Maruyama Park may be the most popular spot in Sapporo for viewing cherry blossoms. Would you like to discover more places to enjoy the beauty of sakura in Sapporo?
According to the 2025 cherry blossom forecast, they would start to flower around late April in Sapporo. That is pretty impressive to know! And the estimated best time to see them in Sapporo would be in early May. Don’t you forget it if you really want to admire sakura there.
Sapporo is home to some of the most popular cherry blossom spots in Hokkaido Prefecture. The environment and weather in Hokkaido is quite different than what you usually experience in the mainland Japan (Honshu).
Here, cherry blossoms and plum blossoms start to bloom at the same time, how cool is that! In Sapporo, you should consider discovering at least one plum grove along with seeing beautiful sakura.
Today, I would take you on a journey through Sapporo’s most beautiful places where sakura viewing is stunningly appealing. If you are interested in exploring Hokkaido cherry blossoms, you must spend a few days in Sapporo!
Here are the best cherry blossom viewing spots in Sapporo:
1. Makomanai Park
Trying to figure out where in Sapporo you should visit to see cherry blossoms? Here, I am going to recommend you a really big park with thousands of trees including different varieties of sakura trees.
Yes, it is Makomanai Park, a spacious park located about 8 km south of the center of Sapporo City, not far from Makomanai Subway Station on the Namboku Line.
With many wild-birds and old trees, it covers an area of ​​85 hectares. For nature lovers, this is a top-notch place to learn the diversity of wild birds.
While you see early blooming sakura here, you may also see late blooming sakura, which I mean yaezakura, you must visit this park in early-mid May.
This park is a popular hanami spot for locals and tourist alike. When you are in Sapporo to see cherry blossoms, make sure you stop by! Families with little ones will not want to miss a visit to this beautiful park.
In addition, Makomanai park is also a renowned autumn leaves spot for visitors in autumn. Makomanai Park is a 20-minute walk from Makomanai Subway Station on Namboku Line.
2. Nakajima Park
Sapporo cherry blossom season begins around late April. For a perfect cherry blossom photography tour in Sapporo, Nakajima Park fits perfectly.
Nakajima is one of the most beautiful parks in Hokkaido where tranquility flows throughout the park. You can feel it at any time you visit it. The locals like to go there and enjoy the seasonal beauty it offers throughout the year.
When spring arrives, it is really charming and relaxing to take a stroll around the park. In fact, everything you find there is picturesque!
Even though autumn leaves viewing is legendary here, I still like to go in springtime because the sakura trees there are to be admired for.
With the variety of plants including cherry trees, beautiful pond, walking trails, and historical buildings, this urban park has become a place of scenic beauty right in the heart of the city (Sapporo). Here, you can see double layer cherry blossoms alongside beautiful weeping cherry and sergeant cherry blossoms.
If you know how to row a boat, rent one of the row boats, take it anywhere on the pond and explore the beautiful surroundings. Please note that you can’t do it in winter because the pond you see here transforms into a frozen lake!
Nakajima park is a short walk from Nakajima Koen Subway station on the Namboku line.
3. Maruyama Park and Hokkaido Shrine
The reason of highlighting these two great hanami spots together is they are located very adjacent to each other. Why to separate them then?!
When I think of my favorite Sapporo cherry blossom spots, the path leading to the Hokkaido Shrine comes to mind first.
Usually, tourists visit the Maruyama Park to have a great hanami picnicking underneath the cherry trees on its grounds. Besides, many people prefer to get there early for a morning walk and enjoy a tranquil atmosphere. Maruyama Park is arguably the most popular cherry blossom viewing spot in downtown Sapporo!
The Hokkaido shrine (Hokkaido Jingu) itself is located within the park. It is a sacred place where people are not allowed for hanami picnicking but they can walk around it and learn the history of this great Shinto Shrine.
The walkway to shrine is wide and lined with many cherry trees; you will be very pleased seeing blossoms there.
I bet you! You will also encounter a giant Torii Gate there as well. In spring, just before the approach to the shrine, many food stalls set up offering Hokkaido’s famous street foods. Don’t forget to try them!
Take the subway to Maruyama Park from Odori Park and get off at Maruyama Koen subway station on the Tozai Line. From there, take a short walk to the park.
4. Hiraoka Park
Earlier I have told you that plum and cherry bloom at the same time in Hokkaido. That’s not a surprise for the locals though!
This is probably a surprising thing for those who have never ever experienced them both at the same time. In search of hundreds of red and white plum blossoms, I suggest you explore Hiraoka Park.
Except winter, very often sporty guys visit it on a daily basis because there is tennis court, golf course, and baseball field to have fun time.
Even though it provides a good place to play some outdoor games of different kinds, nature fanatics visit it to relax some times and admire the seasonal beauty it creates. Every year in early May, it hosts a pretty lovely Ume matsuri called Hiraoka Park Plum Festival.
Go there in order to see delicate colors of plum blossoms and I am sure a trip to this park would not disappoint you! Find one of the benches in the plum grove and then enjoy the stunning surrounding scenery.
In addition, if you are a birdwatcher, this park is a must visit for you, just take a walk along the pathways and enjoy your bird watching!
Take a look at Hiraoka Park’s access info.
5. Moerenuma Park
Moerenuma is a large park, was designed by a Japanese-American artist named Isamu Noguchi. You would hardly find a park similar to this one in entire Japan! It is quite unique!
It is located in the northeastern part of Sapporo, and very easy to get to from downtown Sapporo by subway and then transfer to a local bus.
Every spring, I go to this park and try to walk along the paths there. It’s easy to be amazed by beautifully designed buildings, play grounds, walking trails, and most importantly forest of cherry trees. It’s a really nice place to admire the beauty of cherry blossoms.
Apart from this, you would be highly impressed experiencing a picturesque view of the beautiful surroundings from the top of the hill of Mount Moere.
So climb the hill and enjoy the scenery out there! The place is worth a visit all year round; therefore, if you ever come to Sapporo during springtime, make sure you include this iconic landmark in your travel plan or itinerary.
You can reach the park by taking the Toho Subway Line to Kanjodori-higashi Station. Then get on local bus number 69 or 79.
Conclusion
Are there any other hanami spots that you could go to? Most of the visitors to Sapporo visit Odori Park at least once. If you think that it is worth a visit, head towards the park and find some cherry tress there.
In addition, there are a number of places in Sapporo to see Yaezakura, the late-blooming cherry blossoms. Makomanai Park is considered one of the best spots to hunt them in Sapporo.
I don’t know if you are familiar with other renowned cherry blossom spots in Hokkaido, In my opinion, that sort of hanami spots are worth exploring in the northern part of Japan!
