Historic Village of Hokkaido

Depending on season, there are horse rides ( Spring, Summer, Autumn ), horse sleigh ( winter). When I went, it was too cold to have rides and too thin snow layer to have sleigh!! With such a large area to cover, they provide free pram!

As it was not crowded, the kids had snow war as we walked and played along the way.  The old houses  have different exhibts in each individual estate. The one that I found it interesting was the old fire station with a super old fire engine in it!

Look out for the culture house as kids get to play traditional toys and participate in making tradition crafts. During summer, you get to see wild birds just outside of this classroom.

Comparing Gifu Meiji Village, this is maintain in an authentic without too much commercialised marketing. the feel of that era still lingers in the air. Gifu Meiji Village has became more of a very commercialised themed park.

The only food court is near the entrance, therefore, remember to pack snacks and beverages on the go.

The website :
http://www.kaitaku.or.jp/info/info.htm

Direction :
From Shin Sapporo ( JR or Subway Tozai line) , take bus from North Wing ( Exit 8), lane 10, into the shopping mall on the left after escalator and walk straight down till you see escalator.  The boarding lane is just 2 queue in front.  Bus number 22 to Kaitakunomura ( 北海道開拓の村）till the final stop.

Please note that there is a package for Historic Village & Hokkaido Museum. It is a good promotion! Kids below high school are free, while kids below age 6 are free for Hokkaido museum.  Hokkaido Museum is one stop before Historic Village, you can choose to visit both on the same day or different days.

We took 2 full days to visit both.

Bird watching just outside the culture house during summer

Bird rest area

Coke Cola Factory Visit

For this Coke Cola Factory Visit, simple Japanese is preferred. If you do not understand Japanese, they have English pamphlet and English information on the walls while the guide will commence in Japanese.

I was so excited that to realise that the bus to reach Coke Cola Factory actually has a bus stop ( BUS 月62) very near the apartment!  It was easy to alight too as we passed the factory before reaching the bus stop. 

Just opposite the bus stop, there is second hand store : 2nd Street Co, Ltd to shop if you are early.

At the start of the tour, the vending machine greets you with your name shown before proceeding to the belts. Kids get to participate in learning about recycling, how PET bottles are made, how robotic warehousing is done. At the end of the tour, a treat of beverage under Coke Cola label.

Please note that
Reservation must be made before hand  : https://factory.hokkaido.ccbc.co.jp/englishes/
Glass bottle Coke Cola is not allowed to bring out of the factory, Other beverages are ok.
Maid minute juice is carbonated and different from our juice range.

If you are too early and kids are cranky, the guide might give you exclusive Coke Cola automobile to play. These are actually limited collection that is not for sales.and are on top of the souvenirs given at the end of the tour.

Sapporo White Illumination at Odori

This is an annually winter event in Sapporo that stretches from Sapporo to Susukino. White Illumination will be mainly focus in Odori till Sapporo TV Tower.

They have light off daily for official opening at 7pm . You can get queue for photo taking at several spots. There is also a winter village with food and merchandises in between TV Tower.

You get to find Santa Claus walking around!

Salmon Science Center

Salmon Science Center is a free admission science center where they study and was built to commemorate the return of the salmon, to keep them coming back, and to educate the public about their ecology.  

The website : 

http://www.sapporo-park.or.jp/sake/english/e_index.html

It is a small museum but there are so many species of salmon and information. There is a outdoor hut with other small animals. When we were there, there was a lady staff feeding and we were chatting. She was friendly and patient and even showed kids what she was feeding. 

During summer, the outdoor area to view the salmon will be opened. 

Direction : 

Public Transport: From Sapporo City it takes about 35 minutes.
From Sapporo board the North South Subway and get off at the last station which is Makomanai Station. Then board a 'Jotetsu bus', there are several to choose from; South 90, South 95, South 96, South 97, South 98, or the Circle 96.
Please note the buses will not display English in their names. But just ask the driver if the bus is going to Makomanai Park. If you get off at the Kyogijo bus stop it's about a 4-minute walk to the Salmon Museum.

Alternatively, you can see look at the map in the bus terminal. They have alert which bus is ready to board, moving out soon,etc. 

When you alight the bus, facing the road, you can see the salmon science center right in front , behind the car park. There isn't any traffic light to cross, so just cross when you can. 

It is free for both adults and children.