Odori Park

Located in the center of Sapporo, running from east to west is the Odori Park (大通公園), which literally translates to “Large Street Park” as it serves as the median running down a very large street. In 1869, Yoshitake Shima came to Sapporo and devised a city plan to develop the area. However, Shima was dismissed for poor governing and was replaced by Michitoshi Iwamura. He made changes to the original plan made by Yoshitake Shima by making a firebreak instead of a large street. In 1876, flower gardens were constructed in the area and in 1909 Yasuhei Nagaoka supervised the modification of the street. Yasuhei was a Japanese landscaper and saw to the construction of a walking area to Odori.

Now, Odori Park holds approximately 92 types of trees and has flowerbeds galore, enough to attract tourists and locals for a relaxing time. However, if guests wish to take a picture or simply view the city and the park from above, there is the Sapporo TV Tower’s observation deck. There, they can pay a fee to view the beautiful scene, especially during the Snow Festival’s events held every February. The tower is just under 150 meters tall, and the observation deck is at an elevation of 90 meters. During the evening the tower is illuminated, making it an attractive landmark.