Odori Park is renowned for being the main site of the Sapporo Snow Festival and in summer, it's just a long stretch of greenery of about 1.5 kilometer from east to west.
And in the cool summer for Hokkaido, where temperature hovers less than 30 degree celcius in the daytime and can dip below 20 degree celcius at night, it's actually nice to stay in the park for an extended period of time.
Sadly, i am unable to do that as there's so many things i have planned for in Sapporo; it didn't help that we didn't extend our rental for the car and we had to rely on public transportation which wasn't exactly the fast way to go from point a to b.
I didn't even have the luxury (and patience) to go through the entire stretch which was a pity as there were different interest points with seasonal flower beds and over 4,700 trees! For more information, you may visit the Odori Park website (yes, there's indeed one)!
The icon of Odori Park - the Sapporo TV Tower.
At 147.2 meter tall, it's built in 1957 on the eastern end of Odori Park with the observation deck at 90 meters high. Although i have plans to go up to the observatory, my interest waned after checking out Mt Tengu and Usu Volcano UNESCO Global Geopark.
More interested to have another cone filled with Hokkaido ice cream!
At 350 yen, it was a bit pricier than what i had so far. I am fine with this slight increase in pricing since Sapporo is a city but i can't stand noticing the very much reduced portion.
Given my sharp ass, i think i am better walking than sitting down! In my four days in Sapporo, i cut across Odori Park every day and that's mainly because i love the shopping at Tanukikoji Shopping Arcade (狸小路商店街).
My almost daily route as Odori Park is in the middle of Tanukikoji Shopping Arcade and our hotel for the four days; UNIZO Inn. There's another reason; i love to be informed of the temperature of the day by looking at the LED display on the side of the tall building!
For a park, Odori Park wasn't as boring as i thought it would be at night. Maybe because it's in the middle of the city; many people walked across it from morning until the wee hours.
A store selling lighted accessories; similar to what we see in Clark Quay on weekend nights.
Another motivating factor for the park's popularity - it hosts the annual Sapporo Odori Beer Garden (part of Sapporo Summer Festival) where you can indulge in beer by local breweries!
I was keen yet couldn't find a seat! However, i didn't pursue since i don't particularly like drinking; or so i thought until i was 'enlightened' by an 'alcoholic' colleague a few months after i returned from Hokkaido!
The beer was served in huge metal containers even though you still have the option for a mug!
Night view of Sapporo TV Tower with the LED clock. Its operating hour is until 10 pm; hence, you can still go up to the observatory with an admission fee of 720 yen per adult. There were options for combo deals and you may click here for more information!
=====
Location
Heart of Sapporo,
Hokkaido, Japan
Website
For my 8 days, 7 nights Hokkaido itinerary in summer, click here.
No comments:
Post a Comment