Central Hokkaido (Sapporo, Otaru)
Main Street Park
Extensive site: Odori Park stretches across the center of Sapporo and is 1.5 kilometers long. The park is one of the city’s most popular green areas for strolling and jogging.
Seasonal Scenery: In spring, cherry blossoms are in full bloom, and the park is a beautiful scene filled with rows of cherry trees. In summer, the park is lush with greenery and is a popular place for picnics and relaxation. In autumn, visitors can enjoy the changing colors of the leaves, and in winter, snowy landscapes.
Odori Park Plaza: Odori Park Plaza is located in the center of the park and is the site of various events and entertainment. In winter, it is famous as the main venue for the Snow Festival, with large-scale sculptures and stages made of snow and ice.
Monuments and Statues: Various monuments and statues are scattered throughout the park. The Black Tower and the Clock Tower are among the most famous and popular tourist attractions.
Events: Various seasonal events are held in Odori Park. For example, the Cherry Blossom Festival is held in the spring, Autumn Fest and Summer Festival in the summer, and Snow Festival in the winter, attracting both local residents and tourists.
Otaru Canal
Otaru Canal is one of Otaru’s most famous landscapes. Stone warehouses and historical buildings line the gently curving 1,140-meter-long canal, making it a picturesque sight no matter where you take a picture.
Although it is now a tourist attraction, it was originally built in 1923 for small boats called “hashike” to carry cargo to and from the main vessel anchored in the harbor.
After the canal’s role as a canal ended, it was partially reclaimed in 1986, and a walking trail and a town park were constructed.
At dusk, 63 gas lamps are lit and the warehouses are illuminated, creating a fantastic atmosphere that is different from that of the daytime. The mood is perfect for a date.
The Otaru Canal Cruise, a relaxing 40-minute tour of the canals, is another popular activity. The view from the boat is also a good one. The captain will give you a commentary on the canal, which changes with the seasons and with the passage of time.
Noboribetsu Hell Valley
The ruins of the large explosion crater, 450 meters in diameter and approximately 11 hectares in area, are very impressive! Volcanic gases erupt from the reddish-brown rock surfaces and yellowish-gray rock hills, and the smell of sulfur envelopes the entire area. The boiling hot springs and the white smoke that rises from the crater are the very essence of the Valley of Hell.
Noboribetsu Onsen
Noboribetsu Jigokudani is characterized by its hot spring hell. Hot springs gush out from beneath the jigokudani, gushing out steamy hot springs. These hell valleys have different characteristics, such as the “Great Hell Valley” and the “White Hell Valley.
Sources of hot spring water are found throughout Noboribetsu Onsen, most of which gush out from the Hell Valley, which was created by volcanic activity about 10,000 years ago.
Within Noboribetsu Jigokudani is the Yunohana Museum, where visitors can learn about the hot spring’s yunohana. Yunohana are crystallized hot spring ingredients, and their beauty can be admired.
Lake Toya
Yotei to the north, Mt. Usu and Mt. Showa Shinzan still active to the south, and Lake Toya with its lakeside hot spring resort area. With a circumference of approximately 43 km, Lake Toya is the third largest caldera lake in Japan after Lake Kussharo and Lake Shikotsu in Hokkaido. Four islands, Oshima, Bentenjima, Kannonjima, and Manjujima, collectively called Nakajima, float in the center of the lake, which was created by an eruption about 110,000 years ago. Nakajima is also known as a power spot, and visitors can go ashore on a sightseeing boat.
Mt. Tengu
As you climb to the top, the city opens up below you like a box garden, and from the summit you can enjoy a panoramic view of Otaru Port, Ishikari Bay, and on clear days, the Shakotan Peninsula and the Shikotanbetsu mountain range. It is a superb viewpoint that has earned a star in the Michelin Green Guide Japon.
This is also known as one of the “Three Great Night Views of Hokkaido” along with the night views of Mount Hakodate and Mount Moiwa. You can enjoy the beautiful night view of Otaru, which looks as if it were scattered with jewels. There are five observation decks at the top of the mountain, offering different angles from which to view the scenery.
White lover
Shiroi Koibito Park is a theme park of happiness and confectionery, where visitors can see, learn, taste, and experience the fun for both children and adults. Visitors can observe the production process of “Shiroi Koibito,” Sapporo’s famous confectionary, and other famous confections, as well as experience making sweets, learn the history of chocolate, and taste ISHIYA’s original sweets in the café.
Kitaichi Glass
In addition to original glassware, the shop also sells oil lamps and liquor, making it one of Otaru’s most popular tourist attractions.
The massive stone warehouse has a long history, having been built in 1891 as a warehouse for the fishing industry. The store is filled with a wide variety of colorful glassware that is exciting just to look at. The store is divided into three floors with themes of “Japanese floor,” “Western floor,” and “Country floor,” and offers a wide variety of products such as tableware, glasses, lamps, and accessories.
Showa Shinzan
Showa Shinzan was created by eruptive activity that began in 1943. What was once a flat wheat field has been repeatedly uplifted over a period of only two years to its present appearance. The elevation is 398 m, and the volcano is still active. The rugged reddish-brown surface of the mountain tells the history of the uplift that pushed up highly viscous lava. The sight of the volcanic fumes rising from the rocky surface is very powerful! You can experience the energy of the earth.
Noboribetsu Date Jidai Mura
This is an exciting culture park that recreates the streets and culture of the Edo period in its entirety. Every day there are shows that can be enjoyed by people of all ages and nationalities, such as powerful ninja action, gorgeous oiran (courtesan) dances, and period comedies that will bring laughter and tears. The park also offers a wide range of entertainment activities that can be enjoyed throughout the day, such as the “Ninja Maze,” a karakuri house, a dojo where visitors can experience shuriken throwing and archery, period costume rentals, and eating dumplings on skewers in an elegant merchant district.