Sapporo Clock Tower

N.1 w,2 Tel, 231-0838
This symbol of Sapporo has come to represent the heart of the city.
Crowds of Japanese tourists gather in front for a photograph no matter what the weather.

Their trip to Sapporo would be incomplete without that special memorial picture.
The tower was built in 1 878 as part of the martial arts hall for Sapporo Agricultural College.

It was designated an Important Cultural Property in 1 970,
but I frankly can 't understand what all the fuss is about.
This may be because a number of tall buildings dwarf the diminutive tower and take away from its splendor.

It has even made the sardonic rankings of the Nihon Sandai Gakkari
(Japan's Top Three Disappointments), along with Shureimon (Okinawa) and Harimaya Bridge
(Kochi).

A small museum is housed inside the building, and you can walk through it rather quickly. It is right on your way if you're going from Odori Park to Sapporo Station or vice versa.
The entrance fee is ~;200 for adults. Open 8:45 a.m.
to 5: 10 p.m. Closed Mon. and Dec. 29 to Jan. 3.