Hokkaido University
By Andrew Liyan · Last updated: August 31, 2026 · Facts verified: August 31, 2026
- Area
- Kita-ku, Sapporo
- Best For
- Families, Photography, First-time visitors, Nature lovers
Visiting Hokkaido University
Hokkaido University is a free, open university campus in Kita-ku, Sapporo, less than a 10-minute walk from Sapporo Station's north side. Unlike a ticketed museum or landmark, there is no gate, no admission fee, and no fixed visiting hours for the grounds themselves; the 177-hectare campus functions much like a public park that happens to be a working national university, and visitors are free to walk it at any time. The Hokkaido University Museum, the one indoor facility most tourists stop at, is also free to enter.
The university traces its identity to 1876, when the Japanese government founded Sapporo Agricultural College and brought in Dr. William S. Clark, an American professor, as founding vice principal. Clark stayed only eight months, but his farewell words to his students, "Boys, be ambitious," became one of Hokkaido's most quoted phrases and are still associated with the university today. The college was renamed Hokkaido University in 1918 and has grown into one of Japan's leading national universities, but the campus itself, with its wide tree-lined avenues and working agricultural heritage buildings, is what draws most visitors.
It is worth being clear about scale before visiting: this is not a five-minute photo stop. The campus stretches roughly 2 kilometers north to south, and a full loop of the public walking course runs about 6 kilometers. Most visitors do not walk the whole thing; a realistic visit covers the Main Gate area, Ginkgo Avenue, and the Museum in 30 minutes to 2 hours, depending on how far in you go and whether the Museum is included.
One source of genuine visitor confusion is worth resolving upfront: this free campus visit is not the same thing as the Hokkaido University Botanical Garden, a separate, ticketed facility near Sapporo Station that is administered by the university but is a distinct attraction with its own admission and hours. This page covers the main Sapporo campus only.
The campus rewards a visit in any season, but autumn is when it draws the most attention. Ginkgo Avenue, a 380-meter row of ginkgo trees near the west side of campus, turns a deep gold from late October to early November and is one of Sapporo's most photographed autumn scenes. The rest of the year, the campus is simply a quiet, green, unstructured walk in the middle of a city of two million people, popular with joggers, cyclists, and anyone wanting a break from downtown Sapporo without leaving the city center.
Things to Do at Hokkaido University
Walk Ginkgo Avenue
A 380-meter avenue lined with about 70 ginkgo trees on each side, near the west side of campus. From late October to early November the leaves turn a deep gold, creating one of Sapporo's most photographed autumn scenes. Outside that window it is simply a long, shaded green corridor.
See Poplar Avenue
The university's other iconic tree-lined walk, dating back to 1903. Repeated typhoons, most severely in 2004 when 20 of the original 51 poplars were toppled, have shortened the avenue over the decades, and it has been gradually restored with new plantings. Today visitors can walk an accessible woodchip path through the surviving and replanted trees.
Visit the Hokkaido University Museum
A free museum on campus holding roughly 4 million specimens and materials collected over more than a century, including dinosaur skeletons and other natural history displays alongside university history exhibits. Open 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM, closed Mondays (open on national holidays, closed the following weekday instead).
Start at Elm Forest, the Main Gate Information Center
Just inside the Main Gate, the Elm Forest information center has campus maps, a small café, and the Hokkaido University Original Shop for souvenirs. It is the natural starting point for a self-guided walk.
See the Sapporo Agricultural College Second Farm (Model Barn)
A cluster of 19th-century farm buildings on the northern part of campus, including a dairy barn built in 1877 based on Dr. Clark's own design, the oldest Western-style agricultural building in Japan and a designated Important Cultural Property. The exteriors can be viewed as part of a longer campus walk.
Photograph Furukawa Hall
A French Renaissance-style building completed in 1909 near the campus center. The interior is not open to the public, but the exterior, especially against a clear sky or blanketed in winter snow, is a popular photo stop.
How to Get to Hokkaido University
Hokkaido University's Main Gate sits directly across from Sapporo Station's north side, making it one of the easiest attractions in the city to reach on foot.
On Foot (from Sapporo Station)
Exit Sapporo Station from the north side and walk toward the Main Gate; the walk takes under 10 minutes and requires no transit ticket at all.
This is the standard way almost every visitor, tourist or student, reaches the campus.
By Subway
Sapporo Station itself is served by both the Namboku Line and the Toho Line, useful if arriving from elsewhere in the city rather than on foot from central Sapporo.
Kita 12-jo Station on the Namboku Line is closer to the northern part of the campus if visiting the Model Barn area specifically rather than the Main Gate.
Getting Around Once On Campus
The campus is large, roughly 2 kilometers north to south, with a public walking loop of about 6 kilometers. Most visitors do not walk the entire loop; picking a focused route (Main Gate, Ginkgo Avenue, Museum) keeps a visit to 30 minutes to 2 hours.
Best Time to Visit Hokkaido University
Late October to early November for Ginkgo Avenue (weather-dependent); any season for a general walk.
The 380-meter avenue of ginkgo trees turns gold during this window, a typical annual range rather than a fixed date. This is the campus's single biggest seasonal draw for photographers.
Entry Fee & Hours
- •Both the campus grounds and the Hokkaido University Museum are completely free, with no ticket of any kind required. The separate Hokkaido University Botanical Garden near Sapporo Station is a different, ticketed facility not covered by this page.
Nearby Attractions
Combine with Hokkaido University on the same day
Frequently Asked Questions
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