Spring in Sapporo | Travel Guide 2025

Want to visit Sapporo in 2025? Would it be in spring?

Most people think that winter is the best time to visit Hokkaido, but the island is well worth a visit in any season.

If you want to experience something awe-inspiring in Sapporo during spring, especially when sakura are in full bloom, read this travel guide beforehand as it shares some very important travel info that you need to know to have the experience of a lifetime.

Sapporo in the spring is appealing and has so much to offer you. Cherry blossoms can be seen in early May in abundance. When hanami is around the corner, I absolutely like spending my time with my friends at Maruyama Park.

Even though you will not see any snow-covered roads in the city, which is typical during the winter months, yet the weather is very cold and often quite windy.

This is just an important travel info I just delivered to you, and there are more to share, so keep reading!

Weather in Sapporo during Spring

It’s cold, dry and sunny, though often it may rain. In the mountains, snow still remains, so it’s obvious that you are going to feel the cold.

At this time of year, things really start to warm up though and it’s very comfortable to travel around for tourists than in the winter. The average temperature is 12°C with fresh air. In the morning and at night it may drop to 6°C.

When the spring season is in full swing, varieties of flowers start to bloom, making the surroundings astoundingly beautiful. If you plan on visiting Sapporo at this of year, you will need to take warm clothing with you, like jacket, sweater and winter hats.

Please note sometimes it can be windy out there. So keep yourself warm in the cold weather by wearing the right outfits, especially when you are out for sightseeing.

If you plan on visiting Sapporo in spring, be sure to pack an umbrella. If that hurts, buy it at DAISO (100-yen shop). You will surly find an umbrella there and may cost you about 200 yen. That’s the cheapest price of an umbrella that DAISO has to offer you!

When to see cherry blossoms in Sapporo?

If you really want to see cherry blossoms, the best time to visit Sapporo is from early May to mid May. Check out the cherry blossom forecast.

Cherry trees in the city may start blooming in late April, and reach their peak in the first half of May. Usually, if you come to Sapporo in the first week of May, you will definitely see lots of sakura.

Where to go to see cherry blossoms in Sapporo?

I know a number of places that are well known for viewing sakura and enjoying hanami picnicking, most of them are parks though, when you take a walk along the roads through the different neighborhoods in the city, you will be able to spot them.

There are some small parks with playground for children, where sakura viewing is just an amazing experience.

You can visit Nakajima Park, Maruyama Park, Hokkaido Shrine, Odori Park, The Former Hokkaido Government Office Building, Sapporo Maruyama Zoo, Asahiyama Memorial Park, Mount Moiwa Ropeway and so on.

Please note Maruyama Park is an ideal place to find out different varieties of sakura and ume.

There some really amazing places in Sapporo to late-blooming sakura (Yaezakura), which bloom around early May every year. If you miss viewing cherry blossoms in Sapporo in April, don’t panic as you can enjoy pink/white yaezakura.

Makomanai Park is one of the best places in Sapporo to admire them. To reach the park you have to walk from Makomanai subway station.

This park is a perfect place to walk and enjoy the outdoors. Another interesting place near Maruyama Park, which you can find on google maps, offers plenty of yaezakura.

Explore the city on Foot

Sapporo is one of Japan’s most popular cities to explore on foot. This is my favorite city to live in Japan and obviously my best city to travel around on foot. With less traffic, the city is quite enjoyable to walk along the footpaths.

If you have a dream about seeing a side of Sapporo that tourists rarely visit and experience, then think of planning a walking tour.

This will let you immerse yourself in its culture, and connect with locals. And when you take a walk, you have a lot of time to photograph many things that you see and experience along the way.

Planning a walking tour in Sapporo is easy. At first you will have to choose a number of attractions you are interested in visiting on foot.

Then find the best route to get to a specific destination walking along the roads through different neighborhoods.

You can visit Maruyama Park from Odori Park on foot, then to Asahiyama Memorial Park and Mount Moiwa Ropeway.

This is possibly a nice day trip idea, which will help you discover some amazing scenery along the way.

It will be a good idea and worriless journey, if you are connected with the internet as you may need to frequently look at Google Maps app on your phone to track down the exact location you are heading to. There is no chance of being lost!

When I go for a solo walking tour in Sapporo city, I am always connected with the internet and I highly recommend this pocket wifi for tourists who will be in Japan.

If walking is not your best choice, you should explore the city by bicycle. It’s reliable and could save you a lot of time. You can find some bicycle rentals nearby Odori Park. Good luck to you!

You will have to visit Mt Moiwa Ropeway!

When you are visiting Sapporo in the springtime, you have to visit Mount Moiwa Ropeway. A truly wonderful place like this should always be in your travel bucket list, especially if you are a first time visitor to Sapporo.

Known for viewing magnificent night views over Sapporo city from its observation deck, Mount Moiwa is where you can spend an evening with your beloved ones and friends. It’s rich in nature and offer good views of mountains. The upper ropeway station building has got a restaurant and souvenir shop.

