Introduction

Sapporo TV Tower, at the eastern end of Odori Park, is central Sapporo's main viewpoint and a genuinely underrated one according to a recent traveller we reviewed. We checked its history and found a connection worth knowing if you've read our guides to Tokyo Tower or Osaka's Tsutenkaku.

History and a Shared Architect

The tower was completed and opened on August 24, 1957, standing 144 meters tall, with an observation deck roughly 90 meters above ground. It was designed by architect Tachu Naito — the same architect responsible for Tokyo Tower, Nagoya TV Tower, and Osaka's Tsutenkaku Tower. That's a genuinely notable thread running through Japan's mid-20th-century skyline: several of the country's most recognizable towers, in different cities, came from the same design mind, built in the same general postwar era as symbols of urban modernization and recovery.

Odori Park

Directly in front of the tower, Odori Park is Sapporo's central green space, divided into several numbered sections running through the middle of downtown. The section closest to the tower is typically the busiest and most photographed, but the park as a whole hosts many of the city's major seasonal events, including its famous winter illuminations and snow festival displays.

The View

One recent visitor specifically rated the tower's observation deck as an underrated option compared to alternatives like Mount Moiwa's observatory (on a mountain overlooking the city) — the TV Tower gives a direct, close-up view over Odori Park and central Sapporo that a farther, higher vantage point doesn't replicate in the same way. If you're deciding between the two and only have time for one, consider what you actually want: a wide, distant panoramic view (Moiwa) versus a closer, more detailed view of the city center and park layout (TV Tower).

Practical Tips

• Ticket entry sometimes includes small local treats (one recent visitor received a piece of white chocolate, a Hokkaido specialty, with their ticket) — a nice, if minor, local touch.

• The tower and park sit right in the city center, making them an easy first stop on arrival in Sapporo rather than requiring a special trip.

• Visit both during the day and evening if your schedule allows — the park and surrounding streets change character noticeably after dark, similar to other Japanese entertainment districts covered in this series.

Sources and Verification Notes

The tower's exact completion date (August 24, 1957), height, and its design by Tachu Naito — the same architect behind Tokyo Tower and Tsutenkaku — were checked against the tower's official historical records, since the source vlog covered the visit and view without mentioning the architect or the connection to those other towers.