City guide · 札幌 Sapporo
Sapporo
A northern new town laid out on Kyoto's grid: the Snow Festival, beer and miso ramen
Sapporo is the starting point for travel in Hokkaido: Ōdōri Park has events all year round, there is the Snow Festival in winter, and the Otaru Canal is just a half-day trip away.
History
Los orígenes de la ciudad
This was originally a plain where the Ainu lived, with only a few trading posts of the Matsumae domain in the Edo period. The name comes from the Ainu 'sat poro pet', meaning 'dry, great river', a reference to the Toyohira River. In 1869 the Hokkaido Development Commission set up its head office here, and the city was laid out on a grid modelled on Kyoto and Heijō-kyō, growing up around Ōdōri Park. In 1972 Sapporo hosted Asia's first Winter Olympic Games.
- Edo periodThe Matsumae domain kept a few trading posts here
- 1869The Hokkaido Development Commission set up its head office and Sapporo was built
- 1972Hosted Asia's first Winter Olympic Games
Before you go
Normas que debe conocer en Sapporo
Take off your shoes when you see a genkan (entrance step)
- Take off your shoes at the entrance of homes, some restaurants, temples and hot-spring facilities
- If unsure, look for a shoe rack or slippers at the entrance
- Stepping onto tatami or indoor wooden floors in shoes
It is seen as very rude.
Verificado el 19 oct 2026Fuente: JNTO: Japanese etiquette
No phone calls on trains and the shinkansen; queue to board
- Put your phone on silent; on the shinkansen, take calls in the area between carriages
- Queue at the marked spots on either side of the train door, and let people off before you get on
- Give priority seats to older people, pregnant women and passengers with limited mobility
- Talking on the phone or playing sound aloud in the train
Not illegal, but you will get looks and a reminder from the conductor.
Verificado el 19 oct 2026Fuente: JNTO: Japanese etiquette
If you have tattoos, check the rules before using a hot spring
- Before you go, email the facility to ask about its rules
- Small to medium tattoos can be covered with skin-coloured patches (some onsen sell them)
- Choose a tattoo-friendly onsen, or book a private bath (kashikiri-buro) in advance
- Ignoring 'no tattoos' signs and getting in anyway
Most onsen do not allow guests with tattoos to bathe, but rules vary by facility and are often more relaxed for foreign visitors.
Verificado el 19 oct 2026Fuente: JNTO: tattoo rules and etiquette at onsen
Wash your body thoroughly before getting into a hot spring
- Before getting in, sit on the small stool in the washing area and wash your whole body with the shower or a bucket, leaving no soap
- Leave your small towel at the edge of the bath or fold it on your head
- Getting into the bath without rinsing first
- Dipping your towel in the bath water
- Leaving a used towel in the washing area
Not illegal, but other guests and the staff will see it as very rude. Most onsen require you to be fully naked in the bathing area.
Verificado el 19 oct 2026Fuente: JNTO: a beginner's guide to onsen
There is no tipping in Japan
- Say thank you with 'arigatō gozaimashita'
- Pressing loose change on staff
Japan is a no-tipping country and bills usually include service; if you press a tip on staff, some will politely refuse.
Verificado el 19 oct 2026Fuente: JNTO: Japanese table manners
An izakaya's otoshi is a cover charge
- Accept the otoshi as an appetiser
- Arguing with staff about it or asking for it to be taken back
There is no penalty: before you order at an izakaya, a small dish of otoshi always arrives. It doubles as the cover charge and cannot be chosen or swapped.
Verificado el 19 oct 2026Fuente: JNTO: drinking in Japan