Final Chapter: Sapporo
This is it, the final destination was Sapporo! The city is known for many things: winter olympic games, its famous beer, the winter festival, and even more. The city is the center of attraction in Hokkaido! Fun fact: I’ve arrived just in time for the Rugby World Cup festivities. The city was booming with more tourists than usual from all around the world! I got to live a once-in-a-lifetime experience that I’ll never forget!
The first stop in Sapporo was a visit to the former Hokkaido Government Office, also known as the “Red Brick Building” by locals. This is where the seat of the government of Hokkaido was housed for years. Visits inside are free, where you can learn more about the history of the building as well as visit the memorial hall which holds many portraits of old governors. The view of the building from a distance was beautiful, with flower beds everywhere and Ginkgo trees all lined up. I could only imagine the scenery once the autumn leaves appeared!
Just a few blocks down from the Office stands the Sapporo Clock Tower. It is one of the oldest buildings in Sapporo, and was used as a drill hall for the Sapporo Agricultural College. To give some context, William Smith Clark, an American professor, was invited by the government of Japan to establish a college in Sapporo. His mark left a great impact on the economic development of Hokkaido. The college has now become the Hokkaido University. This also explains why the structure is similar to old midwest American buildings. The Clock Tower is now a museum that explains the history of the building and on the second floor you can see a replica of the clock that was brought directly from Boston. People can also take pictures with Dr. Clark sitting on a bench. You’ll see him many times, as he is quite an important figure to Sapporo!
From the Clock Tower, we went to Odori Park. This is where all the big yearly festivities happen in Sapporo. At one end of the park stands the Sapporo TV Tower. At my time of arrival, the Oktoberfest festival was happening just under the tower itself! I got to drink good beer and listen to nice music, it was very relaxing! After that, we walked down the park to look at the beautiful fountain overlooking the TV Tower. A little bit further down was the Sapporo Fanzone, where the Rugby World Cup festivities were happening. I’ve had the chance to attend a great opening ceremony with performers, all of this for free! The ambiance was superb!
Next, I obviously could not be in Sapporo and skip going to the Sapporo Beer Museum! Hokkaido is the birthplace of beer in Japan, and this museum tells all its story in Japan, not just Sapporo beer. I could not take videos inside the museum, but I took plenty of photos as this was allowed! If you have the chance, it’s worth reading taking an hour or two to read about all the history of beer in Japan. At the end of the tour, there is a beer garden where you can order Hokkaido exclusive Sapporo Classic beer. I also drank Kaitakushi, which is beer made from the original Sapporo recipe. It tasted very good! One thing that I did not have time to do was eat at the Garden Grill restaurant. You can eat “Ghengis Khan,” a popular all-you-can-eat mutton BBQ local dish. It’s apparently delicious! So many things to do and see, but so little time!
The last place I’ve visited to end the trip was the Hitsujigaoka Observation Hill. There is another Dr. Clark statue overlooking the city of Sapporo. The famous phrase “Boys be ambitious!” is engraved on it. It was the last thing he said to students before going back to America. Many people take pictures here! Usually, you can see sheep around, but it was a bit late to see them. No worries, I’ve enjoyed the view of downtown Sapporo city from there and this marked the end of my trip.
Thanks a lot for reading and watching my video recaps. I wish I could stay more in Japan. There is so much more to see. Until next time!
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Music: Xenoblade 2 Original Soundtrack (2018) – Garfront Mercenaries – Kenji Hiramatsu. Extended version by Kirbychu:
Persona 2: Eternal Punishment Original Soundtrack (2012) – Change Your Way (Instrumental) – Toshiki Konishi
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All original content © 2019 Nicolas Distefano.
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