Island in Japan
Hokkaido, the northernmost of Japan’s main islands, is known for its volcanoes, natural hot springs (onsen) and ski areas. Rugged Daisetsuzan National Park is home to steaming, volcanic Mount Asahi. Shikotsu-Tōya National Park contains caldera lakes, geothermal springs and a Mount Fuji look-alike, Mount Yōtei. Popular ski resorts include Rusutsu, Furano and Niseko.
Area: 83,454 km²
Weather: 21°C, Wind W at 3 km/h, 57% Humidity
Population: 5.474 million (31 Mar 2012)
Colleges and Universities: Hokkaido University, MORE
Did you know: Hokkaido is the eighth-most-populous Japanese prefecture (5,485,952). wikipedia.org
Sapporo
City in Hokkaido Prefecture, Japan
Sapporo, capital of the mountainous northern Japanese island of Hokkaido, is famous for its beer, skiing and annual Sapporo Snow Festival featuring enormous ice sculptures. The Sapporo Beer Museum traces the city’s brewing history and has tastings and a beer garden. Ski hills and jumps from the 1972 Winter Olympics are scattered within the city limits, and Niseko, a renowned ski resort, is nearby.
Odori Park, a long, narrow green space, runs through the center of town and hosts the winter snow festival as well as a summer beer festival and an energetic team dance competition. Other attractions include Sapporo TV Tower, with panoramic views, and the American-designed wooden Clock Tower, which was built in the 1800s and now houses a local history museum. Miyanomori Art Museum has an extensive collection of works by the artists Christo and his late wife and former collaborator, Jeanne-Claude. Sapporo is also a jumping-off point for Shikotsu-Tōya National Park, known for lakes, volcanoes and the hot-springs resort of Noboribetsu.
Odori Park
Park in Sapporo, Japan
Odori Park is a park located in the heart of Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan. Ōdōri means “large street” in Japanese. It stretches east to west through Nishi 1 chōme, Ōdōri to Nishi 12 chōme, Ōdōri, and divides the city into north and south sections. Odori Park spans about 1.5 km and covers 78,901 m². Wikipedia
Address: 7 Chome Odorinishi, Chuo Ward, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-0042, Japan
Did you know: Odori Park is an oasis with 92 types of trees including lilacs and elm stands located in the middle of a business district. sapporo.travel
Taking place in Odori Park, Sapporo, this team dance event has been a fixture of the Hokkaido summer event calendar since 1992.
Yosakoi is a form of team-based dancing that originated in the 1950s as a modern form of the older awa odori. The energetic performances feature bright and sometimes elaborate costumes and makeup, vigorous waving of large flags, chanting and loud drum driven music.
The first three days of the festival are regular weekdays, so festivities are restricted to the evening. On Saturday, June 9th and Sunday, June 10th, there will be events throughout the day from 10am to 10pm on Saturday and Sunday.
Summer is the festival season in Japan and one of the great festivals enjoyed by both locals and tourists in Sapporo is the Hokkai Bon Odori. The festival is held yearly from August 14th to the 20th in Odori Park.
Hokkai Bon Odori simply means Hokkai Bon Dance, a traditional Japanese festival that is celebrated with dance and drum performances to welcome the homecoming of ancestral spirits. The festival is a Japanese Buddhist observance that honors the spirit of ancestors that return once a year (during Obon) to visit their families. It is one of the most important events in the year, and during this time most family members get together to honor the dead.
Each region has its own local dance and music. Most regions typically dance in a circle around the yagura (a high wooden scaffold which is used for the musicians and singers). Many parents bring their children to the festival and from 18:00 to 19:00 as there is a children’s dance session guided by the parents. Following this until 21:00, the Hokkai Bon Odori will continue as older children and adults join the dance. The dancing is not hard to learn. It is slow and easy to pick up. All visitors are welcome to partake in the Bon Odori circle by simply following the person in front of them.
At the festival, you will find many people wearing yukata, a traditional Japanese garment worn in the summer. Despite the many layers, the flowing sleeves are well suited for dancing.
Access
Odori Station is two minutes by subway from Sapporo Station. From Odori Station, Odori Park is a five minute walk.
Hokkaido Marathon, only in Japan, is a full marathon that takes place in the summer.This tournament, which began with just 439 people participated in in 1987, it has grown to the size of more than 15,000 people. About 40% of Japan’s national team, which was elected to the Olympic Games and World Championships in Athletics have played in this tournament, it is the stage of longing that Hashireru along with the runner of the top class. To signal the countdown by electric bulletin board of Sapporo TV Tower this year, touching drama will unfold. The Hokkaido Marathon held in Sapporo, Hokkaidō, Japan, is one of the prominent marathon races of the year. The staging area as well as both the start and finish lines are in Odori Park starting between Nishi 3-chome and Nishi 4-chome and the finishing at Nishi 8-chome. The course is sanctioned by both the Japan Association of Athletics Federations (JAAF) and AIMS, meaning it is eligible for world record performances.
