Red Brick Building 
Also known as the Former Hokkaido Government Building
We started off the day by taking a short walk to the Clock Tower which was first built as a Sapporo Agricultural College drill hall in 1878 and was transformed into its present structure equipped with a clock in 1881. It has been ticking away for more than 125 years and its collection of materials relating to Sapporo’s history is open to the public for a small admission fee.
Clock Tower at night
The Clock Tower 
From the Clock Tower, we proceeded to Odori Park, less than five minutes away by foot. Extending 1.5km east and west in the city centre, this is the main venue for the Sapporo Snow Festival in winter. During the months of May to September, the Odori Park is adorned with flowers, greenery and fountains.
The Odori Park is also the venue for various other events including the :-
- Sapporo Lilac Festival held in late May Yosakai Soran Festival held on June 10 – 14
- Sapporo Summer Festival held in late July to Late August
- Sapporo Autumn Festival which features Hokkaido food held in mid Sept – early Oct and
- Sapporo Light Illumination, where approximately 400,000 festive lights adorn the city, held in late Nov - mid Feb.
Odori Park 
Even the birds enjoy the parkLook out for the Sapporo TV Tower which is Sapporo’s landmark and located in Odori Park. For a small fee, you can enjoy an exquisite view from the observatory 90m above the ground.
Sapporo TV Tower ...
Japan travel advice:-
There is a common discount ticket to both the Clock Tower and the TV Tower, if you would like to go inside, which would help to save and make for a cheap Japan travel.
Interesting sights 
After strolling through Odori Park, we made our way back to the hotel to wait for our friend to pick us up. She brought us to Okurayama, equivalent to Mt Okura as ‘yama’ stands for mountain. This is where the Okurayama Ski Jump Stadium and the Sapporo Winter Sports Museum are located.
We were unfortunate not to be able to go up to the Okurayama Ski Jump Platform as the chair lifts were under maintenance for that week. It was a pity as we were looking forward to going up to get some panoramic, breathtaking views and fresh crisp air.
Okurayama Ski JumpHowever we did manage to see the Ski Jump Stadium which hosts world-class competitions. Top ski jumpers from around the world gather here, the venue of the 1974 Olympics ski jumping games, to set new records. In fact, the Okurayama ski jump is a popular attraction what was specially constructed for the Sapporo Olympics as a 90 m-class ski jump site.
Okurayama Ski Jump
Adjoining Okurayama Ski Jump Stadium is the Sapporo Winter Sports Museum. This is an experience-oriented museum-type facility. In addition to the collection of winter-sports-related items on display, winter sports simulations are also available. Experience the thrill of figure skating, bob sledding, speed skating, cross country, etc…
For lunch, we went to Node 43 at Grand Hotel Sapporo. It was quite crowded and we realized that it was because of a discount in the buffet price as the hotel is celebrating its 75th anniversary. The buffet lunch cost JPY2,100 with special prices for children and senior citizens aged 65 and above. Or you could go for the fruit and dessert buffet from 2pm - 4.30pm which cost JPY1,500.
Lunch buffet prices 
Car lift for parking 
Lunch at Grand Hotel Sapporo
For your Sapporo travel, you can also go up to JR Tower’s Observatory “Tower 38” for a panoramic view of Sapporo’s cityscape from a height of 160m.
Another interesting area to visit is the Jozankei Hot Springs, a village located amid tranquil gorges. This is one of the more popular onsen Japan has. A tourist attraction, Jozan Gensen Park and Jozankei Hot Spring Resort are popular amongst both citizens and tourists as a retreat on the outskirts of Sapporo. It was a pity but we did not have the time to visit this popular Japan attraction.
The best season to travel to Sapporo is winter, when the city is covered with a blanket of pure white snow. You will be able to view the internationally famous Snow Festival which exhibits the beauty and warmth of the season as well as the White Illumination where thousands of brilliant white lights are lit giving the place a more fantastic atmosphere.
We met up with some colleagues for dinner at Nan En, a restaurant serving Cantonese cuisine in the basement of the hotel we stayed in, i.e. the Keio Plaza Sapporo. With a modern and stylish interior, we enjoyed the various dishes and caught up on old time. Most of the colleagues were old timers and thus there were lots to catch up on.
Hot Soup 
Meat dish
Some dim sum
Car lift for parking 
Grand Hotel Sapporo Lobby 
We ordered fried rice with beef steak and the king prawn and scallop which was served with bread. They all tasted good and fresh and should be on the ‘must-try’ list. The chocolate cake and baked cheesecake were a little heavy though.