The road that the free shuttle bus runs through to the lower ropeway station looks amazing when sakura are in full bloom. The surroundings from the top of the mountain are beautiful year-round; you will notice it for sure.

Drink some coffee as it will keep you warm. It’s very cold and often it could be windy at the observation deck. So wear a jacket before you go there.

At the top of the mountain, where there is a nice observation platform, I met a guy from Minnesota, USA, who only wore a t-shirt. I asked him whether he felt any cold; he replied “For Minnesotan, it is fine.” I don’t know how cold it’s in Minnesota in the winter though since I have never been there before.

That guy was traveling in Sapporo from one of the coldest areas in the USA, but if you are visiting the city from some Asian countries such as, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Taiwan, Hong Kong Vietnam, and China then you will feel the cold. So be always careful!

Want to see tulips?

Tulips can be seen almost everywhere in Sapporo! Many locals here grow them in their back and front yards. This is one of my favorite spring flowers alongside sakura.

You can see picturesque tulip fields at Takino Suzuran Hillside National Park. This beautiful park is located on the outskirts of Sapporo city.

If your time is limited and want to see tulips, you better get to the Former Hokkaido Government Office Building, Odori Park, Yurigahara Park, and Maruyama Park.

Spotting colorful tulips along the footpaths is not a daunting task. Take a look at the photo above, don’t they look beautiful? I see many of them when I take a walk down the streets in the springtime.

Foods to try

So far in this post, I have not mentioned much about food that you can try. It’s time now to tell foodies some ideas, though I won’t recommend any particular restaurants here but a list of food you would like to taste.

When you are in Sapporo, you will have to try some ramen dishes. The best place to taste variety of ramens is at Ganso Sapporo Ramen Yokocho, located near the Susukino Station. The place is filled with a number of ramen restaurants. Don’t forget to try one of Hokkaido’s popular ramen called Miso Ramen!

Pay a visit to Nijo Fish Market and take a stroll through it, you will surly find some great seafood restaurants.

You can make your way to Asahi Breweries, and your trip will end up with super tasting of beers (it’s free of cost). You will be accompanied by a tour guide, who will introduce to you the whole brewing process. For more information please visit here.

About Shopping

The city of Sapporo has many interesting shopping malls. If you like shopping and think yourself as a big shopper while traveling around, then my recommendations here will be helpful to you.

My favorite place to shop in Sapporo is DAISO. With massive variety of unique products, shopping at DAISO shop is a must whenever you visit Japan.

They are cheap to buy and you will find lots of cute products to buy as souvenirs to take home, from candies to snacks, kitchen tools to home décor items. You can even find Hokkaido sweet corns, they are definitely delicious to have and healthy.

SAPPORO ESTA Building is my other favorite place to shop; it’s located next to JR Sapporo Station. You have to explore every floor of the building to get some idea about how many products one can find there.

There you can buy camera, laptop, wrist watch, power plug adapter (travelers often look for it), clothing, toys, and so on.

You can also visit Daimaru Sapporo, the biggest department stores in the Hokkaido region. It’s directly connected to JR Sapporo Station.

Day trips from Sapporo

When it comes to getting out of the city to somewhere else, the first thing that comes to my mind is Otaru. It is because getting to Otaru from Sapporo Station is easy, and it takes about 30 minutes to reach there by rapid train.

Mount Tengu is one of my favorite places to visit in Otaru and it does not matter whether I go there in winter, spring, summer, and fall.

Every visit tells you a different story with offering you lots of interesting things to do, from skiing in the winter to hiking in the summer.

Along with visiting Mount Tengu, you should visit Otaru Aquarium, Otaru Museum, and Otaru Canal. You should read our 1-Day in Otaru Itinerary to get some travel inspiration.

A day trip to Jozankei Onsen is also a great sightseeing spot. It’s the best hot springs town in Sapporo. If you are not going to visit Noboribetsu Onsen, Jozankei is a great alternative.

Some travelers also visit Lake Shikotsu, a beautiful caldera lake in Chitose. The surroundings of the lake in spring are very mind-boggling! If you have more time, it’s worth getting to Lake Shikotsu as a day trip from Sapporo city.

For more information about day trips from Sapporo, I highly recommend you read this post, where you can some amazing road trips including easy ones.

Conclusion

If you are going to visit Sapporo in spring then you can’t miss the places I have mentioned in this post. Except the above attractions, there are other interesting places and events that are worth exploring and experiencing.

Cherry blossom will bloom in early May, have you booked a hotel to stay in Sapporo? I think it’s time to do it. I have some hotel recommendations for you:

1) HOTEL MYSTAYS Sapporo Aspen
2) Hotel Pearl City Sapporo
3) Sapporo Grand Hotel
4) Nest Hotel Sapporo Ekimae
5) Hotel Gracery Sapporo
6) Century Royal Hotel Sapporo

Sapporo is an amazing place to spend a few days in spring. If you dream about viewing spectacular display of cherry blossoms including tulips, visit the city this year.

This itinerary may help you planning your upcoming trip to Sapporo this spring season. If you need any help regarding your travel plan to Sapporo, contact me. I will guide you for sure. Thank you.