Courses open
Late April, the town’s golf courses open together. Fresh green in Nopporo Forest; the Shimamatsu post station opens.
Area Guide — Kitahiroshima
Kitahiroshima
A ballpark, championship fairways, forest and hot springs. Another Hokkaido, 17 minutes from Sapporo.
Area Guide Green fairways, a glass ballpark.
Close to Sapporo, and unmistakably Hokkaido.
About 17 minutes from Sapporo Station by rapid train. Kitahiroshima has the ES CON FIELD ballpark, the championship golf course that hosts the ANA Open, Hokkaido’s only indoor outlet mall, and the historic site where “Boys, be ambitious” was spoken, all in one town. Ritzy Home 2 is in a residential street within walking distance of Mitsui Outlet Park; Ritzy Home 1 is in Kyoei, the neighbourhood of ES CON FIELD. With a car, everything is 10 to 20 minutes away.
- 17 min from Sapporo Stn
- ES CON FIELD
- 9 golf courses in town
- Walk to Mitsui Outlet
- Moor hot springs
Distances from Ritzy Home 2
- Mitsui Outlet Parkapprox. 20 min walk
- Kitahiroshima IC3 min drive
- ES CON FIELDapprox. 15 min drive
- Sapporo GC Wattsuapprox. 10 min drive
- Sapporo Kitahiroshima GCapprox. 15 min drive
- Sapporo Kokusai CCapprox. 15 min drive
- Fufu Onsenapprox. 10 min drive
- JR Kitahiroshima Stnapprox. 15 min drive
- Shimamatsu Ekiteiapprox. 15 min drive
- Nopporo Forest Parkapprox. 20 min drive
ES CON FIELD HOKKAIDO
Natural turf behind a wall of glass.
Opened in 2023, the home of the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters is Japan’s first natural-grass ballpark with a retractable roof. Light pours through a glass wall up to 70 m high, and the 360-degree concourse gives a view of the game from anywhere. Inside TOWER 11 there is a hotel and an onsen and sauna overlooking the field; inside the backscreen, a craft-beer brewery restaurant. On non-game days, the surrounding F Village is a playground.
- Capacity 35,000. Japan’s first retractable-roof natural-grass ballpark; the glass wall up to 70 m holds the Guinness World Record for the largest glass wall (2025)
- tower eleven onsen & sauna is open on non-game days too, with day-use tickets
- F Village: adventure park, dog park, kids’ facilities, farm experiences, shops
- Fireworks after selected summer games; in winter F Village runs snow-play events (a snow park in 2025–26, Dec–Feb)
- About 5 min by shuttle bus or 20 min on foot from JR Kitahiroshima Station; a new “F Village” station has been named (opening date not yet announced)
Mitsui Outlet Park
About 170 shops indoors, even on a snow day.
Mitsui Outlet Park Sapporo Kitahiroshima, opened in 2010, is the only indoor outlet mall in Hokkaido: about 170 Japanese and international brands and a large food court. A new East Entrance area opened in spring 2026. About 20 minutes on foot from Ritzy Home 2, close enough to pick up dinner on the way home.
- Opened April 2010. About 170 shops; Hokkaido’s only indoor, all-weather outlet
- Large food court and Hokkaido food; a new East Entrance area opened in April 2026
- About 3 min from Kitahiroshima IC, free parking. Direct bus from Sapporo Station about 50 min
Golf
Nine courses in town. First tee of the morning.
Kitahiroshima is Hokkaido’s golf town. Sapporo Golf Club’s Wattsu Course, designed by Seiichi Inoue, has hosted the men’s tour ANA Open since 1973. Sapporo Kokusai Country Club’s Shimamatsu Course stages the women’s Hokkaido meiji Cup, and Sapporo Kitahiroshima Golf Club has 54 holes, among the largest in Hokkaido. All within 10 to 15 minutes by car from Ritzy Home 2. Load the clubs into the car and head into the morning mist.
- Nine golf facilities in the city (Kitahiroshima tourism site)
- Season typically late April to early November; closed under snow
- From Ritzy Home 2: about 10 min by car to Sapporo GC Wattsu, about 15 min to Sapporo Kitahiroshima GC and Sapporo Kokusai CC
Boys, be ambitious
Where “Boys, be ambitious” was said.
On 16 April 1877, leaving Sapporo Agricultural College, Dr. William S. Clark told the students seeing him off “Boys, be ambitious” — here, at the post station in Shimamatsu, Kitahiroshima. Established in 1873, the former Shimamatsu Ekitei is the oldest surviving post station in Hokkaido and a national historic site. It was also the home of Kyuzo Nakayama, the first to grow rice successfully in this cold climate, and lodged Emperor Meiji on his tour.
- Former Shimamatsu Ekitei: established 1873, national historic site since 1984; the oldest surviving ekitei
- Home of Kyuzo Nakayama, “father of cold-climate rice growing”
- Open late April to early November (closed in winter). About 8 km from Kitahiroshima IC on Route 36
- The town’s name comes from 25 families (103 people) who moved here from Hiroshima Prefecture in 1884
Illustration Nopporo Forest
2,000 hectares of old forest beside a big city.
