Overview
The grid plan of Sapporo was laid out in the 1870s by planners who had studied American cities, and this central avenue divides the address system into north and south. In February the Snow Festival fills it with carved snow sculptures several storeys high, made with snow trucked in and packed by the Self-Defence Forces. In summer the same ground is a beer garden of several thousand seats, run by the breweries in blocks.
Highlights
The TV Tower at the east end gives the length of the park in one view for a small fee. In festival week, come at night: the sculptures are lit and the queues are shorter than during the day. Sapporo’s grid means addresses are coordinates — the park is the zero line, which makes navigation trivial once you see it.