Sapporo

Three days on the Sapporo grid, Odori to Otaru

Sapporo's grid makes three easy days: day one around Odori Park, the TV Tower, the Clock Tower, Nijo Market and Hokkaido University, ending with ramen in Susukino; day two at Maruyama Park and Hokkaido Shrine to the west; and day three on a trip to the canal port of Otaru.

Day one starts at Odori Park. Ride up the TV Tower at its eastern end for the long view down the park, then walk two blocks north past the Clock Tower to the Hokkaido Government Office, a red-brick building from 1888. Lunch on a seafood bowl at Nijo Market, a covered market a short walk east of Odori. In the afternoon take the subway north to Hokkaido University and walk its elm-shaded lawns. Evening is for Susukino: ramen in the alley of Ramen Yokocho, then a drink.

On day two head west by subway to Maruyama Park and Hokkaido Shrine, the island's principal Shinto shrine, which is crowded with cherry blossom viewers in early May. After lunch, take the streetcar to the Mount Moiwa ropeway and time your ride for sunset. Dinner can be Genghis Khan, grilled lamb, at the Sapporo Beer Museum complex in the east of town.

Day three is Otaru, less than an hour west on the JR line. Walk the canal lined with old stone warehouses, browse the glassworks and music-box shops on Sakaimachi street, and eat sushi near the port before returning for a last evening in the city. If you prefer the outdoors, swap Otaru for Moerenuma Park in the north-east, or the hot springs at Jozankei.

Miso ramen, soup curry and Genghis Khan lamb

Sapporo gave Japan miso ramen, a rich bowl with a fermented soybean broth, often with butter and corn on top for good Hokkaido measure. Ramen Yokocho, a narrow lane of counters in Susukino, is the classic place, busiest after the bars close. Many locals rate the newer shops scattered around the suburbs, so follow the queues.

Soup curry is the second local invention: a thin, spiced broth with whole roast vegetables and a chicken leg, eaten with rice on the side. You choose the heat level. Shops cluster around the centre and Susukino.

Then there is Genghis Khan (jingisukan), mutton or lamb grilled on a domed iron skillet with vegetables in the runoff. The Sapporo Beer Museum, in red-brick buildings that were once part of the brewery, has a beer hall serving it alongside Sapporo Classic, the beer sold only in Hokkaido.

Seafood is the other reason to come hungry. Nijo Market near Odori and the Curb Market by the wholesale market serve kaisendon (raw seafood on rice) with salmon roe, sea urchin and scallops, and Hokkaido hairy crab, kegani, is a winter splurge. For sweets, Shiroi Koibito Park makes the white-chocolate biscuits Japanese visitors take home, and soft-serve made with Hokkaido milk is sold everywhere in summer.

Snow Festival week and Sapporo's summer beer gardens

Come for the Sapporo Snow Festival, held for about a week in early February with giant snow sculptures in Odori Park, lit ice carvings in Susukino and family slides at the Tsudome dome; it draws more than two million visitors. Dress in layers, since February highs sit near 0°C and lows near −6°C.

The Sapporo Snow Festival is held for about a week in early February and draws more than two million visitors. Odori Park carries the giant snow sculptures and the international competition, Susukino has ice carvings lit at night, and the Tsudome dome in the east has slides and play areas for families. It is cold: February highs sit around 0C and lows near -6C, so dress in layers and go after dark when the sculptures are lit.

Winter as a whole is serious. Precipitation exceeds 100 mm every month from October to January, almost all of it snow from December, and the ski area at Sapporo Teine, an Olympic venue in 1972, is less than an hour from downtown.

Spring is late. Cherry blossom arrives in early May, about a month after Tokyo, and the lilacs of Odori follow at the end of the month. June brings the YOSAKOI Soran dance festival, with teams parading through the centre.

Summer is when Sapporo really relaxes. With July and August highs of 25 to 26C and nights around 18C, the Sapporo Summer Festival turns blocks of Odori into open-air beer gardens from late July into August. September stays warm but is the wettest month, at about 142 mm, and the Autumn Fest food event takes over Odori that month.