JR Sakimori Station is a few minutes walk from Sakimori Wharf.

Leave: Sakimori at 08:30
Arrive: Higashi Muroran at 08:41
Leave: Higashi Muroran at 09:02 by LEX Super Hokuo #1
Arrive: Sapporo at 10:18

Leave: Sapporo at 14:30 by LEX Suzuran #4
Arrive: Higashi Muroran at 16:00
Leave: Higashi Muroran at 16:04
Arrive: Sakimori at 16:16

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Historic Village of Hokkaido

The main entrance to the village

The main entrance to the village is the old Sapporo Station building. Upon entering the village, you will be in an atmosphere typical of the frontier period of the Hokkaido(mid 19thto early 20th century). Horse-drawn trolley provide transportation along the main street, which is lined with old wooden and stone buildings. Farming life is displayed in traditional houses built by immigrants from Honshu. In autumn, harvest festivals will be held at the Shinto shrine in the village.

The Historic Village of Hokkaido is located in the Nopporo Forest Park (Shinrin Koen) outside of Sapporo. From Sapporo Station, take a local train on the JR Hakodate Line to Shinrin Koen Station (about 15 minutes) from where the museum is a 5 minute bus ride or 15-20 minute walk.

Sapporo Beer Museum

Sapporo Beer Museum, the only beer museum in Japan, was opened in July of 1987 to provide visitors with a varied knowledge of beer and brewing. Renovated in 2004, the exhibition allows guests to learn easily about the history of Sapporo Breweries Ltd. and the beer industry in Japan. The building which now houses Sapporo beer Museum was constructed under the direction of foreign engineers in 1890 as the factory of the Sapporo Sugar Company. It is one of the precious cultural legacies of the Meiji Era, together with the old red brick Hokkaido Government Office. Sapporo Beer Museum has been selected to receive the official "Hokkaido Heritage" designation.

Tour Information

Free admission
Enjoy the Taste of Sapporo products after the tour (Paid tasting only)

Hours
9:00a.m. - 6:00p.m. (Entrance until 5:30p.m.)

Holidays
December30 - January1

Sapporo Biergarten

While imagining the old days of more than a century ago when the red brick walls of this restaurant were constructed, you can enjoy the freshest draft beer and Genghis Khan-style fresh barbecued lamb. At “Garden Grill”, you can enjoy great food and red bricks while surrounded by trees that change with the seasons.
For reservation or further information:
Tel. +81-11-742-1531

Address:
Kita 7-Jo Higashi 9-chome Higashi-ku, Sapporo

Transport Information

Bus:
Bus stop "Sapporo beer Museum" on the Factory Lane[Loop No.88]starting at the bus stop "Sapporo-eki-mae" at the South gate of Sapporo station on the JR-Line, near the east entrance of Seibu Kan.(About 15 minutes ride)
Bus stop "Kita 8 Higashi 7"on [East No.63] line, starting at the bus stop "Sapporo-eki-kita-guchi" at the North gate of Sapporo Station on the JR-Line.(About 10 minutes ride)
Bus stop "Kita 8 Higashi 7"on[East No.3]line starting at the bus stop "Bus center".(About 10 minutes ride)

Train:
Subway station, "Higashi-kuyakusho" , on Touhou-Line.(About 10 minutes walk from the station)

Sapporo Subway Map
The Subway day pass is available at 800 Yen.

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Sapporo On Your Own

Travel to Odori Park, where you have 4½ hours to explore the city on your own, following your own itinerary and traveling at your own pace.

WHAT YOU VISIT
Your air-conditioned motorcoach drops you off at Odori Park in the heart of Sapporo, where you have 4 ½ hours for independent sightseeing and shopping. During your time in Sapporo, a coordinator is available at the park to assist with directions. Over two miles long, Odori Park boasts elaborate gardens, promenades and push-cast vendors. The Sapporo TV Tower anchors one end of the park and the ski jump from the 1970 Winter Olympic is visible from the grounds. A vast underground mall lies beneath Odori Park. Most shops accept credit cards; street vendors accept Japanese currency only. At the end of your excursion, meet your motorcoach at the designated rendezvous for the return to Muroran.

WHAT YOU SEE ALONG THE WAY
Board your air-conditioned motorcoach and travel the Douo Highway to Sapporo, driving past dense forests, rolling countryside, and the city of Tomakomai, famed for paper production.

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The Ainu Museum, popularly known as "Porotokotan" was established in 1976 as the Shiraoi Foundation for the Preservation of Ainu Culture. This cultural education facility aims to carry out comprehensive educational promotion projects, such as the transmission, preservation, research and study of Ainu culture. In 1984, the Ainu Folk Museum was added to this facility to exhibit both tangible and intangible Ainu cultural assets and to perform academic research and study. In 1990, the facility was reopened under the auspices of The Ainu Museum Foundation.

The design of the museum, as an outdoor museum, is divided into the modern and "kotan" zones, in the latter of which a complete reproduction of a "kotan"(village) is arranged, including several "chise" (houses) , "pu" (a storehouse for food), "heper set" (a bear cage), and "chip" (a canoe) . Inside a "chise," explanations on Ainu history and culture are given, and traditional dances are performed at all times for the visitors.

