Sapporo is just Sapporo, a plain Sapporo (Hokkaido, Japan 03)

Before planning a trip to Hokkaido, Japan, my impression of Hokkaido was roughly a world of snow. After some research before departure, I only learned that entry and exit to Hokkaido are basically through Sapporo. Sapporo is a metropolitan city located in central Hokkaido, Japan. It is the fifth most populous city in Japan and one of Japan's designated major cities. Since Sapporo is the location of the Hokkaido Government (Prefectural Office) and the Ishikari Subprefecture Office, it also serves as the administrative center of Hokkaido.

After some research, I discovered that the actual Hokkaido encountered might be quite different from the impression. Those imagined scenes might require a long-term, in-depth journey to truly experience. A hasty trip would likely be a plain journey.

After first visiting Noboribetsu and Otaru, I left the remaining time for Sapporo.

Indeed, as estimated before the trip, Sapporo without a blanket of snow was very plain. It brought little delight, more of a plain state of mind.

Standing on the TV Tower in the city center, I could basically see the entire cityscape.

Sapporo (Japanese: さっぽろ; English: Sapporo; Chinese Pinyin: zhá huǎng) is a city located in western Hokkaido, Japan. It covers an area of 1,121 square kilometers and has a population of 1.97 million. Sapporo is a tourist city famous for snow. Centered around Sapporo, Hokkaido forms the Sapporo metropolitan area, one of Japan's three major metropolitan areas outside the others.

The name "Sapporo" comes from the Ainu language, meaning "large river." Sapporo is located in the southwestern part of the Ishikari Plain in Hokkaido, and it is the northernmost metropolis in Japan with a population of over one million. Additionally, since Japan is an island nation and most major cities are coastal, Sapporo becomes a rare inland large city in Japan, with the largest population among inland cities.

Besides being the administrative center of Hokkaido, Sapporo is also the industrial and commercial center of Hokkaido. It hosted the 11th Winter Olympic Games in 1972. The central带状 park, Odori Park, is also the venue for the annual Sapporo Snow Festival, making Sapporo an internationally renowned tourist city. On October 5, 2018, Sapporo was selected as one of "Japan's New Three Great Night View Cities."

Only with snow does Sapporo have its flavor. Fortunately, as night fell, a heavy snowfall arrived, bringing some comfort to us who were wandering aimlessly in the commercial district.

Without much wandering, we basically strolled through the commercial area around Tanukikoji. There were plenty of delicious foods, of course, but most were just eye candy. After all, our stomach capacity was limited, so we could only pick a few foods to try.

Compared to the hustle and bustle of the commercial streets, I preferred standing by the roadside watching the snowflakes drifting down.

I wonder if it will still snow heavily tomorrow, bringing some drifting joy to this plain journey.