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Sapporo Spirit

by Leif Pettersen

Relatively new by Japanese standards, the capital of Hokkaido is a place of open spaces and warm welcomes.

The first time someone mentioned Sapporo in my presence, I nodded gravely, feigning recognition, then rushed to Google to see if my subsequent comments on the state of Argentina’s social system were appropriate. Not so much.

I discovered instead that Sapporo is Japan’s fifth most populous city — 1.9 million people in 2003 — as well as the administrative and economic center for the northern island of Hokkaido. Settled relatively recently, Sapporo displays more European and American influence than one would expect. This can be directly attributed to the fact that American Horace Capron, whose statue reigns over Odori Park, was the lead adviser in selecting and developing Sapporo as Hokkaido’s capital in the 1870s. Before that, Sapporo was a tiny settlement. Home to just seven residents as recently as 1857, Sapporo was initially inhabited by the indigenous Ainu people, who named the region Sariporo-betsu, meaning “a river that runs along a plain filled with reeds.”

Sapporo is not a city that inspires love at first sight. As New York native and guidebook author Howard N. Tarnoff bluntly states in his Sapporo Guidebook, “In all honesty, this city doesn’t have the majestic temples of Kyoto, the intriguing coexistence of the old and super-modern found in Tokyo, and it doesn’t have that secretive traditional charm of Kanazawa. What Sapporo does have going for it as a city is spirit.” That observation concisely describes my reaction to Sapporo as I strolled its streets, observing that if people were driving on the right and the signs were in English, I could be in just about any city in the United States.

Then I wandered into Odori Park, where the spirit Tarnoff mentioned reached out and grabbed hold of me. Discovering the 12-block park filled with expansive grassy stretches, rollicking playgrounds, enthusiastic street performers and engaging locals changed my impression immediately. As my time in Sapporo progressed, I came to realize that for a Japanese city of its size, Sapporo is affordable, easy to navigate, green, inviting and full of beautiful, vivacious people who are reputed to be the most welcoming in Japan.

Though the city’s geographic latitude is about equal to that of Milan and Montreal, its climate clings stubbornly to the colder end of the spectrum, extracting every bit of moisture out of the air and keeping snow on the ground for up to six months a year. The upside is that it’s a light, powdery snow that — in small doses — can be refreshing and enjoyable. And locals make the best of it. The weeklong Sapporo Snow Festival (www.snowfes.com/english/place) in early February is Hokkaido’s biggest annual celebration, attracting 2 million visitors. Tracing its roots to 1950, when students gathered to carve out a few ice sculptures, the festival has grown into an international event that hosts more than 300 sculptures created by teams from around the world. The festivities are spread out over Odori Park, Makomanai Park and the Susukino area. Book accommodations far in advance if you plan to be in town for this event.

Summer, too, attracts visitors from all over. With no distinct rainy season, Hokkaido draws tourists and Japanese from late June onward to bask in the low humidity and cool weather, while reveling in some of Japan’s most noted parks and nature preserves: Daisetsuzan National Park, Shiretoko Peninsula and Akan National Park. Another draw is the Sapporo Summer Festival (July 21–Aug. 20). Much smaller, but no less lively, than the Snow Festival, the annual celebration features beer gardens, concerts and ancillary events like the Pacific Music Festival, started by Leonard Bernstein.

LODGING

SHERATON SAPPORO
The Sheraton Sapporo is a bit of a distance from the city’s central business district, but its proximity to rail and subway service that connects it to downtown and the airport makes up for the relative inconvenienc e. This property is a self-contained wonderland of services, including an ample Japanese spa, a women-only health and beauty parlor, plus Japanese, Chinese and Italian restaurants perched atop the second tallest building in Sapporo. $$-$$$
SHERATON SAPPORO
Atsubetsu Chuo 2-5, Atsubetsu-ku
tel 81 11 895 8811, fax 81 11 895 8820
www.sheraton.com/sapporo

SAPPORO GRAND HOTEL
Established in 1934, the Sapporo Grand Hotel was the first European-style hotel on Hokkaido and has been maintaining an air of elegance ever since. The singles, while compact, are comfortable and complete. The hotel also offers Western- and Japanese-style suites. $$$-$$$$