The museum houses about 5,000 Ainu folk materials and about 200 articles of minority groups of the northern regions, including of the Nivkh, Uilta, Sami, and Inuit, of which 1, 500 articles are on permanent display. The library of the museum includes about 100 Ainu paintings and about 6, 000 books and other literature.

In order to promote transmission and preservation of Ainu culture, traditional ceremonies are being carried out, including " iyomante" (sending back the spirit of bears), "iwakte" (sending back the spirit of objects), "chipsanke" (a boat launching ceremony), and "shinnurappa"(a ceremony in memory of ancestors) . Traditional Ainu dances, which are being transmitted and preserved by this museum's personnel were designated as important intangible cultural properties by the national government in 1984. Sixteen traditional folk dances are currently being transmitted and preserved, of which three are being performed for the visitors.

Princess Cruises Shore Excursion:

Ainu Village Experience

Discover the culture of the Ainu – Hokkaido’s aboriginal people – on a trip to an Ainu village.

WHAT YOU VISIT
Ainu Village - The folkways and customs of Hokkaido’s aboriginal Ainu people are preserved at this traditional village. After an orientation provided by your guide, you have approximately 1 1/2 hours to explore on your own. Tour the village on foot and see the museum with its displays of Ainu artifacts and art. Your visit includes a story-telling session with an Ainu chief and a traditional dance performed by village women.

WHAT YOU SEE ALONG THE WAY
Board your air-conditioned motorcoach for the approximately one-hour drive from Muroran to Shiraoi, traveling through rolling, forested countryside.

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The Gin-numa Great Crater was formed as a result of the eruption that occurred at the summit in 1977. The crater, one of the largest formed in Mt. Usuzan's history, still continues to emit large amounts of steam. Beyond the crater is Uchiura Bay which sprawls out toward the Pacific Ocean.

Lake Toya-ko, which is situated in the southwestern part of Hokkaido, belongs to the Shikotsu-Toya National Park. Repetitive volcanic activity in the early 20th century created a depression in the ground, giving birth to Lake Toya-ko as a result. This wide lake lies 200-500 meters below the outer rim of the crater. The active volcano that stands proudly near the lake with white smoke rising above it is Mt. Showa Shinzan. The volcano was elevated when the ground cracked during a huge earthquake in 1943. Toya-ko-onsen Hot Spring, which stretches out along the 43-kilometer diameter crater lake, is one of the best spa resorts in Hokkaido.

Lake Toya-ko is an ice-free lake. It never freezes even in winter when the temperature falls quite drastically. The beauty of this northernmost ice-free lake can therefore be admired anytime throughout the year. There is a little island called Nakano-shima in the middle of the lake and on it, there is Toya-ko Lake Forest Museum, which is a part of the sightseeing boat route. Trout and smelt fishing are very popular sports in and around the lake.

There are many places of interest around Lake Toya-ko including the Volcano Science Museum where they show visual images of the eruption that occurred in 1977 with a special sound system. There also camping sites that are well facilitated around the lake.

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From the valley, there are attractive hiking trails through the densely forested hills around Noboribetsu. If you follow them for about 20-30 minutes, you will get to Oyunuma, a sulfurous pond with a surface temperature of 50 degrees Celsius and a smaller, even hotter mud pond nearby.

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Gourmet Restaurants open 11:00-22:00

Bier Keller Sapporo Kaitakushi in the Renga-Kan building is a beer hall built in a former beer cellar. The ever-popular tunnel shaped hall is located on the first floor of the Renga-Kan wing. It offers 13 brands of draft beer as well as lamb that you barbeque at your table and seasonal fresh Sashimi, featuring dishes made from the finest Hokkaido-grown ingredients. There are also other restaurants and cafes where you can try food only available in Hokkaido. Spend your culinary hours filled with a variety of delicious dishes.

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Opening Hours 11.30am-10pm daily.

Fresh crab is one of the specialties of Hokkaido, and this restaurant is one of the best crab restaurants in Sapporo. It serves all kinds of crab, from the famous king crab to the delicious hair crab, and offers them in a variety of different dishes. Not only is the menu here impressive, but so is the interior. Traditionally designed, with tatami rooms, shoji screens, stone walkways between rooms, and even a pond for the crabs not yet on the table, Kani Honke has an ambiance equal to the food it serves. Not cheap, it nonetheless affords good value for money.

Average Cost JPY 5200

Tel: +81 (0)11 222 0018
Fax: +81 (0)11 221 0480

Website (in Japanese)

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From the peak, you can of course see the grid shape of the city of Sapporo. You can also see Ishikari Plain, and all the way from Ishikari Bay to the Yubari Mountain Range and Mt. Eniwa-dake near Lake Shikotsu. What is especially beautiful is the night scene of Sapporo shining like a sea of light, and the entertainment district, Susukino glimmering with red and yellow neon lights.

The northeastern side of Mt. Moiwa-yama is covered in thick vegetation. There are 160 types of trees and plants, including varieties of linden, oak, katsura and wild cherry, and the Moiwa Virgin Forest has been designated a Natural Monument. Also on the mountainside are a museum about the virgin forest and a farm dedicated to the virgin forest. In winter, the south side becomes a ski resort.

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