Lilacs and cherry blossom
Blossom at Maruyama and Hokkaido Shrine, the Lilac Festival in late May. Lamb barbecue under the trees.
Area Guide — Sapporo Central
Central Sapporo
Walk, eat, look up at the night lights. Living in the middle of Sapporo.
Area Guide Everything within a walk.
From the west end of Tanukikoji, Sapporo is a walking city.
Ritzy Condo 1 sits at South 2 West 7. One minute to the Tanukikoji arcade, four to Odori Park, eight to Susukino. The TV Tower, the Clock Tower, the red-brick Former Government Office and Nijo Market are all walkable without the subway. Add the tram loop and the Odori and Susukino subway stations, and the night view from Mt. Moiwa, the cherry trees of Maruyama, and the ski slopes and hot springs outside town are all day trips.
- Tanukikoji 1 min
- Odori Park 4 min
- Susukino 8 min
- 3 subway lines
- Tram loop line
Distances from Ritzy Condo 1
- Odori Park4 min walk
- Former Gov. Office10 min walk
- Clock Tower13 min walk
- TV Tower15 min walk
- Nijo Market13 min walk
- Susukino9 min walk
- Nakajima Park20 min walk
- Sapporo Stationapprox. 10 min walk + subway
- Sapporo Beer Gardenapprox. 10 min drive
Odori Park
A park where something is always happening.
Odori Park runs about 1.5 km east to west through the centre of the city, from West 1 to West 12. The Sapporo Snow Festival in February, the Lilac Festival in May, YOSAKOI Soran in June, beer gardens in high summer, Autumn Fest in September, and the White Illumination from November. Most of what Sapporo is famous for happens in this park, four minutes from the condo.
- Sapporo Snow Festival (Feb): over 100 snow and ice sculptures at the Odori site, around two million visitors a year
- Sapporo Lilac Festival (late May): since 1959; the lilac is the city tree
- YOSAKOI Soran Festival (June): founded 1992, about 270 teams and 27,000 dancers
- Odori Beer Garden (Jul–Aug) and Autumn Fest (Sep–Oct), Hokkaido’s largest food festival
- Sapporo White Illumination (Nov–Dec): Japan’s first illumination, since 1981
Tanukikoji
900 metres where you never need an umbrella.
Tanukikoji, whose entrance is right in front of the condo, is one of Hokkaido’s oldest shopping streets, dating from 1873. Seven blocks and about 900 m from West 1 to West 7 are covered by a full arcade, with around 200 shops: drugstores, izakaya, ramen, souvenirs, open late. If you are living in Sapporo, this is your kitchen and your high street.
- Since 1873. Seven blocks, about 900 m, around 200 shops
- Fully covered arcade (the current one over blocks 1–6 dates from 1982), whatever the weather
- The Tanuki Festival in Jul–Aug is part of the Sapporo Summer Festival
- The Tanukikoji tram stop at West 4 connects to the loop line toward Mt. Moiwa
Susukino & Food
Long nights in the city that invented miso ramen.
Susukino, eight minutes away, is the largest entertainment district north of Tokyo, with about 3,500 establishments. The Nikka sign over the crossing has been the landmark since 1969, and just behind it Ganso Sapporo Ramen Yokocho has been serving since 1951; miso ramen itself was invented in Sapporo at the shop Aji no Sanpei. Soup curry, which started as a medicinal curry in a coffee shop, and Genghis Khan lamb barbecue, a Hokkaido Heritage dish: all within walking distance home.
- Susukino: about 3,500 establishments, one of Japan’s three great nightlife districts
- Ganso Sapporo Ramen Yokocho: descended from the 1951 Koraku Ramen Meitengai
- Soup curry: rooted in the 1970s medicinal curry of the Ajanta coffee shop; over 200 restaurants in the city
- Genghis Khan: Hokkaido Heritage since 2004. Sapporo style grills the lamb first, then dips
- Susukino Festival in early August, Susukino Ice World in February
Nijo Market
Breakfast at the market: a seafood bowl.
Just across the Sosei River at South 3 East 1–2, Nijo Market is “the kitchen of Sapporo”. It began in the early Meiji era when fishermen from Ishikari beach sold their catch here, and has more than 125 years of history. Stalls open in the morning, so breakfast comes with crab, sea urchin and salmon roe in view. Or take the seafood home to the condo kitchen.
