Is Maruyama Park free?

Yes. Maruyama Park is a free, always-open public park. Only Sapporo Maruyama Zoo, which sits within the park, charges admission.

When are the cherry blossoms at Maruyama Park?

Cherry blossoms typically peak from late April to early May, making Maruyama Park Sapporo's most popular hanami destination, with more than 1,500 trees across the park and adjacent shrine grounds.

How long do you need at Maruyama Park?

Plan for 30 to 60 minutes for a walk through the park itself, plus separate time if you are also visiting Hokkaido Shrine, Maruyama Zoo, or hiking to the Mount Maruyama summit (about 45-60 minutes round trip).

Can you combine Maruyama Park with Hokkaido Shrine and the zoo?

Yes, and most visitors do. Hokkaido Shrine sits at the park's north end and Sapporo Maruyama Zoo sits within the park, so a single trip to the area naturally covers all three, each with its own separate hours and admission.

How do you get to Maruyama Park?

Take the Sapporo Municipal Subway Tozai Line to Maruyama-koen Station, about a 3-minute walk from the park entrance.

What is Mount Maruyama?

Mount Maruyama is the 225-meter forested hill the park sits at the base of. A roughly one-hour hiking trail, marked by 88 Kannon statues, climbs to a summit with panoramic city views.

Is Maruyama Zoo inside Maruyama Park?

Yes. Sapporo Maruyama Zoo sits within the park's grounds, though it is a separate, separately ticketed attraction with its own hours.

Can you hike Mount Maruyama?

Yes. The trail from the park to the 225-meter summit takes roughly one hour each way and is a moderate forested climb, though it requires proper footwear and is not step-free.

Is Maruyama Park good in winter?

Yes, for a quieter, snow-covered forest walk, though the Mount Maruyama hiking trail becomes more demanding underfoot and appropriate footwear matters more in winter conditions.

Is Maruyama Park the same as Mount Moiwa?

No. Mount Moiwa is a separate mountain and viewpoint elsewhere in Sapporo, reached by ropeway, with its own dedicated observation deck. Maruyama Park's Mount Maruyama is a smaller, unticketed hiking trail, not a ropeway-accessed viewpoint attraction.

Maruyama Park

By Andrew Liyan · Last updated: August 31, 2026 · Facts verified: August 31, 2026

Quick Answer

Hours

Always open (free, unenclosed public park)

Admission

Free

Nearest Station

Maruyama-koen Station (Tozai Line), approx. 3 minutes walk

Best Time

Late April to early May for cherry blossoms

Visit Duration

30 to 60 minutes; longer with the Mount Maruyama hike

Cherry blossom trees along a walking path in Maruyama Park, Sapporo

Area: Maruyama, Sapporo
Best For: Cherry blossom travelers, Families visiting the shrine or zoo, Casual walkers, Light hikers
Nearby: Hokkaido Shrine · Sapporo Maruyama Zoo

Visiting Maruyama Park

Maruyama Park is a large, forested public park at the base of Mount Maruyama in central Sapporo, and it is the city's single most popular spot for cherry blossom viewing. It is free and always open, spans roughly 68.7 hectares, and is best understood as the connective green space surrounding two of Sapporo's other well-known attractions: Hokkaido Shrine and Sapporo Maruyama Zoo. Most visitors spend 30 to 60 minutes walking the park itself, longer if combining it with the shrine, the zoo, or the hiking trail to the summit.

The area's history predates the park's formal 1957 opening by decades. Hokkaido Shrine, at the park's north end, opened in 1869, and Sapporo Maruyama Zoo, within the park, opened in 1951. What is now called Maruyama Park grew up as the shared forested land connecting them, given natural monument protection for its old-growth character and eventually formalized as a public park in its own right.

The park holds more than 1,500 cherry trees by some counts (roughly 120 within the park proper, with a much larger number in the adjacent Hokkaido Shrine grounds depending on how the area is measured), making it Sapporo's most popular hanami destination. Blossoms typically peak from late April to early May, drawing the heaviest crowds of the year, especially on weekends between 10:00 AM and 2:00 PM. Outside cherry blossom season, the park is a quieter place for a walk, with squirrels and birds commonly seen along the paths, and a notable autumn foliage season in October.

For travelers who like a bit more activity, the Mount Maruyama hiking trail begins from the park and climbs roughly one hour to a 225-meter summit with panoramic city views, following a route marked by 88 Kannon statues. It is a moderate, forested climb rather than a technical hike, though it is not step-free or wheelchair accessible the way the park's main paths are.

The most common point of confusion is treating Maruyama Park, Hokkaido Shrine, and Maruyama Zoo as one single attraction. They are not. The park itself is free and unticketed, existing mainly as the walking and seasonal-scenery experience that connects the other two. Hokkaido Shrine is a place of worship with its own etiquette and is free to enter. Sapporo Maruyama Zoo is a separately ticketed family attraction. Nearly every traveler visiting the Maruyama area will pass through the park regardless of which of the other two they are there for, so treat a park walk as the connective tissue of the visit rather than a separate destination to plan around.

Things to Do at Maruyama Park

View the cherry blossoms
Maruyama Park is Sapporo's most popular hanami destination, with more than 1,500 cherry trees across the park and adjacent Hokkaido Shrine grounds, typically peaking from late April to early May.
Walk the park's forested paths
Outside cherry blossom season, the park offers a quieter walk through old-growth forest, with Ezo squirrels and local birds commonly spotted along the way.
Hike Mount Maruyama
A roughly one-hour trail climbs to the 225-meter summit, following a route marked by 88 Kannon statues (the Maruyama-Hachijuhakkasho course), rewarding hikers with panoramic city views.
Combine with Hokkaido Shrine
The shrine sits at the park's north end, effectively adjacent, making it a natural next stop for a cultural visit after a park walk.
Combine with Sapporo Maruyama Zoo
The zoo sits within the park itself, a natural family-friendly addition to a park visit.
See autumn foliage
October brings a distinct autumn foliage season, a quieter alternative to the cherry blossom crowds.

How to Get to Maruyama Park

Maruyama Park is one of the most subway-convenient green spaces in Sapporo.

By subway
Maruyama-koen Station, on the Sapporo Municipal Subway Tozai Line, sits essentially at the park's edge, commonly cited as about a 3-minute walk to the entrance.
Best time to arrive
During cherry blossom season (late April to early May), arriving on a weekday or early in the day helps avoid the heaviest crowds, which peak on weekends between 10:00 AM and 2:00 PM.

Map

Open Maruyama Park in Google Maps

Best Time to Visit Maruyama Park

Late April to early May for cherry blossoms; October for autumn foliage.

Entry Fee & Hours

🎟️

Admission

Free

⏰

Hours

Always open. Maruyama Park is a free, unenclosed public park; Hokkaido Shrine and Sapporo Maruyama Zoo, which sit within and beside it, each keep their own separate hours.

💡Good to Know

•The park's main walking paths are generally level, but the Mount Maruyama hiking trail is an unpaved forest route and is not step-free or wheelchair accessible.
•Maruyama Park, Hokkaido Shrine, and Sapporo Maruyama Zoo are three separate entities with three separate sets of hours and rules; only the zoo charges admission.