| Admission | Free |
| Opening Hours | Residence: 9:00 - 17:00 Garden: 8:45 - 17:30 |
| Closed | Weekends, public holidays, New Years *Closed occasionally due to official affairs |
| Contact | 011-611-4221 |
| Notes | No parking |
| Location / Getting There | 16 Chome Kita 1 Jōnishi, Chūō-ku, Sapporo-shi, Hokkaidō 060-0001 5 minute walk from Nishi 18 Chome subway station (Tozai Line) Located across from the Hokkaido Museum of Modern Art From Sapporo Station on JR, Subway Namboku and Toho Lines, take the Chuo Bus or JR Hokkaido Bus (42, 55, 65, 57, 66, 80, 62, 63) and get off at "Doritsu kindai bijutsukan" |
Spacious lawn
The Hokkaido Governor’s Official Residence was first built in 1936 as a holiday home for the Mitsui Gakuin Company. In 1953 it became the property of Hokkaido and used as the residence for the governor. It has since been used for various meetings and other functions, for national and foreign dignitaries. The residence was selected in 1998 as one of 100 local cultural sites known as the ‘Furusato Bunka Hyakusen’. In 1999 it was registered as a cultural asset. Apart from serving as a space for functions, it has served as a location for various television programs.
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Japanese elms
The Governer’s Residence is a hidden gem in Sapporo. Covering 5 square hectares the Governor’s residence has a huge lawn, and garden area with over 2400 trees making it the perfect spot to walk around and relax. Interestingly, the garden contains a pit dwelling from the Jomon era, thousands of years old. Pristine streams snake their way through this well manicured park area and there are plenty of benches to sit, relax and take in the greenery. The lawn and wooded area also contains sculptures.
The house itself is 2 stories and is designed in the ‘Half-timber style’ similar to that of English and northern European architecture. The reception staff is very helpful and you are free to walk around and look through the rooms, though taking off shoes is required. There are a dozen or so rooms to look around and are spacious with high ceilings and oak furnishings. It is interesting to walk through and read about each room! Information is available in multiple languages.