- Began with Ishikari fishermen in the early Meiji era; over 125 years of history
- Most stalls trade from morning to late afternoon: best for breakfast and lunch
- About 13 minutes on foot, east through Tanukikoji and over the Sosei River
Meiji Heritage
The Clock Tower and the red bricks: Meiji Sapporo in ten minutes.
Walk north from the condo and you reach two Important Cultural Properties. The Clock Tower, the drill hall of the former Sapporo Agricultural College completed in 1878, is famous for its Howard tower clock, striking since 1881. The Former Hokkaido Government Office, the “Red Brick Office” built in 1888, reopened in July 2025 after about six years of restoration. They are about 700 m apart, a ten-minute walk, an easy circuit.
- Sapporo Clock Tower: completed 1878, clock running since 1881; Important Cultural Property since 1970
- Red Brick Office: American neo-baroque, 1888, about 2.5 million red bricks; Important Cultural Property since 1969
- The Red Brick Office reopened on 25 July 2025 with exhibits on the pioneering era
Mt. Moiwa
A night view thrice named among Japan’s finest, by tram.
At 531 m, Mt. Moiwa is the mountain closest to Sapporo’s heart. The 360-degree night view from the summit was named one of the “New Three Great Night Views of Japan” three times (2015, 2018 and 2022). Take the tram loop from the stop four minutes from the condo to Ropeway Iriguchi, then the free shuttle, the ropeway and the mini cable car to the top. On the way back, the tram drops you in Susukino.
- 531 m. Ropeway plus the “Morris Car” mini cable car to the summit
- Named a New Three Great Night View of Japan in 2015, 2018 and 2022
- From the Ropeway Iriguchi tram stop: free shuttle bus, 2 min (every 15 min; weekdays from late afternoon only), or about 10 min on foot
Shrines & Parks
Cherry blossom at Maruyama, water at Nakajima Park.
Hokkaido Shrine, the guardian shrine of Hokkaido with origins in 1869, is at its most beautiful in spring, when about 1,400 cherry and 250 plum trees bloom; together with neighbouring Maruyama Park it is Sapporo’s best-known blossom spot. South of Susukino, Nakajima Park holds two Important Cultural Properties, the Hoheikan guesthouse of 1880 and the Hassoan tea house, around a boating pond. A walk that makes you forget you are downtown.
- Hokkaido Shrine: origins in 1869, at Maruyama since 1871. Annual festival on 15 June
- About 1,400 cherry and 250 plum trees. 29 April is “Lamb Day” in Japan, and Golden Week blossom viewing comes with Genghis Khan
- Maruyama Park: about 70 ha. Nakajima Park: Hoheikan (1880) and Hassoan, both Important Cultural Properties, and boats on the Shobu pond
Day Trips
Otaru, Jozankei, and the ski slopes.
Otaru, with its canal and stone warehouses, is about 35 minutes by rapid train. Jozankei Onsen, “Sapporo’s back parlour”, is 26 km from the city and just under an hour by car, famous for October foliage and snow-viewing baths. In winter, Sapporo Teine, a venue of the 1972 Olympics, is about 40 minutes by car, and Sapporo Kokusai with its powder about 60. First lift in the morning, a drink on Tanukikoji at night: that is a realistic distance.
- Jozankei Onsen: opened 1866, one of Hokkaido’s major hot-spring towns. “Kappa Liner” bus from Sapporo Station, about 60 min (reservation required)
- Sapporo Teine: 1972 Olympic venue. 15 runs, longest about 6,000 m, late November to early May
- Sapporo Kokusai: 7 runs, longest 3.6 km, about 30 min by car from the Jozankei hot-spring town
- Sapporo Beer Museum (red brick, 1890; Japan’s oldest beer museum) and the Beer Garden’s Genghis Khan are about 10 min by car
Four Seasons
Sapporo’s seasons, from the condo.
IllustrationBeer garden nights
Beer gardens in Odori Park, the Tanuki and Susukino festivals. Light until nine, and the air is dry.
IllustrationAutumn Fest
Odori Park becomes Hokkaido’s largest food festival. Jozankei’s foliage peaks in October.
Snow Festival and night views
Illuminations from November, the Snow Festival in February. The clearest season for Mt. Moiwa.
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Ritzy Condo 1
Up to 4 Built 2025 Odori Stn 6 min
One minute to Tanukikoji, four to Odori Park. A brand-new 40 m² condominium with a 15.2-tatami living room and a large storage room.