Odori Park is a teeming landscape spanning 12 city blocks of the centre of downtown Sapporo. This relaxing city escape also serves as a cultural hub of festivity and hosts many of Hokkaido’s most popular seasonal events including the Autumn Festival, the Snow Festival, and the Lilac Festival.
Visitors can stroll through the beautifully landscaped flowerbeds and find a huge diversity of elm and lilac trees, and exquisite fountains that contribute to the park’s undeniable charm. The Sapporo TV tower looms over the eastern edge of the greenery, equipped with a viewing deck providing immaculate perspectives of the scenery below. During the popular Sapporo Snow Festival Odori Park is brought to life with hundreds of snow sculptures, concerts, and events.
The Odori Subway Station intersects all of Sapporo’s subway lines and sits directly beside Odori Park, making for convenient public access. Additionally, the JR Sapporo Station is only a 10-minute walk away.
Odori Park was originally designated to be the main street of Sapporo but in 1871 became the city’s firebreak. In 1876 under landscaper Yasuhei Nagaoka, 6600 square meters of flower garden was planted on the formerly vacant lot and served as the origin of Odori Park. During World War II, the area was utilised for potato production and then as a dumping ground until after 1950 when it was finally restored and transformed into today’s public attraction.