and Susukino is the climate-controlled underground pedestrian concourse (Chi-Ka-Ho and Pole Town), allowing you to walk the entire central spine without stepping onto winter ice.

  • JR Rapid Airport trains run every 12 minutes from New Chitose (CTS) to Sapporo Station (37 min); reserve a u-seat for guaranteed luggage space.
  • Use the underground Chi-Ka-Ho walkway between Sapporo Station, Odori, and Susukino during snow or rain.
  • Suica, PASMO, and Kitaca IC cards work on JR Hokkaido trains and the three Sapporo Municipal Subway lines.

Sources: Visit Sapporo: Clock Tower, Visit Sapporo: Odori Park

Choosing between Sapporo Station, Odori Park, and Susukino/Nakajima Park

Staying near JR Sapporo Station gives direct platform access for day trips to Otaru, Noboribetsu, and Furano/Biei. Around Odori Park, you sit in the geometric middle of the city with all three subway lines (Namboku, Tozai, Toho) intersecting beneath the park.

South of Odori, Susukino puts soup-curry shops, Jingisukan lamb grills, and Ramen Alley steps away, while adjacent Nakajima Park offers quiet lakeside mornings.

  • JR Sapporo Station: best base for early regional trains to Otaru and New Chitose Airport.
  • Odori Park: central park views and triple-line subway hub.
  • Susukino and Nakajima Park: evening dining districts paired with peaceful morning park paths.

Sources: Visit Sapporo: Odori Park, Visit Sapporo: TV Tower and viewpoint

Two-day Odori spine, Mount Moiwa sunset, and Otaru Canal route

Day one starts with a morning seafood bowl at Nijo Market, walks the 1.5-kilometre green strip of Odori Park from the Sapporo TV Tower past the Clock Tower and Former Hokkaido Government Office (Red Brick Office), visits Hokkaido Shrine inside Maruyama Park and the red-brick Sapporo Beer Museum, and rides the streetcar and ropeway up Mount Moiwa for sunset over the Ishikari plain.

Day two boards the JR Rapid Airport/Hakodate Line train from Sapporo Station along the Sea of Japan coastline to Otaru (35 minutes) to walk the stone warehouses of Otaru Canal, Sakaimachi glassworks street, and glassware cafés, or visits Tadao Ando’s Hill of the Buddha at Makomanai Takino Cemetery.

  • Day 1: Nijo Market breakfast, Odori Park, Hokkaido Shrine in Maruyama Park, Sapporo Beer Museum, and Mount Moiwa ropeway.
  • Day 2: Scenic coastal JR train to Otaru Canal (35 min) or Hill of the Buddha at Makomanai Takino.
  • Panorama alternative: Okurayama Ski Jump Observatory overlooking the straight length of Odori Park.

Sources: Visit Sapporo: Clock Tower, Visit Sapporo: Odori Park, Visit Sapporo: TV Tower and viewpoint, Visit Sapporo: Former Hokkaido Government Building

Cool Hokkaido summers, February Snow Festival, and winter ice boots

Unlike humid central Japan, Sapporo enjoys dry, comfortable summer days (around 22 °C to 26 °C in June to August) with lilac and lavender blossoms and outdoor beer gardens fill Odori Park. Winter brings nearly five metres of cumulative snowfall and the early-February Sapporo Snow Festival.

From December to March, compacted snow on side streets turns glassy at pedestrian crossings: wear waterproof winter boots with deep rubber treads or attachable ice cleats.

  • Book hotels months ahead if visiting during the early-February Sapporo Snow Festival.
  • Sit on the right-hand side of the train when travelling from Sapporo to Otaru for coastal sea views.
  • Reach Mount Moiwa Ropeway 45 minutes before sunset to avoid the evening gondola queue.

Sources