SAPPORO: SUMMER IN THE CITY

Up to eight months per year, the weather conditions on this island of northern Japan do not encourage people to visit Hokkaido’s capital, Sapporo. It may still be an attractive town, but if you have to battle rain, wind, hail and snow, you may regret having decided to go there. However, if you visit the city in June, July, August and most of September, you will enjoy the very best of its climate: mostly fair weather and mild temperatures. Obviously, the city’s residents thoroughly enjoy this time of the year and that is perhaps why everyone seems to be content.

AMERICAN INFLUENCE

Sapporo is a relatively young city. There was nothing there at all until 1866, at the end of the Edo Period when construction of a canal started.

Two years later, the US government was approached for assistance and Horace

Capron became official advisor to the Hokkaido Development Commission set up to build the town. In true American style, he set up a grid plan, like in US cities, with streets at right angles to form blocks. Mr. Capron lived in Japan for four years before returning to the US and eventually selling his Washington DC home, which then became the site of Japan’s first embassy in the American capital.

There is yet another American citizen who played an important role in Sapporo’s history and development: Edwin Dun. This gentleman was a rancher who moved to Japan after having

CALM, COOL AND COMFORTABLE SUMMERS, WRITES FERRY DE BAKKER, IS THE TIME TO VISIT HIS FAVORITE JAPANESE CITY.

been hired to modernize agricultural techniques, first in the Tokyo area and later in Sapporo. This remarkable man built Hokkaido’s first horse racetrack and established a brewery. He joined the American diplomatic service and eventually was appointed US envoy to Japan. Worth visiting is the Edwin Dun Memorial Hall in Sapporo’s Minami district, where he lived.

A GOOD PINOT NOIR

We think the world of Sapporo and, after having visited the city three years ago returned in early June this year. Why? Well, first of all, we find the people of Sapporo, and of Hokkaido, particularly friendly and helpful. Secondly, this city has large, wide boulevards and lots of green and this makes you feel comfortable.

Equally important, there is an abundance of fresh food and many excellent restaurants. There has been progress on the wine front, but much remains to be done by the no fewer than 280 wineries there, struggling with the relative lack of sunshine. The best wine we have had so far: Chitose Winery’s pretty decent pinot noir.

A LITERARY GIANT

Junichi Watanabe was a literary giant. Educated at the Sapporo Medical University, he started his career as a doctor and became an orthopedic lecturer at his alma mater. He eventually turned to writing and became known for his very spicy portrayals of love stories depicting extra-marital affairs of ordinary, middle-aged, people. At the end of his life, this life-loving man had authored more than 141 books, many of which were adapted into films and TV series. His pièce de résistance is A Lost Paradise, which became an enormous bestseller all over the world and sold three million copies.

Adjacent to the lovely Nakajima Park is the Watanabe Junichi Museum of Literature. It is an elegant building. Top architect Tadao Ando’s creation represents a swan standing on one leg in snow. The library, which has the complete literary collection of Watanabe, can be found on the ground floor. Here the staff will prepare and serve you a solid cup of coffee. The exhibition space on the second level is focused on the time and life of this eloquent author.

A SHORT-LIVED GENIUS

The plan was to visit the Hokkaido Museum

The beautiful Hidamari glass pyramid, which houses a museum, a small art gallery, a coffee shop and a Michelinstarred restaurant.

of Modern Art, but contrary to what the museum’s website told us, it was closed for renovation. Now what? We discovered that on the other side of the park where it is located, was yet another museum. So, we decided to take a look. This is how we found the Migishi Kotaro Museum of Art.

Opened in 1983, it is dedicated to Migishi Kotaro, who was born in Sapporo in 1903 and unexpectedly died in 1934. What a loss! This painter’s oeuvre is totally amazing. During his 10-yearlong creative period, he rapidly changed styles, following the explosion of new ideas in Paris. He was not only successful at it, but at the same time he managed to change seek to develop his own expression, create his own world of sentiment and imagination.

The attractive, small museum was designed by the architect Yamakawi Iwao after the painter’s studio, which surprisingly survived war-time aerial bombardments and still exists in Saginomiya, Tokyo.

AN EXTRAORDINARY LIFE

The taxi, metro and subsequent bus ride from the centre of Sapporo to Moerenuma Park takes between 30 and 45 minutes, but it is worth the fare and the time invested to enter this huge and unusual park. It was designed by Isamu Noguchi, a Japanese-american artist and landscape architect, born in 1904 in Los Angeles. He died in 1988 in New York City.

Noguchi was one of the most versatile artists of the 20th century. He led an extraordinary life as a quick look at the Noguchi Wikipedia page shows. Given a free hand in Sapporo, he developed a park that continues to get ever more interesting as new ideas by other architects are added. To look out for are the sea fountain, Mount Moere, the Forest of Cherry Trees playground, the Music Shell and the Tetra Mound. Right in the centre, we find the beautiful Hidamari glass pyramid, which houses a museum, a small art gallery, a coffee shop and a Michelin-starred restaurant. There can’t be a question, this park is a must-go-to.

MORE ART

Yes, absolutely! First of all, in the city itself, we find yet another open-air museum. It is the Sapporo Sculpture Garden. It takes a bit of time to meander through this beautiful park, with no fewer than 74 top-quality sculptures of both renowned Japanese and international sculptors. Excellent explanatory leaflets and maps help visitors learn about and appreciate the works in this leafy environment. There are also two interesting, well-designed buildings in the park, the Art Hall and the Art Park Centre. More?

Wait… we are not finished yet… The Hokkaido University Museum is located in the town’s centre and has an exhibit that shows Japan’s frustration with Russia’s continued annexation of two nearby Japanese islands.

MORE MUSEUMS

Thirsty? Let’s visit the Chitose Crane Sake Museum. Not enough? Given the excellent reputation of the beer named after the city, hop over to the Sapporo Beer Museum. More museums in Sapporo? Yes, actually there are quite a number of them we haven’t been able to mention yet.

What about other types of attractions? Yes, again they are in abundance in our favourite Japanese city. Odori Park, for example. Or the Clock Tower. Wait a minute, don’t forget to enjoy the hairy crab while you are there. And the famous Sapporo soup curry. Or the ramen with miso paste stock. All we need now is direct Singaporesapporo flights.v