Sapporo Clock Tower, Hokkaido

A red-roofed, white wooden hall built for a Meiji-era farm school. Its bell still rings every hour, and inside you meet the story of how Sapporo began.

Sapporo Clock Tower among bare trees and deep snow in winter — Photo: alonfloc, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

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

It started life as a farm school's drill hall

The Sapporo Clock Tower's official name is the Former Sapporo Agricultural College Drill Hall (Kyu Sapporo Nogakko Enbujo). The Sapporo Agricultural College was the forerunner of today's Hokkaido University, and its first vice-principal was the American Dr William Clark, famous in Japan for the words "Boys, be ambitious". The building went up in 1878 (the 11th year of the Meiji era) based on Clark's ideas. The drill hall was where students did military-style training and physical education classes, and it also served as the auditorium for entrance and graduation ceremonies.

When it was first built, there was no clock at all. The clock tower was added in 1881 (Meiji 14), fitted with a clock made by the American firm E. Howard. In an age when wristwatches and pocket watches were expensive, this clock had the job of telling the townspeople the time.

Later the building was used for other purposes, including as the city library, and in 1970 it was designated a national Important Cultural Property. After restoration work from 1995 to 1998, it opened to the public as a museum.

Don't just look at it from outside

Hemmed in by modern buildings, it can look rather small, and in Japan it is sometimes jokingly called one of the country's "disappointing sights". Step inside, though, and your impression changes. The ground floor is an exhibition room that tells the story of the college years and the clock tower's history through documents, models and video. There is also a story that during a great fire in the Meiji era, students climbed onto the roof to brush off the flying sparks.

Upstairs is the hall that was once used as the auditorium. A statue of Dr Clark sits on a bench here, and you can sit down next to him for a souvenir photo. The clock in the tower is still running, so you cannot see it up close, but the hall displays a "sister clock" made by the same E. Howard company with the same mechanism. It shows clearly how the clock works: the weights are wound up and a pendulum keeps the time.

Getting there and making the most of it

It is in central Sapporo, about a five-minute walk from Odori subway station and about ten minutes on foot from the south exit of JR Sapporo Station.

After dark the outside is lit up, and it looks especially lovely on snowy winter nights. Opening hours and admission fees can change, so check the official website.

Tips

If you want to fit the whole building into a photo, there is a photo terrace open to everyone one floor up in the building across from the main entrance. There are also markers for photo spots within the grounds.
The news section of the official website sometimes lists demonstrations of winding the clock using the sister clock. If the dates suit you, you can also hear an explanation from the museum director.
The bell rings on the hour, every hour, so time your visit to be in front of the building and you will hear it.