Sapporo Station Area
Part of Chūō-ku, some of the most interesting parts of the city can be found here in the part of downtown that stretches from the station to Susukino. If you head directly south, you will enter the main administrative area. The Hokkaido Government Buildings, including the Old Hokkaido Government Building, are on the west side. Further west are the Botanical Gardens, which hold almost 5,000 varieties of plants, and if you continue west, you will come to the Hokkaido Museum of Modern Art. Retrace your steps and you will come across the offices of the major airline companies, banks and other financial institutions, and just to the east of the main thoroughfare you will find most of the major department stores and a number of top-class hotels. Turn south and you will come to Sapporo City Hall, where you will see the Tokei-dai, one of the major symbols of Sapporo. This majestic clock tower has been tolling the hour for more than a century. Located south of Odori Park, Susukino is one of the largest entertainment districts in Japan. It is said that there are more than 4000 establishments operating in an area of about one square kilometer. As the sun goes down, the lights turn on at restaurants, bars, cafes, discos, saunas, pool halls, peep shows, soaplands (a Japanese euphemism for brothel), and massage parlors. There are also numerous reasonably priced hotels in this area. Further south you will come to Nakajima Park, the oldest park in Sapporo. This vast park is a superb recreational area that blends nature with culture. The excellent Sapporo Winter Sports Museum and the Hokkaido Museum of Literature are located here, as is Sapporo Concert Hall (Kitaro), the city's premier concert venue, and home of the Sapporo Symphony Orchestra.
Hotels
Royton Hotel Sapporo
