SAPPORO: cool days, hot nights

HOKKAIDO UNIVERSITY

Hokkaido university in Sapporo is a place where I spent quite some time. I liked a lot running in the main street that goes through the campus. Well « a lot », it’s a figure of speech.I ran there only a few times (not too often, let’s not lie) but let’s say that it was my favorite spot to do my weekly work out… alright monthly! The street is about 2.5km back and forth so it was helpful to know how far I ran. In the evening, this is the place to be for the runners.

There’s a beautiful pond, especially when the waterlilies bloom, and a little park with a brooke running through it. I was going there to read on the grass. One day, a woman cameand started to play cello. I have to specify that I love the sound of this instrument. It was a magical moment! The park is surrounded by roads, the campus entrance, next to the library therefore there are many cars, bikes and pedestrians and that day was a bit windy so there was a certain hubbub. The park is very pleasant however it’s not a peaceful place far from the rest of the world. But when this woman started to play, I stopped hearing the noise around me. She was the only one I was listening to or seeing, I was overwhelmed by her. Then, a few other women came and started to play along with her. Despite the flying partitions that sometimes interrupted them, it was a beautiful moment. I had goosebumps.

I noticed that on this campus (I can’t say for the rest of Japan but I guess it’s the same), students aren’t ashamed of openly practicing their art, they’re not afraid of being judged by others unlike in France.  Many of them meet and sing or play an instrument. I think it’s awesome.

Abut the university itself, it was originally an agricultural univeristy. It is possible to visit the former buildings that are now a museum. The campus is located in the heart of the city of Sapporo and surronded by fields. There is still a vetenary department so there are animals grazing around. It surprised me at first because I lived across the fields. It was strange to find cows in the centre of a 2 million inhabitant city but it kind of made me happy because it reminded me of my French countryside that I miss.

Hokkaido university campus is one of the place not to miss in Sapporo. It was actually elected the most beautiful campus in Japan because of its green and the main street I was talking about before. In October, the trees take their automn colours and offer a beautiful show. In winter, the snow makes it enchanting.

Hokkaido university is worth the visit!

SUSUKINO

If you go from the university and take the main road you’ll end up at Sapporo station, then in Odori park and finally in Susukino.

Susukino is the entertainment and pleasure in Sapporo. If you want to go out at night, you go to this district where you’ll have the choice among 4000 restaurants and bars. There are many karaokes, cinemas, gaming rooms, pachinkos (a kind of machine between a flipper and a slot machine that Japanese absolutely love), clubs, hotels and lovehotels (hotels where couples go to have sex. You can rent the room hourly or for the night. It offers a certain intimacy to the couples and the possibility to make some of their fantaisies come true because the rooms often have a theme.)
Susukino is one of the three redlight districts in Japan with Kabukicho in Tokyo and Nakasu in Fukuoka. Indeed, the place became this kind of district from 1871 with  prostitution, obviously. The goal was to keep the workers in Sapporo when they were part of « building » Hokkaido (as reminder, Hokkaido was colonized in 1866). They didn’t need much to stay…
Today, there isn’t any brothel left. But there are many hostess bars, stripclubs, etc.

Susukino is also famous for its panels that light up the district at night. Among the most well known ones there are the advertisements for the Nikka whisky or for the Asahi, Sapporo or Kirin beers.

It’s also a place where festivals take place. In February, some of the ice statues of the Snow festival are located in Susukino. In Summer, the streets are closed 3 days for Susukino festival.

Susukino is the shopping centre of the city as well. « Pole town » is the underground shopping street but there’s also « Tanukikoji » which a street made of arcades where you’ll find many stores, a temple, some hotels, restaurants and cafes. It’s a very popular place.

If you want to spend your night shopping during the day or going out at night, Susukino is the best place in Sapporo to do so.

NAKAJIMA PARK

From Susukino keep going down the street and you’ll end up in Nakajima Park.

Nakaajima park is another big green space in Sapporo city centre (there are some other ones of course but there are smaller or farther away). It’s a lovely parc to come and relax, to enjoy the calm and green environment. Indeed, unlike Odori park or the little park at the university, Nakajima is protected from the hubbub and the traffic by a tree hedge. It’s very nice to stroll around there.

This place is very much appreciated by runners, walkers, and dog owners. I have seen a significant number of dogs in this park! Well, Japanese don’t really have got pets so seeing more than 3 dogs all at once was a lot! And seeing dogs being dogs is even more uncommon. Yes because in Japan, for the onese who’ve got pets, it’s like having a baby. A very hairy baby with the tongue always hanging out of its mouth. I came across so many dogs wearing clothes and sometimes shoes… But the worst is dogs in pushers. Yes in pu-shers. Whether they’re chihuahuas or royal poodles (i have seen it with my own eyes!), Japanese will put their dogs in pushers or hold them in their arms. It’s highly ridiculous. Between them and Britain where they keep their kids on a leash, the world is not doing well my good woman!
So for once, seing dogs running around (and their owner running after them) felt good.

About the park, there’s an observatory, Kitara concert hall and Hokkaido museum of literature.
You can not miss Hojeikan house. Built in 1880 in a western style, it was made to welcome and impress high ranked foreigners. Until 1920s, Japenese emperors were staying there as well when they were visiting Hokkaido.

Quite new and isolated in the northern island of Japan, Sapporo still has got some surprises. Whether you want to take a quiet walk, go shopping for hours or have some fun with your friends in the night, you’ll find what you need in Sapporo.