Nopporo Forest Park, spanning Sapporo, Ebetsu and Kitahiroshima, is a 2,053-hectare prefectural natural park designated in 1968 for Hokkaido’s centenary. The mixed conifer and broadleaf forest is “astonishingly primeval for woodland so close to a large city”, with 159 bird species recorded. Trails start from five entrances. Fresh green in May, yellow leaves in October, snowshoes in winter.
- Designated 1968, 2,053 ha. Trails from five entrances
- 159 bird species and over 1,324 insect species; a giant katsura tree among Hokkaido’s 100 famous trees
- The Sapporo-side Kinento gate has the Hokkaido Museum and the Historical Village of Hokkaido
Illustration Onsen
Moor hot springs, the colour of tea.
Kitahiroshima has “moor” hot springs: tea-brown water rich in plant-derived organic matter that leaves the skin soft. Fufu, the Kitahiroshima Onsen at the Sapporo Kitahiroshima Classe Hotel, draws its water from 1,500 m underground and has an outdoor bath, sauna and stone-dome steam room, open to day visitors. After golf, or on a snowy day.
- Kitahiroshima Onsen Fufu: moor spring from 1,500 m down. Outdoor bath, sauna, stone dome; day-use welcome
- tower eleven onsen & sauna inside ES CON FIELD also sells day-use tickets
- Takeyama Kogen Onsen closed temporarily in October 2025 and plans to reopen in 2027
Illustration Getting Around
17 minutes to Sapporo, an hour to Lake Shikotsu.
From Kitahiroshima Station the “Airport” rapid train reaches Sapporo Station in about 17 minutes, around five trains an hour in the daytime. By car, the Do-o Expressway’s Kitahiroshima IC leads straight into the city, and buses run from the Omagari area to Fukuzumi subway station. Lake Shikotsu is around an hour by car. A base for Sapporo sightseeing, and for a very Hokkaido day out.
- JR Kitahiroshima → Sapporo Station about 17 min by rapid train; around five trains an hour in the daytime
- Ritzy Home 2 → Kitahiroshima IC 3 min by car, central Sapporo about 35 min
- Chuo Bus from the Omagari area to Fukuzumi Station (Toho Line) about 25 min
- Lake Shikotsu (Chitose) about an hour by car; the Ice Festival runs from late January into February
Golf Courses
Championship courses, ten minutes from the house.
From tour venues to a 54-hole club: the main courses in Kitahiroshima.
All open roughly late April to early November. Private clubs set their own visitor conditions and dress codes; check each course’s official site for bookings and rules.
- 01
Sapporo Golf Club, Wattsu Course
18 holes · Par 72 · 7,063 yd / designed by Seiichi Inoue / opened 1958
Hokkaido’s signature championship course. Host of the men’s tour ANA Open since 1973 (September), plus the Japan Women’s Open (1991) and the Japan Women’s Amateur. Members’ club (visitors normally play with, or on introduction from, a member); jacket dress code. About 10 min by car from Ritzy Home 2.
- 02
Sapporo Kokusai Country Club, Shimamatsu Course
27 holes (A · B · C) / A & B opened 1963–64, C 1971
Woodland course separated by natural birch, oak and chestnut. Host of the women’s tour Hokkaido meiji Cup (August) since 2006. Open mid-April to early November. About 15 min by car.
- 03
Sapporo Kitahiroshima Golf Club
54 holes (South · East · West) / opened 1976
One of the largest clubs in Hokkaido, a championship course with women’s pro tournament history. Visitors can book online. About 15 min by car.
- 04
Sapporo Regent Golf Club, Thomson Course
18 holes / designed by Peter Thomson
A woodland course modelled on the Old Course at St Andrews (Mishima, Kitahiroshima). With the club’s New and Old courses at Shimamatsu, three courses in all. About 15 min by car.
Four Seasons
Kitahiroshima’s seasons, from the house.
Fireworks and the ballpark
Fireworks after night games, the Kitahiroshima Furusato Festival in early August. Cool nights made for beer gardens.
ANA Open season
The ANA Open in September, foliage in October. The best season for forest walks, golf, and a drive out to Lake Shikotsu.
Snow play and hot springs
F Village snow park, the Fureai Snow Festival in late January, the Lake Shikotsu Ice Festival. Finish in a moor hot spring.
Stay Here
Your bases in this area
Ritzy Home 2 (up to 7), a walk from Mitsui Outlet, and Ritzy Home 1 (up to 6) in Kyoei, the ballpark’s neighbourhood. Both whole-house rentals.
Kitahiroshima 
Coming soonComing Soon
Ritzy Home 1
Up to 6 Whole house Near ES CON
Kyoei, Kitahiroshima — the neighbourhood of ES CON FIELD HOKKAIDO. A whole house for families and groups, with the ballpark and F Village close by.
Kitahiroshima 
Opening soonComing Soon
Ritzy Home 2
Up to 7 4LDK whole house Walk to Mitsui Outlet
A detached house in a quiet street within walking distance of Mitsui Outlet Park Sapporo Kitahiroshima. Four bedrooms, six beds, the whole house to yourselves.