| Pricing Guide (Avg. cost per person) | ¥500 - ¥2000 |
| Opening Hours | 10:30 - 21:00 |
| Closed | - |
| Contact | 0142-82-3031 |
| Notes | Restaurant, coffee shop & gallery space, English menu available, No parking, outside seating (smoking), seating 40, credit card accepted |
| Location / Getting There | Located on the south west side of lake Toya, in the Lake Toya Hot Spring district 40-11 Toyakoonsen, Toyako, Abuta District, Hokkaido 049-5721 |
Delicious roast chicken meal
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Relax with a coffee
For appetizers there are Italian Olives, Fried Potato With Truffle Salt, or Fried Chicken. Inside there are artworks for customers to enjoy. As the name suggests, Toya Art & Crafts focuses on local craft blended with good local produce, wine & coffee. They have some delicious organic wines, and Hokkaido craft beers to choose from such as an Otaru Pilsner or the North Island Brown to name a few. Finally, with outside seating, you can sit back and enjoy a nice cup of tea, or coffee. The large tables inside are available for reservations making the restaurant a good place for parties as well as for small groups or couples.
| Mt Tengu Ropeway | ¥1200 Adult round trip ¥600 Child round trip *discount for groups of 20 or more ¥1500 Adults round trip ticket + ¥800 meal coupon: |
| Opening Hours | 9:30 - 21:00 |
| Closed | - |
| Contact | 0134-33-7381 |
| Notes | Observatory, gift shop, restaurants, hiking path, Squirrel park, shrine, snow gallery, Wheelchair access |
| Location / Getting There | Take the Chuo (#9 天狗山ロープウエイ線) bus from Otaru station terminal, or Otaru canal terminal. Get off at "Tenguyama" (last stop). Takes about 15 minutes. 2-chōme-16-16 Mogami, Otaru, Hokkaido 047-0023 |
Great views
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“Tengu” of Japanese folklore
Once alighting the cablecar, you will first enter the gift shop and restaurant, where you can sit and have lunch, dinner or coffee. If you need lockers, there are a few here for ¥500 for the day, and which are cheaper than the lockers at the bottom of the mountain. It is here too, you can see the Otaru Winter Museum, and the Tengu Hall which has fantastic Tengu masks on display. Outside, there is “Nausea’s Tengu”, a giant Tengu sculpture, which if you touch the nose, your wishes will come true. Behind this is a squirrel enclosure (open only during the summer), and a shrine, known as “Tengusan Shrine”. The shrine in the evening is lit by lanterns and is especially beautiful during this time.
One of the observation points
Circling around the top of the mountain is a small hiking path. It takes about 25 minutes to walk around. It is a pleasant walk and while walking around there are a couple of clear vantage points that offer beautiful views over the surrounding area. Finally, for kids and adults there is a downhill bobsled track that runs for 400 meters. The track costs ¥500 for adults and ¥300 for children. The track is closed during bad weather. All this during the summer, and during the winter there is skiing and snowboarding as well! A great place for family and friends.
Impressive views up
To get to the mountain, you can drive or take a bus. Buses leave from Otaru station, and Otaru canal bus terminal. For night viewing, there is an ‘Otaru Nightview Shuttle Bus’ (小樽夜景シャトルバス). This shuttle bus leaves from the the Otaru Grand Park Hotel at 18:50 and 19:20. It does a run through Otaru, stopping further at Hotel Otaru Furukawa, Hotel Sonia, Hotel Nord, Otaru Canal Bus Terminal, The Bank of Japan Otaru Museum, Inaho Jujigai, and the Otaru Train Station Bus Teminal. It operates from the end April until the start of November and costs ¥210 per adult, and ¥110 per child.
| Opening Hours | 10:00 - 22:00 |
| Closed | - |
| Contact | 011-207-5000 |
| Notes | Shopping area Restaurants Beer bar Arts & crafts |
| Location / Getting There | 5 minute walk from Bus Center Mae subway station, which is one stop from Chuo-ku station (central Sapporo) 4 Chome Kita 2 Johigashi, Chuo Ward, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-0032 |
Beautiful old architecture
Factory Renga-Kan is a part of the shopping complex, known as ‘Sapporo Factory’, which is made up of four large buildings. Built originally in 1876 as the Sapporo Pioneering Beer Brewery, the Factory complex is now used as a shopping centre, for a place to dine, and to take in a piece of history in the Sapporo area. The Renga-Kan is located on the western side of Factory, and is a short walk across the courtyard from ‘the atrium’. The Renga-Kan, which literally translates to ‘Brick Museum’ is a three story building that is perfect for shopping for arts & crafts, a photographic spot, and for some fine dining.
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The brewery observation hall
The first floor has kids park, the Sapporo Kaitakushi Brewery where you can observe the brewing process. Right by this brewery is a tasting room, where you can taste some traditional Sapporo beers and a great spot for tourists! On this floor you can also find four restaurants, plus a wine cellar with some fantastic wines! The ‘La Brique’ is a gorgeous French restaurant that is attached to the wine cellar. ‘Terzina Trattoria Pizzeria’ is an Italian restaurant and there is a fresh produce restaurant and market called ‘Fresh Factory’. Last but not least is the beer hall, with some hearty meals and beer!
