The Sapporo TV Tower — The Red Landmark Watching Over Odori Park

An elevator takes you up to the deck at around 90 metres, where the standout view runs straight down the length of Odori Park to Mt Moiwa and the mountains ringing the city. On a clear day you can see the whole grid of central Sapporo laid out below. Time it for dusk and you get the daytime scene and the city lights coming on in one visit.

Because the tower stands exactly at the eastern end of Odori Park, the deck lines up with the park's full 1.5-kilometre length — a long green corridor of lawns, fountains and flower beds running west through the city. It's the kind of view you don't get from a tower stuck off to one side: the park aims straight at you, with the mountains beyond. The same shot turns magical when the park fills with snow in winter.

Once the sun goes down the red steel frame lights up, and the tower becomes one of the most recognisable sights in central Sapporo. From the ground at the park's edge you get the classic shot of the lit tower with the fountains in front; from the deck you get the city sparkling below. The illumination shifts for seasons and events, so it's worth a look even if you don't go up.

Every early February, Odori Park becomes the main site of the Sapporo Snow Festival, lined for its full length with giant snow and ice sculptures. And because the TV Tower stands right at the park's end, the deck looks straight down the whole line of them — the single best vantage point over the festival, especially after dark when the sculptures are lit. The festival draws over 2 million people a year.

Terebi To-san — literally "Mr TV Tower" — is the tower's own cartoon mascot, drawn from its red steel shape so the frame becomes his body. You'll spot him on souvenirs, signage and photo spots all around, and there's even a small shrine to him up on the observation deck. He's a bit silly and very lovable, the kind of thing that makes the tower a fun, light-hearted stop, and kids tend to adore him.

A five-minute walk from the TV Tower sits the Sapporo Clock Tower — a white wooden building with a red roof, built in 1878 and one of the city's oldest landmarks. Honestly the building is small and hemmed in by taller towers, so it's tricky to photograph, but if you're into the pioneering history of Hokkaido it's worth a quick look, with a small museum inside. A combination ticket links it with the TV Tower deck.