Four Itchy Feet

August 5, 2025. Sapporo, Japan.

A Walk Through Sapporo’s Center

Odori Park is a green oasis at the heart of the city, serving as a gathering place for locals and tourists alike. At about a mile long, it divides the city into north and south sections. This morning, the weather was perfect at 23° Celsius (about 73° Fahrenheit), and the park was bustling with people enjoying the clear day.

A few steps away stands the Sapporo TV Tower. For 1,000 yen, you can take an elevator to the observation deck for spectacular panoramic views of the city. We only took the stairs to the third floor, which features a well-stocked gift shop full of Sapporo souvenirs.

We continued our walk north towards the old Kaitakushi Factory, which was Japan’s very first beer factory. While the building is no longer in production, it now houses a small brewery, tasting rooms, and event spaces. Next to it, and blending old with new, is the Sapporo Factory Mall. This incredible structure houses hundreds of stores and a striking five-story glass-covered atrium. There, we enjoyed delicious donuts at Milk DO dore Iku? The perfect texture and flavor gave us the sugar boost we needed to continue our walk to the Sapporo Beer Museum.

The Sapporo Beer Museum

The Sapporo Beer Museum offers free, self-guided tours or a guided tour for 1,000 yen. The guided tour includes a tasting of an old beer recipe and a short movie, lasting 50 minutes and accommodating only 20 people. Since no more guided tours were available by the time we arrived, we opted for the self-guided tour.

The museum is very well-designed, with comprehensive displays on the company’s history. While the displays are in Japanese, laminated cards with translations in several languages, including English, are available near each exhibit.

An Unforgettable Dinner

After our museum visit, we returned to our hotel to get ready for dinner. We had been turned away from Sushi Dining Ran the night before, but today, our hotel’s front desk made reservations for us. We arrived promptly at 7 p.m., and the chef, Kiyoshi, and his wife welcomed us. He explained that the menu was all in Japanese but offered to prepare dinner for us Omakase, which means “chef’s choice.”

Chef Kiyoshi took us on a sushi journey we will never forget, serving us until we were completely satisfied. We concluded the meal by inviting him to have some sake with us, which he humbly accepted. We had no words to express our gratitude other than the customary Japanese phrase, “Gochisousama deshita,” which translates to “it was a feast.” This phrase conveys deep gratitude for the meal and the effort put into it.

On our walk back to the hotel, we were serenaded by a street performer who sang “Just the Two of Us” in both Japanese and English. It may be a cliché to say it was “the perfect day,” but our walk through Sapporo was truly special and an experience we will not soon forget.