Sapporo Dome

Sapporo

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Built for the 2002 FIFA World Cup, Sapporo Dome is home to both baseball's Hokkaidō Nippon Ham Fighters (www.fighters.co.jp) and J-League soccer's Consadole Sapporo (www.consadole-sapporo.jp). The stadium switches surfaces depending on the sport being played: the Fighters play on an artificial surface; when Consadole has a match, a natural grass pitch is slid into the stadium.

The Fighters in particular have extremely boisterous crowds and a trip to the Dome is a great way to see parochial Japan in action. Check out the website for schedules. When nothing is on, tours of the dome are held on the hour from 10am to 4pm for ¥1050; reservations necessary. It's a 10-minute walk from the subway.

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

  • Japan, Hokkaido, Otaru-shi, Otaru Canal at Night. (Photo by: JTB/UIG via Getty Images)

    Otaru Canal

    24.24 MILES

    Historic Otaru canal is lined with warehouses from the late 19th and early 20th centuries when this port city served as the financial centre of Hokkaidō…

  • Sapporo Beer Museum

    Sapporo Beer Museum

    4.33 MILES

    This legendary Sapporo attraction is in the original Sapporo Beer brewery, a pretty, ivy-covered brick building. There's no need to sign up for the tour;…

  • Cityscape of Sapporo at odori Park, Japan

    Ōdōri-kōen

    4.24 MILES

    This haven in the heart of the city is fully 13 blocks (1.5km) long, with the TV Tower at its eastern end. Among the green lawns and flower gardens are…

  • Ōkura-yama Ski Jump Stadium

    Ōkura-yama Ski Jump Stadium

    6.55 MILES

    This ski-jump slope was built on the side of Ōkura-yama for the Sapporo 1972 Winter Games. At 133.6m it's just slightly shorter than Sapporo TV Tower,…

  • Kaitaku-mura

    Kaitaku-mura

    5.02 MILES

    This expansive collection of historical buildings (and some recreations), in Nopporo Shinrin-kōen east of central Sapporo, shows the diversity of…

  • Ainu Culture Promotion Centre

    Ainu Culture Promotion Centre

    10.56 MILES

    Unlike other museums, where artefacts are kept behind glass, exhibitions here consist of replicas, handmade by members of Sapporo's Ainu community using…

  • Moerenuma-kōen

    Moerenuma-kōen

    7.6 MILES

    Completed in 2005, this former waste-treatment plant to the northeast of the central city is now an impressive reclaimed green belt. It was originally…

  • Hokkaidō Museum

    Hokkaidō Museum

    5.13 MILES

    This museum does an admirable job of explaining Hokkaidō's multilayered history, from the age of the woolly mammoths to the age of the steam locomotives,…

View more attractions

Nearby Sapporo attractions

1. Chitosetsuru Sake Museum

3.84 MILES

Fans of Japan's national drink will enjoy this museum, which – though English signage is lacking – has visually understandable displays about the history…

2. Moiwa-yama Ropeway

4.13 MILES

At 531m, Moiwa-yama has fantastic, panoramic views over the city. Part of the fun is getting there. First you take a gondola for five minutes, then switch…

3. Sapporo TV Tower

4.18 MILES

Beating Tokyo Tower by two years, Sapporo TV Tower (147m) arrived in 1956, bringing with it the modern television age. It was designed by 'Dr Tower' Naitō…

4. Ōdōri-kōen

4.24 MILES

This haven in the heart of the city is fully 13 blocks (1.5km) long, with the TV Tower at its eastern end. Among the green lawns and flower gardens are…

5. Sapporo Beer Museum

4.33 MILES

This legendary Sapporo attraction is in the original Sapporo Beer brewery, a pretty, ivy-covered brick building. There's no need to sign up for the tour;…

6. Sapporo Clock Tower

4.35 MILES

No Japanese tourist can leave Sapporo without snapping a photo of the city's signature landmark and oldest building, the clock tower. Built in 1878, the…

7. Black Slide Mantra

4.53 MILES

This sculpture in Ōdōri-kōen by Japanese-American artist Noguchi Isamu is hands-on art at its best: made of black stone to stand out in the snow, the…