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Attraction · Sapporo

Odori Park

A strip of park a kilometre and a half long cutting the city in half, built as a firebreak and now the stage for the Snow Festival.

Time needed1 hour
Best timeFebruary · summer
CostFree
DistrictChuo
About

A firebreak that became the city centre

Sapporo was laid out on a grid in 1869 by planners working from American models, and Odori was originally a firebreak separating the administrative north from the commercial south. It is now a kilometre and a half of park running through the middle of the city, and its function is to host things: beer gardens in summer, an autumn food festival, illuminations in December, and in February the Sapporo Snow Festival, which fills it with snow sculptures several storeys high and draws around two million people.

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What to See

What is there

The park is a venue — what you see depends entirely on the month.

❄️ Snow Festival

  • Early February, with snow sculptures several storeys high
  • Two million visitors over about a week

🍺 Summer

  • A large beer garden along the park through July and August
  • The autumn food festival in September

🗼 Sapporo TV Tower

  • At the eastern end, with an observation deck down the park’s length
Getting There

Getting there

Dead centre, with a station named after it.

🚇 By subway

  • Odori station, on all three subway lines

🚶 On foot

  • 10 minutes from Sapporo station
  • 5 minutes from Susukino
Best Time

When to visit

A park that is only really worth timing for its events.

❄️ February

  • The Snow Festival — book accommodation months ahead

☀️ July–August

  • The beer garden, which is a genuine local institution

🎄 December

  • Illuminations and a German-style Christmas market
Visitor Intelligence

Visitor intelligence

Winter here is serious, and the festival is the busiest week of the year.

🧊 Footing

  • Pavements are ice for months — proper boots or slip-on grips
  • This causes more visitor injuries in Sapporo than anything else

🛏 Booking

  • Snow Festival accommodation sells out months in advance

📷 Photography

  • The sculptures lit after dark; the TV Tower down the park’s length

♿ Access

  • Flat and step-free, though snow and ice complicate winter access
Nearby

Close by

Central Sapporo.

Sapporo Clock Tower
North · 5 min walk
Former Hokkaido Government Office
North-west · 10 min
Good to Know

Frequently asked

Early February, over about a week, with snow sculptures several storeys high along Odori Park. It draws around two million people and accommodation sells out months in advance.
It is a pleasant central park but not a destination in itself. Its value is as a venue — the summer beer garden, the September food festival and the December illuminations are all worth timing for.
It was laid out in 1869 as a firebreak separating the administrative district to the north from the commercial one to the south, when Sapporo was planned on an American-style grid.
The pavements are ice for months. Proper boots or slip-on grips prevent more visitor injuries in Sapporo than any other precaution.
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