Shopping area
Where the first floor is for feasting, the second floor is for shopping. Here, through the beautiful old hallways and creaking floorboards you can find an array of arts and craft shops. You can also watch the artists creating their works in their small workshops in the stores. There is jewelry , toys, woodwork and metal work on sale. There is also a furniture store, and an Iranian carpet store with some fantastic wares. The third floor is made up of photographic studios plus a ceramic workshop, kids school, and a theatre academy school.
| General Admission | Free |
| Sculpture Garden Entry | ￥700 adults ￥560 over 65 Free for junior high students and younger ￥1000 annual fee |
| Art Museum Entry | Admission varies on exhibition |
| Opening Hours | 9:45 - 17:00 *closes at 5:30 from June 1 to August 31 |
| Closed | Mondays: November 4 to April 28 |
| Contact | 011-592-5111 |
| Notes | ￥500 Parking normal cars ￥1200 Parking large cars |
| Location / Getting There | 40 minutes by car from Sapporo station on route 453 1 hour by car from New Chitose airport Buses run from Makomanai station every 15 minutes. Chuo bus stop no.2 2 Chome-2-75 Geijutsunomori, Minami-ku, Sapporo-shi, Hokkaidō 005-0864 |
One of the well known sculptures at the park
The Sapporo Art Park also known as ‘Geijutsu no Mori’ is a large expanse of land that incorporates gardens, a sculpture park, art galleries, art workshops, a restaurant and shops. Located on forty hectares, it is a terrific place to walk around, take in some art, do some shopping, or take in the fresh air. Throughout the year there are events and craft workshops such as woodwork, glassmaking, pottery, and textiles. There are also places for acting and music, as well as facilities for overnight stays. All this in the gardens and forest area, makes for a great experience out of town.
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Near the entrance of the park
So, how to get there? There are two ways to get to the art park. By public transport take the subway on the Nanboku Line (green line). Get off at Makamonai Station. Take the ‘Soranuma’ or ‘Takino’ bus from the bus stop no.2 which is at the front of Makamonai station. You can get off at ‘Geijutsu no Mori Iriguchi’ or the ‘Geijutsu no Mori Center’. Alternatively, if you have your own transport, it is a forty minute drive from central Sapporo. Head onto route 453 which is the Sapporo to Shikotsu route. The turn off will be on the right.
La Foglia cafe
If you are driving from New Chitose Airport, it is a one hour drive. Head along the Hokkaido Expressway Kitahiroshima Interchange.Lastly, on your walks around the park, you may need to refuel at some point. There are plenty of places to have a picnic if you want to bring your own lunch. There is a cafe ‘La Foglia’ that has tea, as well as homemade confections. The cafe offers relaxing views over the park. The restaurant on the grounds is called ‘Hatake no Haru’. It is a buffet style restaurant that uses local produce from Hokkaido. It is here you can find a delicious lunch. For more details on the restaurant, see below.
Pricing Guide
(Avg. cost per person)￥1500 Junior high school and over
￥1300 Seniors
￥900 Children
Free for toddlers, three and under
Opening Hours 11:00 - 17:00
Closed -
Contact 011-215-1778
http://hatake-no-haru.com/
Notes All you can eat buffet
| Admission | Free |
| Opening Hours | 8:30 - 17:00 |
| Closed | Tuesdays *Open every day in July & August |
| Contact | 0166-94-3354 http://www.kaikukiln.com/ |
| Notes | Free parking No photos allowed inside Ceramics for sale |
| Location / Getting There | 20 minutes by car from JR Biei Station. 20 minutes by Dohoku Bus from in front of Biei Station. Shirogane, Biei-cho, Kamikawa-gun, Hokkaido |
One of the many sculptures
Kaiku Kiln Museum is a large, quiet homestead that is home to a gallery, kiln room, workshop, and house. The Kaiku Kiln property is located between the Blue Pond, which is a five minute drive away, and the ‘Biei Shirokanebiruke’ road station. The Blue Pond and road station can get quite crowded during the summer, so the gallery is a nice place to take a pleasant stroll and look at the sculptures, and get away from the crowds. The grounds are covered in various sculptures created from wood, clay, and metal, and there is a small rock path that crosses through the trees.
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One of the buildings
The gallery itself is located on the left of the entrance. The sculptures displayed at the gallery, are by local prominent artists. The gallery also serves as a shop where you can buy some fantastic ceramic dishes and serveware. These works are not cheap but they are high quality. Photos of the works in the gallery are not allowed, though photos outside are permitted. There is free parking available for those with transport. To getting to the gallery is a twenty minute drive from Biei station. There is also the Dohoku bus that stops in front of the station.
| Pricing Guide (Avg. cost per person) | ￥520 - ¥1000 |
| Opening Hours | 10:30 - 22:00 10:30 - 20:00 Sundays |
| Closed | - |
| Contact | 011-252-3333 http://toov.cafe.coocan.jp/ |
| Notes | Art Gallery English menu |
| Location / Getting There | 5 minute walk from Nakajima Koen Station |
A nice cuppa
To Ov Café is a small gallery / coffee shop. It is located right near Nakajima Park , and is a great spot to have a nice quiet coffee, or a nice luncheon whilst perusing over some local art. The menu comes in English as well as Japanese, and has a selection of coffees, teas and soft drinks. If you are looking for something sweet, then there is cake, ice-cream, and some delicious apple & pear pie. There are a couple of warm meals also on the menu. There are some hot chicken or salmon sandwiches, a coconut curry, or a carbonara pasta set.
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Counter & table seating
To Ov Café also serves as a small art gallery. The gallery is a nice spot to check out some local artists work, whether it be painting, photography, sculpture, or a craft workshop. Each exhibition lasts for two weeks and is free to enter. Works are for sale, depending on the artist. If you are interested in exhibiting some work than you can talk to the friendly owner. The waiting list is generally eight months to a year in advance, so plenty of time to get your work ready! It is free to exhibit your work, though the owners take a small percentage of anything sold. While around the Nakajima park area, To Ov Café is a nice spot to relax!
