JR Tower (Sapporo), Hokkaido

A 173m tower linked to Sapporo Station. The 38th-floor T38 deck gives 360-degree views, from the grid of streets to Ishikari Bay and the mountains.

Snowy grid of central Sapporo seen from high above, with the TV tower in the distance — Photo: Nagono, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

JR Tower lit up at night above Sapporo Station — Photo: T DMY, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

A multi-purpose tower rising above Sapporo Station

JR Tower is a 173m skyscraper at the south exit of Sapporo Station, with four floors below ground and 38 above. It opened in March 2003. As a station building, it brings together a shopping mall, a department store, a hotel, a cinema, offices and, at the very top, an observation deck.

For travellers, the main attraction is the observation deck on the 38th floor, JR Tower Observatory T38 (pronounced "Tower Three Eight"). Hokkaido's official tourism website describes it as the highest observation deck in Hokkaido.

Sapporo from 160m up

From the reception desk on the sixth floor, a dedicated lift takes you up to the 38th floor, where you can look all the way round the city from 160m above the ground. To the south lies central Sapporo, its roads laid out neatly in a grid, with the Odori and Susukino areas and Mount Moiwa in view.

To the north, the horizon stretches beyond Ishikari Bay New Port; to the west are Hokkaido University and a line of mountains including Mount Teine; to the east, the Ishikari River and the Nopporo forest. On clear days you can sometimes see as far as Mount Yubari and Mount Ashibetsu. Sapporo has been named one of Japan's "New Three Great Night Views", and at night the lights of the Susukino area are beautiful.

Artworks are displayed around the deck and calm music plays in the background. On the south side there is a self-service café, T'CAFE, where you can take in the view over coffee and cake by day or a drink in the evening.

Getting there and when to go

The tower is directly connected to JR Sapporo Station and Sapporo subway station. Admission to the observation deck is on the sixth floor of JR Tower East. It is easy to drop in while waiting for a train, or as your very first stop on the day you arrive.

Go up in the late afternoon and you can watch the city change from daylight to dusk to night view in one visit. Opening hours and admission fees can change, so check the official website. It sometimes closes for the day because of events and the like.

Tips

The lift to the observation deck leaves from the sixth floor. If you get lost among the shopping floors, just follow the signs for the observation deck.
The men's toilet on the north-east side of the deck is known as the "view toilet", because its large window looks out over the scenery.
If you want to see the distant mountains, go in the daytime on a clear day when the air is crisp. If the night view is what you are after, go in a little before sunset to watch the changeover.