After flying into Hokkaido and settling into our Sapporo accommodations last night, we woke up energized and ready to discover the charms of Sapporo, Hokkaido’s capital city. With crisp blue skies and colorful autumn leaves framing every street, this vibrant metropolitan area was showing off peak fall splendor during our visit.
Our first stop was the iconic Sapporo TV Tower, one of the city’s most recognizable landmarks. Dating back to 1957, this soaring 147.2-meter tower offers sweeping panoramic views from the observation decks. As we took the elevator up to the highest deck, we admired Sapporo’s modern skyline and surrounding mountains transitioning into brilliant fall hues in every direction. The beaming autumn sunshine illuminated everything in a warm golden glow.
Next up was exploring the Odori Park area, Sapporo’s centrally located landmark green space. This 1.5km long park area divides the city’s main downtown into north and south sections. During our relaxing stroll down Odori Park’s tree-lined promenades, we instantly fell in love with Sapporo’s crisp natural beauty. Verdant lawns punctuated by vibrant maple trees bursting with red, orange and yellow foliage made for incredibly scenic surroundings. We stopped at the intriguing Sapporo TV Tower Fountain, which combines musical choreography with water jets shooting up choreographed streams mesmerizingly.
After soaking in Odori Park’s serene autumnal atmosphere, we satisfied our growing appetites by sampling some of Sapporo’s most beloved street food snacks. From freshly grilled Hokkaido scallops to savory meat-filled buns and piping hot potato croquettes, the street vendors near Odori Station did not disappoint. A seasonal favorite was the amazingly fresh and sweet local Tsurunoko Yokan – a smooth, dense jellied sweet potato confection. Eating these traditional snacks couldn’t have been more perfect for experiencing Sapporo’s local flavors on this postcard-worthy fall day.
Refueled and energized, our next stop took us just a couple blocks northwest to the Sapporo Beer Garden, home of Japan’s oldest beer producer – Sapporo Breweries. At the expansive red-brick brewery grounds and gardens, we learned all about the origins of Sapporo’s beer making traditions dating back to 1876. We toured historic beer cellars, saw towering brewing equipment up close, and even witnessed workers crafting iconic beer mugs and bottles by hand. Of course, no visit is complete without sampling freshly brewed Sapporo Classic in the garden’s charming beer hall!
After our brewery adventure, we decided to experience one of Sapporo’s most quintessential foodie destinations by visiting the city’s famous Nijo Market (Curb Market). Established in 1903, this long shotengai district contains hundreds of shops selling fresh seafood, produce as well as snacks and restaurants. We weaved through the tightly packed, lively lanes gawking at stalls overflowing with the most succulent cuts of salmon, tuna, scallops, crab and more. The sights, sounds and smells of the bustling market were utterly intoxicating.
For dinner, we treated ourselves to world-famous Sapporo ramen at Sumikyo, a no-frills ramen institution that kept winning us over with its pork-bone tonkotsu broth and thick, chewy noodles. The rich, soulful broth had such incredible depth of flavor and the springy, fresh noodles held up to the last slurp. Authentic ramen like this is something we’ll forever crave after returning home.
As night fell, we ended our incredible first day in Sapporo at the beautifully illuminated Sapporo White Illumination. This nightly lighting display transforms the buildings and trees lining the pedestrian walkways around Sapporo Station into a romantic spectacle of dazzling white lights and fall foliage. Wandering through these peaceful illuminated lanes while sipping hot drinks made the perfect tranquil ending to our autumn adventures in Sapporo.
Tomorrow we leave the city behind to explore more of Hokkaido’s pristine nature as brilliant fall colors continue to unfold. But tonight, we rest our feet while reminiscing about Sapporo’s flawless amalgamation of modern city energy, local cuisine, seasonal beauty and autumn traditions we were able to experience today. Hokkaido is exceeding our autumnal expectations with every encounter!