Kotan Hachiman Shrine

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Kotan Hachiman Shrine was founded in 1856 and was officially named a township shrine in 1875. It was listed as a local shrine on the 28th of April 1911. The purpose of the shrine is to follow the great principles of the deity, Hondawake no Mikoto. Hondawake no Mikoto is also more commonly known as the Emporer Ōjin. Read More ....

Otaru Canal Museum & Information Center

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Otaru City General Museum Canal Museum has an extensive collection that introduces the history of Otaru City including information on the natural environment. The exhibition includes 20,000 objects and materials in its collection. The museum is located by Otaru Canal and can be found in the 'former Otaru warehouse'. Read More ....

Tokai Lavender Fields

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On the Tokai Sapporo School campus the grounds really comes alive with lavender. It is said that the south district of Sapporo, where the campus is located, is known as the birthplace of lavender cultivation in Japan. Read More ....

Urahoro Shrine

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During the Meiji Era, as the town of Urahoro (on the south east coast of Hokkaido) was being developed, the pioneers called for the construction of a shrine to serve as a spiritual centre. On August 15, 1896, a small shrine was erected, enshrining Amaterasu (goddess of the sun and the universe). Read More ....

Onnenai Visitor Center

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The Kushiro Shitsugen National Park, also known as the Kushiro Marshland is a sprawling national park to the north of Kushiro. There are half a dozen observation decks, museums, and walking paths that surround the park. The Onnenai Visitor Center is one of these museums and can be found on the western side of the marshland. Read More ....

Kushiro Shitsugen National Park

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The Kushiro Shitsugen National park (better known as the Kushiro Marshland) is a national park, located to the north of Kushiro on the eastern side of Hokkaido. The park is known for its wetlands ecosystems. 'Shitsugen' translates to wetlands in English. It was designated as a national park on 31 July 1987. The massive park covers an area of 268.61 square kilometres on the Kushiro plain and is well known for its wildlife and vegetation. Read More ....

Kushiro Marsh Observatory

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Perched at the top of a large hill, overlooking Kushiro Marsh, you can find the Kushiro Marsh Observatory. This is one of the most interesting buildings in Hokkaido. The exterior, and especially the interior, has a strange and unique design and is reminiscent of a cool sci-fi movie. The central hall of the museum is definitely a place to get some photos. Read More ....

Obihiro Shrine

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In 1881, a man named Benzo Yoda and others from Shizuoka Prefecture organized a pioneer group called the "Bansei-sha". This group and settled inShimo-Obihiro Village and started pioneering. During this time, they started holding festivals and later built a small shrine, though the connection with the current Obihiro Shrine is still not well known. Read More ....

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Hokkaido University Botanical Gardens

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Admission	Adults : ￥420 Aged 7 - 15 : ￥300 6 and under : free
Opening Hours	9:00 - 16:30 (16:00 last entry)
Closed	Mondays（on Tuesday when Monday is a National Holiday） Winter - November to April
Contact	011-221-0066 hubg@fsc.hokudai.ac.jp
Notes	Wheelchairs available to borrow The botanic garden does not allow pets on garden grounds. Service animals are permitted. Toilets available. No car parking Parking available for motorcycles and bicycles.
Location / Getting There	North3, West8, Chuo-ku, Sapporo, 060-0003, Japan 10 minute walk from Sapporo station

Woodlands

The Hokkaido University Botanical Gardens were established in 1886 as a part of the Old Sapporo Agricultural College. They were opened by Dr. Miyabe Kingo, a graduate of Sapporo Agricultural College (now Hokkaido University). The gardens cover 13.3 hectares and are the second oldest botanical gardens in Japan! The collection of plants and trees numbers over 4,000 species. These include alpine plants, and wild plants from Hokkaido, and can be enjoyed in the Spring, Summer, and Autumn.

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Natural History Museum

The gardens also contain a tropical greenhouse, a natural history museum, memorial building, and early Hokkaido homes. The natural history museum was built in 1884, and is the oldest museum in Hokkaido. Its old and spooky facade houses Ainu artifacts, biological specimens, and the stuffed body of ‘Taro’, one of two surviving sled dogs from Japan’s 1958 Antarctica mission. The exhibits documenting the lives of the Ainu and Uilta (indigenous peoples of Hokkaido) were collected from 1870 – 1930. There is also the Miyabe Kingo Memorial Building with displays of articles belonging to Miyabe, the first director of the botanical gardens.

Rose garden area

Other features of the Botanical Gardens are a Herbaceous Plants Garden, a Rose Garden with 200 rose bushes from 20 different varieties, a Canadian Rock Garden (in commemoration of the partnership between the University of British Colombia and the University of Hokkaido) ,and the Alpine Plants Rock Garden with over 600 species of alpine plants home to Hokkaido and its climate. The Northern Peoples Ethnobotanical Garden has around 200 species of plants used by the indigenous peoples of North East Asia for building, clothing, food, hunting, medicine and rituals.

The botanical gardens, are only a 10 minute walk from Sapporo station on the south exit. It is also a few minutes on the west side of the Old Hokkaido Government Building so you can fit the gardens into a sightseeing schedule. The gardens are a nice spot to walk around, sit on one of the many lawns, and take in the nature. Visitors can enjoy the seasonal flowers and the autumn leaves.