Sapporo's clock tower began as a college drill hall

One block north of Odori Park, at Kita 1-jo Nishi 2-chome, stands the Sapporo Clock Tower, and its bell still rings on the hour. The building was completed in 1878 as the drill hall of Sapporo Agricultural College, where students did military drill. Its pendulum clock, made by E. Howard of Boston, started running on 12 August 1881.

Sapporo is laid out in a square grid. Addresses read like Kita 1-jo Nishi 3-chome, counted in blocks north or south of Odori Park and east or west of the Sosei River. Odori Park runs east to west through the centre, with the TV Tower at its eastern end, and in winter the pavements are usually lined with banks of shovelled snow. In early February the park is the main site of the Sapporo Snow Festival, with snow sculptures set out along about 1.5 km of it.

Soup curry comes from Sapporo, and it is thinner than the thick Japanese curry most people know, closer to a broth. The usual fillings are a braised chicken leg with roasted pumpkin, aubergine and green pepper. Most places let diners choose how hot they want it. The rice comes on a separate plate, and the usual way to eat it is to take a spoonful and dip it in the soup.