With kids · Sapporo · Japan
Sapporo with kids
Family-tested sights, a calm base and the practical details that make travelling with children easier.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Quick answer
Sapporo is easy with children: snow play in winter, parks and a zoo in summer, and short, sheltered walks between sights. The underground walkways mean you rarely have to battle the cold with a pushchair in the centre. Top picks: Sapporo Maruyama Zoo, Moerenuma Park and Shiroi Koibito Park. Families usually base themselves in Sapporo Station area.
Key facts
- Family picks
- 6
- Best area for families
- Sapporo Station area
- Rainy-day options
- 1
- Busiest months
- February
Best things to do with kids
Zoo · Maruyama
1.Sapporo Maruyama Zoo
Sapporo's zoo is best known for its polar bears, seen swimming through an underwater viewing tunnel, and for northern species such as Hokkaido brown bears and snow leopards. It stays open through the winter.
Visit the polar-bear building first thing, when the bears are usually most active.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Kids
- Outdoors
Park · Higashi-ku
2.Moerenuma Park
Sculptor Isamu Noguchi designed this park on a former landfill as one huge artwork, with the Glass Pyramid, the man-made Mount Moere, a sea fountain and geometric play equipment. In winter it becomes a snow park for sledging and cross-country skiing.
Rent a bicycle at the park entrance in summer; the grounds are large, and the walk to the top of Mount Moere gives views over the city.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Art
- Architecture
- Kids
- Outdoors
Theme park · Nishi-ku
3.Shiroi Koibito Park
The factory of Ishiya, maker of the Shiroi Koibito white-chocolate biscuits, has a European-style courtyard, a viewing gallery over the production line, a sweets museum and a biscuit-decorating workshop. It is next to Miyanosawa station on the Tozai line.
Reserve a slot for the biscuit-making workshop if you are travelling with children; it fills at weekends and in holidays.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Kids
- Rainy day
- Food
Park · Odori
4.Odori Park
This 1.5 km strip of lawns, flowerbeds and fountains runs east–west through the city centre and hosts Sapporo's main events: snow sculptures in February, the lilac festival in May, beer gardens in summer and the Autumn Fest food festival in September. In warmer months, carts sell grilled corn and potatoes along the paths.
Walk the length of the park from the TV Tower westwards; the Snow Festival sculptures are best seen after dark when they are lit.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Iconic
- Free
- Kids
- Outdoors
- After dark
Museum · Atsubetsu-ku
5.Historical Village of Hokkaido
More than 50 buildings from the 1860s to the early 20th century — farmhouses, a herring fishermen's lodge, shops and a post office — have been relocated to this open-air museum in Nopporo Forest Park. In summer a horse-drawn tram runs along the main street, replaced by a horse sleigh in winter.
Combine it with the Hokkaido Museum in the same forest park for a full day on the island's history.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Architecture
- Kids
Viewpoint · Chuo-ku
6.Okurayama Ski Jump Stadium
Built for the 1972 Sapporo Winter Olympics, the large ski jump is still used for World Cup events. A chairlift carries visitors to the top for the jumper's view down over the city, and the Sapporo Olympic Museum at the base has simulators of ski jumping and bobsleigh.
Try the ski-jump simulator in the museum before riding the lift, so you appreciate the drop from the start gate.
- Time needed
- 1.5 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Views
- History
- Kids
Rainy-day ideas
- Shiroi Koibito Park — Reserve a slot for the biscuit-making workshop if you are travelling with children; it fills at weekends and in holidays.
Where families should stay
$$$ · Best for first-timers, families and shopping
Sapporo Station area
The area north of Odori around Sapporo Station has the city's largest concentration of business and chain hotels, the JR Tower observatory, the Daimaru department store and Stellar Place mall. Rapid trains to New Chitose Airport and limited expresses to the rest of Hokkaido leave from here, and the Chi-ka-ho underground walkway runs south to Odori.
- Good
- Direct airport trains; Covered walkways to Odori in winter; Huge choice of hotels and food
- Watch out
- Business-district feel; A 15-minute walk to Susukino's restaurants
- Nearby
- JR Tower, Hokkaido University, Sapporo Clock Tower
Family travel tips
- The Snow Festival's Tsudome site has snow slides and play areas aimed at children.
- Rent snow boots or buy shoe spikes for children too; pavements are icy from December to March.
- Sapporo Teine and Sapporo Kokusai have beginner slopes and ski schools within an hour of the city.
- Many restaurants have tatami rooms where small children can sit comfortably.
- Children under 6 ride free on the subway with a paying adult; older children pay a reduced fare.
Day trips for families
- Lake Shikotsu (About 1 hour 15 minutes by car) — A deep caldera lake in Shikotsu-Toya National Park with very clear water, sightseeing boats and lakeside onsen.
- Asahiyama Zoo (About 2 hours by train and bus) — Japan's best-known zoo for its enclosure design, with penguins walking through the snow in winter, a polar-bear dome and a seal tunnel.
- Furano and Biei (About 2 hours by car or train) — Rolling farmland famous for lavender fields at Farm Tomita in July, patchwork hills in Biei and the Blue Pond.
When to go with children
The best months overall are February and June–September. February is the busiest, so book the big sights early. Weather by month.
Questions travellers ask
+Is Sapporo good for kids?
Sapporo is easy with children: snow play in winter, parks and a zoo in summer, and short, sheltered walks between sights. The underground walkways mean you rarely have to battle the cold with a pushchair in the centre.
+What can kids do in Sapporo?
Sapporo Maruyama Zoo, Moerenuma Park, Shiroi Koibito Park, Odori Park and Historical Village of Hokkaido.
+Where should families stay in Sapporo?
Sapporo Station area: Transport hub with JR Tower, department stores and direct trains to New Chitose Airport.