Wrapping up my long stay at Sapporo in Hokkaido last summer, there are two places I left unmentioned in Sapporo the Former Hokkaido Government Office near the train station and the Maruyama Park and Hokkaido Shrine I visited on the way to
Historical Village of Hokkaido : Sapporo
One of the most interesting attractions in Sapporo is an open-air Historical Village of Hokkaido museum on the eastern side of the city featuring 50+ historical buildings from all over the northern Japanese region of Hokkaido from the Meiji and

Art Park and Sculpture Garden : Sapporo
Lots of curious things happened when I was staying at the Sapporo area in the northern Hokkaido region of Japan during the summer. Happened a few times that I took a bus hoping to get to one attraction and then

TV Clock Tower, Ramen Street & Maid Cafe : Susukino
During my summer stay in the northern Hokkaido region of Japan, I was based in Susukino. Lots of funky things to see and do in Susukino, it’s quite the Japanese adventure, but here I’ll mention four of the tourist/cultural things

Takino Suzuran Hillside National Park : Sapporo
Lots of curious things happened when I was staying at the Sapporo area in the northern Hokkaido region of Japan during the summer. Happened a few times that I took a bus hoping to get to one attraction and then

Shiroi Koibito Park & chocolate factory : Sapporo
There are quite a few tourist traps in Sapporo, but perhaps the biggest one of all is the Chocolate Factory, catered especially for the mass Chinese tourist crowds. It’s run by Ishiya, a local chocolate company, that has devised a brilliant

Okurayama Ski Jump Stadium : Sapporo
During the summer I spent in Hokkaido one of my favorite things was to go up the cable cars. The Hokkaido region is perfect for that, with high mountains surrounding the urban regions. During the freezing winters, all those mountains

Sapporo summer festivals : Hokkaido
My trip last summer to Sapporo was completely unplanned. I was originally planning to tour the Nagoya area following a conference, but the scorching heat of 35-38c had me looking for cooler alternatives, and Hokkaido seemed like a good alternative.

Nakajima Park & Odori Park: Sapporo
I spent much of the last summer in Japan. The original plan was to roam around the Nagoya area, but with ~35c weather, I quickly changed plans and moved up north to spend most of my time in the lovely

Moerenuma Park : Sapporo
Sapporo has a number of public parks all over the city, but the one I liked the most, by far, was the Moerenuma Park. It’s a bit off the beaten track in already rural Sapporo, but it’s well worth it. Aside from