Area
TouristSpots
CentralArea

[Makomanai Park in Sapporo] Cherry Blossoms Can Be Enjoyed in Peaceful Place for Sapporo Citizens

March 6th, 2019

CONTENTS

Makomanai Park
- SAPPORO
- Cherry Blossoms of Hokkaido
Look of Makomanai Park
- Cherry Blossoms of Makomanai Park
- Dogtooth Violet of Makomanai Park
List of Events
List of Accommodations

Makomanai Park

Makomanai Park (真駒内公園) is a comprehensive park of 850,000 m2 in Minami ward, Sapporo city, and is away from the downtown of the Sapporo. It has opened since 1975. Here used to be a main venue of Sapporo Olympic in 1972. After that, it is maintained as the park with Makomanai River (真駒内川), Makomanai Indoor Stadium (真駒内屋内競技場), Makomanai Outdoor Stadium (真駒内屋外競技場), Sapporo Salmon Museum (札幌市豊平川さけ科学館), a baseball ground and a cycling road. Here is also well-known as a good place to see cherry blossoms in a spring and fall foliage in an autumn, and is a peaceful place for Sapporo citizens. The best time to see the cherry blossoms is about late April to mid May. The best time to see the fall foliage is about from mid October to late October. Admission free. As for parking lots, weekdays are free of chrage, and Sundays and National holidays are JPY 320.
Park Map in Japanese

Movie of Makomanai Park

The Makomanai Park is also famous as a good place to watch wild birds, and about 80 types of the wild birds such as Mallard, Gray-headed Woodpecker, Crested Kingfisher, African Stonechat and Red-flanked Bluetail, and Ural Owl and Long-tailed Tit, popular wild birds, can be watched in a winter. A lot of visitors come to watch their lovely faces. By the way, Makomanai Fireworks Display (真駒内花火大会) is held only in a day, early July.

Movie of Long-tailed Tit

Movie of Ural Owl

SAPPORO

Sapporo (札幌) that about 1,960,000 people live is the largest city in Hokkaido. Although there are various theories, its origin of the name is "Dry Big River (乾いた大きな川)" in Ainu language. A population of the Sapporo is the 4th largest city after Yokohama, Osaka and Nagoya in japan, and the population accounts for 36 % of Hokkaido's population! So the Sapporo has been flourished as the center of the Hokkaido. The area of the Sapporo is 1,121.26 km2, and is about as big as Hong Kong, and is the 7th largest city in the Hokkaido. The Sapporo is also famous as a tourist city, and about 15 million people come. As for a climate, it is hot that temperature rises to nearly 25 degrees in a summer, but it is easy to live without moisture. I always feel a little cool. It is cold that temperature falls to nearly -10 degrees in a winter, and amount of snowfall sometimes has more than 1 m. Article is here

Cherry Blossoms of Hokkaido

Cherry blossoms begin to bloom from late April in Hokkaido. The cherry blossoms in the Southern Hokkaido including Hakodate begin to bloom from late April, and in case of late blooming, the cherry blossoms in the Eastern Hokkaido and the Northern Hokkaido seem to bloom in early June. The cherry blossoms in Honshu (the main island of Japan) begin to bloom from mid March, and tourists can enjoy the cherry blossoms until too late season. If everybody forget to see the cherry blossoms in the Honshu, please visit the Hokkaido to savor the cherry blossoms. Article is here

Look of Makomanai Park

About 63,200 trees such as needle-leaved trees and broad‐leaved trees grow in the vast land of the Makomanai Park, and about 700 Yezo Mountain Trees and about 300 Double Cherry Blossom Trees are planted. According to various types of trees, fall foliage is also beautiful. In the spring, a colony of Dogtooth Violet appears, too. Paved paths are built in the site, so a lot of visitors come to walk their dogs or enjoy running. I suppose that it takes about 60-120 minutes to look around on foot. I visited to see the cherry blossoms and the Dogtooth Violet.

Admission fee	Free of charge
Parking lot	Weekday: Free of Charge. Saturdays, Sundays and National holidays: JPY 320 (standard size car)
Business hour	06:30-21:00
Regular closing day	Open all year round
Telephone number	+81-11-581-1961
Home page	Home page is here
Mapcode	9 281 286*31

Cherry Blossoms of Makomanai Park

In the Makomanai Park, the cherry blossoms are bloom here and there. Sakura-no-Michi (桜の道) is a path with both sides of cherry trees along Taiyo-no-Hiroba (太陽の広場). But cherry blossoms of the Sakura-no-Michi was too ealry when I visited here in May 1, 2018, and a tunnel of the cherry blossoms did not appear. On the other hand, the most beautiful cherry blossoms were the cherry trees along Kineju Street (記念樹通り). That was the most suitable place for a cherry blossom viewing party under full blooming cherry blossoms.

Grounds of the Taiyo-no-Hiroba are grassland, and cherry trees grow there. A low cherry tree is popular in those cherry trees. A very small mountain is built beside it, and selfie can be enjoyed as background of cherry blossoms at a high position. A lots of visitors gathered the mountain.

The Sakura-no-Michi is built along the Taiyo-no-Hiroba. When I visited here, cherry blossoms were not in full bloom. Unfortunately, I came too early. But the cherry blossoms of a large cherry tree were in full bloom, so a lot of the visitors took a photo.

White Magnolia Trees are lined along a path beside the Makomanai Outdoor Stadium. The white magnolia blossoms of very low trees look very good. I think that it is a photogenic place if the trees were very near the cherry trees.

The most beautiful cherry blossoms are the cherry trees along the Kineju Street. Those are just full in bloom, and gradation of pink cherry blossoms is amazing! Here is the most suitable place for the cherry blossom viewing party because the cherry blossoms are very close.

Atmosphere of Makomanai Park Can Be Watched on Youtube

Moive of Makomanai Park

Dogtooth Violet of Makomanai Park

Katakuri-no-Sato (カタクリの里) is the innermost colony of the Dogtooth Violet at the Makomanai Park, and the claret red Dogtooth Violet and light blue Corydalis Ambigua can be seen in the spring. Here is one of the largest nature colonies of the Dogtooth Violet in city parks in Japan. So the site is large, and the grounds are slanted, so visitors may have a little tired. Yezo squirrel can be seen if you are lucky.

List of Events

Makomanai Fireworks Display is held. It is charged.

Movie of Makomanai Fireworks Display

List of Accommodations

Refer to following websites for the accommodations near the Makomanai Park. You can get information regarding online reviews and photos.

APA Hotel & Resort Sapporo(アパホテル＆リゾート＜札幌＞)	HP	Booking	Jalan	Rakuten
Hokkaido Youth Hall Compass(北海道青少年会館コンパス)	HP	Booking	Jalan	Rakuten
Sapporo Komaoka Health and Recreation Center(札幌市保養センター駒岡)	HP	Booking	Jalan	Rakuten