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 ....

Kushiro City Museum

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The history of the Kushiro City Museum dates far back to 1936. Originally, an exhibition room was set up as the "Kushiro City Folk Museum" on the second floor of the Kushiro City Hall Waterworks Construction Office. Over the decades, the location changed and finally on November 3rd, 1983, the "Kushiro City Museum" was born. Read More ....

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Sapporo Yakitome Terrace

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Dates	October 27 - November 5
Opening times	12:00-20:00 weekdays 10:00-20:00 Saturdays 10:00-18:00 Sundays
Contact	https://sapporo-yakiimoterrace.com/
Location / Getting There	The festival is held in Nakajima Park and is right near the park entrance in Sapporo. Simply take the subway to Nakajima Koen subway station. Alternatively, you can simply walk to the park if you are staying in Sapporo. 1 Nakajimakoen, Chuo Ward, Sapporo, Hokkaido 064-0931

This is a new brand new festival that started in 2023. The festival is focused on the humble sweet potato, and runs for a week from the end of October to the beginning of November in Nakajima Park. The park at this time of year is particularly beautiful with the autumn leaves. It does get chilly around this time of year. What’s better than a crispy, piping hot potato with a soft center to warm up. There is also hot coffee or a glass of wine to be had. A great pairing. There is a surprisingly large variety of sweet potatos that can be found here. You are looking anywhere from ¥500 to ¥1000 per potato.

Some of the varieties include the ‘Sweet White Potato’ which has a white center or the ‘Musume Beni Potato’ which has an orange center. The white potato is from Kagoshima and has distinct sweetness. Other types of potato are from around Hokkaido. You can find sweet potatoes that have been fried and sprinkled with caramel sugar. Other types have been peeled and fried. There are many to choose from, though be warned, the lines are long especially for the more uncommon sweet potatoes. And of course, they have desserts as well as savory. Sweet Potato Pudding, Sweet Potato Cream Puff’ and a Sweet Potato Parfait can all be enjoyed here. There are tents and seating to sit and eat here, plus of it gets too busy, you can wander through the park and find a nice spot!

Sapporo Marathon

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Dates	First Sunday of October
Starting time	All events 9:00 - 13:40 Half marathon 9:30
Entry price	￥1020 to ￥3600 (depending on event & age) Half marathon ￥5140 (adults) Half marathon ￥1640 (high school students)
Contact	http://satumara.shsf.jp/
Location / Getting There	Start & finish is at Makomanai Sekisui Heim Ice Arena (inside Makomanai Park in Minami-ku, Sapporo) Course runs along Toyohira river and Odori park

First held in 1958, the Sapporo Marathon originally started out as a full marathon. From 1986, the race was turned into the half marathon, where it remains as one of the most famous sporting events in Sapporo. There are around 15,000 participants. The half marathon starts and finishes in Makomanai park and follows the banks of Toyohira river. The race winds its way to Odori park where the runners then make their journey back.

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Along with the half marathon course, there is a 10km course, a 5km, 3km, and a 2km course. The shorter courses are all held within Makomanai park. The 2km and 3km race is a “fun pair” race, matching adults with children (pre-elementary school age), so there are many grandparents who take part to run alongside their grandchildren. The half marathon and 10 km run are both official courses sanctioned by the Japan Association of Athletics Federations.