3 Best Spots with A Great View of “Sapporo White Illumination” in Winter

“Sapporo White Illumination” (さっぽろホワイトイルミネーション ), the seasonal lighting-ups event now being held for the 41st time this year, is a winter tradition of the city. At the 2021 Illuminations Awards, it won 4th place in the illumination category nationwide. In this issue, let’s look at some spots that you cannot miss in Sapporo, the city that becomes the most romantic and beautiful in a year.

Each spot in this issue is within walking distance from Odori Station (N07) which is a one-station ride on Namboku Line from Sapporo Station (N06).

Photogenic works of art decorating “Odori Park”

Among the several venues of Sapporo White Illumination, “Odori Park” (大通公園) is the signature and the largest one. Symbol works of art in colorful lights are placed at each block from Odori 1-chome (大通１丁目) to 6-chome (大通6丁目). For instance, the one in theme of ‘Love’ installed at the 1-chome venue, ‘Love Tree’ with the motif of a heart, is decorated with red and pink-based illuminations in a warm manner. You’ll also find ‘Blooming Fountain’, a sparkly fountain with a lilac motif at the 3-chome venue, and ‘Jewelry Palace’, a glittering palace at the 4-chome. All the works are too fantastic to be true and you can’t help taking photos of them. Once you’ve taken a nice and shining photo, how about showing off your trip to the beautiful city on social media?

Even Period	19th (Fri) November 2021 to 25th (Sat) December 2021 *Lighting-ups are planned to be continued until the last day of Sapporo Snow Festival on 12th (Sat) February 2022
Address	Odori Nishi 7-chome, Chuo-ku, Sapporo City, Hokkaido Prefecture
Access	A 6-minute walk from Odori Station (N07)
URL	https://www.sapporo.travel/en/event/event-list/sapporo_white_illumination/

“Sapporo TV Tower” allows you to overlook Odori Park graced by beautiful illuminations

“Sapporo TV Tower” (さっぽろテレビ塔) located on the east edge of Odori Park, is the city’s landmark lightened up as the sun is setting. You can not only appreciate its architectural beauty from outside, but also visit the observatory deck at the level of 90.38 meters above the ground and gaze at the nightscape that is romantic enough to be officially named as ‘A NIGHT VIEW HERITAGE OF JAPAN’. Especially at this time of year, it is an ideal spot to observe the entire Odori Park full of beautiful season’s lighting-ups away from freezing. For your information, the observatory deck has a rent-out plan that gives you a perfect memorable moment of the trip. During the period while Sapporo White Illumination is held, the plan is available for 20 to 30 minutes after the regular business hours.

Opening Hours	9:00AM – 10:00PM
Admission	800 yen
Address	Odori Nishi 1-chome, Chuo-ku, Sapporo City, Hokkaido Prefecture
Access	A 5-minute walk from Odori Station (N07)
URL	https://www.tv-tower.co.jp/en/

Savor the aroma of coffee while admiring the city lights at “TOKUMITSU COFFEE Odori-ten”

An authentic cafe “TOKUMITSU COFFEE Odori-ten” (徳光珈琲大通り店) directly connected to Odori Station offers coffee extracted with the original technique　to bring out the rich aroma and complex flavor only from carefully selected specialty beans cultivated at strictly managed farms. From lighter taste medium-high roasts to full-bodied French Italian roasts, you can order the one that suits your preference. ‘Otona-no Coffee Roll’ (大人の珈琲ロール, coffee flavored rolled cake for adults), a collaboration menu item with ‘Dojima Roll’ (堂島ロール, a brand-name rolled cake originating Osaka), goes very well with coffee. Since the window seats offer the outlook of Odori Park, they turn out to be first-class seats where you can enjoy the season’s illuminations known to those in the know. It is a perfect place to enjoy the sips of coffee and the glittering scenery of the streets.

Opening Hours	10:00AM – 8:00PM / Open All Year Round
Address	ODORI BISSE 2nd floor, Odori Nishi 3-chome, Chuo-ku, Sapporo City, Hokkaido Prefecture
Access	A 2-minute walk from Odori Station (N07)
URL	https://tabelog.com/en/hokkaido/A0101/A010102/1029745/