Odori to Susukino: a park, an arcade and the neon district

The day, in order

1. Morning

   Walk the park from east to west

   Odori Park runs 1.5 km from east to west through the middle of the city, and it is a working park rather than a monument: locals cross it on the way to work and sit in it at lunch. Start at the tower end and walk west. In winter the same lawns hold the snow festival; in summer they hold everything else.

   Read the city guide →
2. Late morning

   The tower at the east end Optional

   Sapporo TV Tower has stood at the eastern end of the park since 1957 and reaches 147 metres. Going up is a short visit, and the view straight down the park axis is the one the city puts on postcards. It is optional because the same axis is free from the ground.

3. Lunch

   Eat before the arcade

   Soup curry is the local lunch that travels well: a thin, spiced broth with vegetables cut large enough to recognise. Order one and sit down for it. The arcade is a few blocks south, and eating before you go in keeps the afternoon from turning into grazing.

4. Afternoon

   Tanukikoji, seven blocks under a roof

   Tanukikoji is pedestrian only, spans about 900 metres and seven blocks, and has been a shopping street since 1873. It is not a sight; it is where the city buys things, which makes it the best place on this route to slow down. Walk the whole length once, then come back to whatever you actually want.

5. Evening

   Susukino after dark Optional

   The entertainment district starts at Susukino Station on the Namboku line and stays awake later than the rest of the city. Sapporo Ramen Yokocho, the alley of small ramen counters, is in this quarter: one bowl at a counter is the right way to finish, and the queue is part of the experience rather than a reason to leave.

Make it lighter

The park and the arcade with a long lunch between them. The tower and the evening circuit are left out.

The markets and a morning bowl → Maruyama and Mt. Moiwa → Read the Sapporo city guide →

If the weather changes

Tanukikoji is covered for seven blocks and the station malls are underground, so the rain plan keeps the arcade and shortens the park. The tower still runs, but the view does not.

Check before leaving

Check the tower's opening hours if you plan to go up, and check whether an event has taken over the park lawn: Odori is the city's default event site.