Otaru is a city next to Sapporo. Otaru prospered by coal mining, trade, fishing and finance, and it was a bigger city than Sapporo. Population of Otaru has decreased because all these industries have shrunk. Nowadays, the main industry of Otaru is tourism and Otaru Orgel Doh is one of the most famous places among tourists. Orgel, music box, is sold in this shop literally. You might think it is not so rare to hear that. The astonishing point is the scale of this shop. From fir

Shiden means “Streetcar of Sapporo” and it runs in residential and commercial zones in central part of Sapporo. It used to run in larger area before subway was introduced. It is still one of important transportation for local people. It is also fun to take a train of Shiden as sightseeing to see the view of this city. The minimum fee of Shiden is cheaper than that of subway. So it may be a good idea to live near a station of Shiden. On the other hand, number of its train cars

Hokkaido Consadore Sapporo is a local football club in Sapporo. Two decades have passed since it was established in 1996, but the red football shirts haven’t changed. Its home ground is located next to a chocolate factory because the sponsor of this football club is a local chocolate maker which owns this factory. Thus, the name of its chocolate: “Shiroi Koibito” which means “white sweet” is written on its football shirts. As a reference, “Shiroi Koibito” is one of the most f

Satudora is a local drug store chain. It was called “Sapporo drug store” before, and “Satudora” stands for this past name. I love it so much because it seems to supply the cheapest daily commodities in this area. You can buy not only drugs but also drinks, foods, stationery, cosmetics and so on. However, there are not so many classes of goods. For example, if you want to buy milk, you can choose only one type which is stocked in abundance. I think that’s why it can supply pro

In Sapporo, some fireworks can be seen in summer. These fireworks are usually held in river or parks. Thus some people go to such places to see fireworks. I didn’t go anywhere in this summer because it was hot. However, I found I could see fireworks from my room. So I took pictures from my room. I was satisfied with them. I enjoyed this summer. Another merit of seeing fireworks from my own room is that I don't have to be involved in rush in the venue and the nearest station.