We ordered fried rice with beef steak and the king prawn and scallop which was served with bread. They all tasted good and fresh and should be on the ‘must-try’ list. The chocolate cake and baked cheesecake were a little heavy though.
After lunch, we walked around the area and did some shopping at the arcade known as Tanukikouji Shopping Arcade as well as Daiso.
Fresh seafood at Nijo Fish Market 
Fresh seafood at Nijo Fish Market 
Tanukikouji Shopping Arcade comprised of six streets and stretched for approximately one km. You can shop at Tanukikouji St which is covered most of the way and find some interesting items there.
Tanukikouji Shopping Arcade ... 
Daiso is also generally known as the 100 yen shop, one of the more popular shopping places especially for tourists on budget travel, where majority of the items cost JPY100 excluding 5% tax. So if you are on a budget and looking for gifts and souvenirs, this is a good place so as to keep within your budget and make it a cheap Japan travel. For us, this is the place where we did the majority of our shopping to pick up some lovely presents for the folks back home.
In fact, we found that this Daiso covered five floors and had a wide variety of items to choose from. The actual 100 yen shops do not have as wide a range but are good enough to pick out simple gifts, souvenirs and presents.
We also passed by the JR Sapporo Station and found that you could spend hours shopping there as well. And if you are looking for food and do not know what to order, do not fret as many shops display the dishes so you can just point at them.
In fact, we found that this Daiso covered five floors and had a wide variety of items to choose from. The actual 100 yen shops do not have as wide a range but are good enough to pick out simple gifts, souvenirs and presents.
We also passed by the JR Sapporo Station and found that you could spend hours shopping there as well. And if you are looking for food and do not know what to order, do not fret as many shops display the dishes so you can just point at them.
JR Sapporo Station
For your Sapporo travel, you can also go up to JR Tower’s Observatory “Tower 38” for a panoramic view of Sapporo’s cityscape from a height of 160m.
Another interesting area to visit is the Jozankei Hot Springs, a village located amid tranquil gorges. This is one of the more popular onsen Japan has. A tourist attraction, Jozan Gensen Park and Jozankei Hot Spring Resort are popular amongst both citizens and tourists as a retreat on the outskirts of Sapporo. It was a pity but we did not have the time to visit this popular Japan attraction.
The best season to travel to Sapporo is winter, when the city is covered with a blanket of pure white snow. You will be able to view the internationally famous Snow Festival which exhibits the beauty and warmth of the season as well as the White Illumination where thousands of brilliant white lights are lit giving the place a more fantastic atmosphere.
We met up with some colleagues for dinner at Nan En, a restaurant serving Cantonese cuisine in the basement of the hotel we stayed in, i.e. the Keio Plaza Sapporo. With a modern and stylish interior, we enjoyed the various dishes and caught up on old time. Most of the colleagues were old timers and thus there were lots to catch up on.
Hot Soup 
Meat dish
Some dim sumAnd not forgetting the sakura jelly dessert 
This was something that we had not tried before and it tasted very light and refreshing.
This was something that we had not tried before and it tasted very light and refreshing.Japan travel advice:-
If you are travelling in Sapporo, do take advantage and try the onsen. Japan is famous for their hot springs due to the wondrous healing effects of the water. When in Japan a visit to an onsen is an experience that shouldn’t be missed. The water of a Japanese onsen is rich in a variety of minerals and is naturally heated by the earth with water temperatures exceeding 25 degrees Celsius. A visit to a Japanese onsen is relaxing and rejuvenating but it can also offer relief from some of your ailments.
This Sapporo travel turned out to be an exciting time even though we did not manage to visit any onsen. Japan is well known for these hot springs. If you are looking for cheap Japan travel, yet wish to be able to get some pretty souvenirs and gifts, look for Daiso or any 100 yen shop.
If you are travelling in Sapporo, do take advantage and try the onsen. Japan is famous for their hot springs due to the wondrous healing effects of the water. When in Japan a visit to an onsen is an experience that shouldn’t be missed. The water of a Japanese onsen is rich in a variety of minerals and is naturally heated by the earth with water temperatures exceeding 25 degrees Celsius. A visit to a Japanese onsen is relaxing and rejuvenating but it can also offer relief from some of your ailments.
This Sapporo travel turned out to be an exciting time even though we did not manage to visit any onsen. Japan is well known for these hot springs. If you are looking for cheap Japan travel, yet wish to be able to get some pretty souvenirs and gifts, look for Daiso or any 100 yen shop.
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