Bus routes in Sapporo supplement the city’s subway and streetcar systems, reaching attractions beyond walking distance of a station. In particular these bus routes are convenient for popular tourist locations such as Sapporo Beer Museum, Mount Moiwa Ropeway, and Hitsujigaoka Observation Hill, though some journeys involve a subway transfer.
A direct bus for Sapporo Beer Garden on the north side of Sapporo Station
Local route buses in Sapporo are run by three main companies: Hokkaido Chuo Bus, JR Hokkaido Bus, and Jotetsu Bus. Bus fares depend on the route and fare zone or distance traveled. A standard one-zone city fare is 240 yen for adults and 120 yen for children, but longer journeys and suburban services cost more.
Sapporo Station Bus Terminal in ESTA before its September 2023 closure.
At Sapporo Station you can find bus stops directly outside the north exit and at roadside stops spread across the streets south of the station. Sapporo Station Bus Terminal closed on September 30, 2023. Allow time to walk to the correct operator’s stop and check its number before setting out. You can download a Sapporo Station Area Bus Guide showing the location of the bus stops in this area from the JR Hokkaido Bus website.
Several bus stops can be found outside Tokyu department store on the south side of Sapporo Station
Tourist Destinations Accessible by Bus in Sapporo
A notice announcing a bus’s destination
Sapporo Beer Museum and Sapporo Beer Garden
Sapporo Beer Museum is one of this city’s top attractions and the easiest way to visit it is to take a direct bus from Sapporo Station. Self-guided admission costs 1,000 yen for adults aged 20 and over and 500 yen for visitors from junior-high-school age through 19; elementary-school children and younger enter free. Guided tours are separately priced. The tasting hall is part of the museum visit, with beer tasting sets available for an extra charge, and there is a museum shop where you can buy all kinds of beer-themed souvenirs.
Sapporo Beer Garden is located beside the museum and has several restaurants where you can enjoy jingisukan lamb barbecue accompanied by draft Sapporo beer. To get there take Bus 188 from Bus Stop 2 on the north side of the station building, marked N2 on the station-area map. This bus runs directly to Sapporo Beer Museum in around 7 minutes for an adult fare of 240 yen. Buses run about every 30 minutes on weekdays and weekends, but check departure times before setting out.
An earlier Bus 188 timetable at Sapporo Station North Exit. Check the operator’s timetable for departure times.
Sapporo Beer Museum via Sapporo Factory
An alternative to traveling directly to Sapporo Beer Museum is to take Loop 88, the Sapporo Beer Garden/Factory Line (also called the “Sapporo Walk Bus”) from Chuo Bus Stop 3 on the south side of Tokyu Department Store, south of Sapporo Station. This stop is marked C3 on the station-area map. The bus also stops at Sapporo Factory on its way to the museum. Sapporo Factory is a large shopping and dining complex which was built on the historic site of Sapporo’s first beer brewery and has about 150 shops and restaurants across seven buildings. Part of the Brick Building is closed for seismic work, so check access before planning to see its brewery displays. Loop 88 takes about 5 minutes to reach Sapporo Factory and 13 minutes to reach Sapporo Beer Garden, with an adult fare of 240 yen for either destination.
Mount Moiwa Ropeway
Mount Moiwa is one of Sapporo’s most popular sightseeing destinations. The Mount Moiwa Ropeway takes passengers up the mountain to a cable car station. From there you can take the cable car to the observation deck on the mountain’s summit. From the observation deck you can enjoy a fantastic panoramic view and the night view over the city is particularly famous.
To reach the Mount Moiwa Ropeway take JR Hokkaido Bus 50 from temporary Bus Stop 13 on the south side of Sapporo Station. The bus takes about 37 minutes and the adult fare is 240 yen. There are only three direct departures a day, so check the timetable before setting out. For a more flexible alternative, take the subway to Maruyama-Koen and transfer to Loop Maru 11 for the ropeway. This bus leg takes about 15 minutes and costs 240 yen for adults. The bus fare does not include the ropeway or cable car.
Hitsujigaoka Observation Hill
Hitsujigaoka Observation Hill is a famous scenic location which overlooks Sapporo and the Ishikari Plain. There is a bronze statue on the hill of William S. Clark, an American educator who helped establish Sapporo Agricultural College, the predecessor of Hokkaido University. Clark is famous in Japan for his advice to his students: “Boys be ambitious!” Facilities at the hill include a souvenir shop where you can buy ice creams, the Sapporo Snow Festival Museum where you can learn all about the history of the annual winter festival, and the Hitsujigaoka Rest House where you can enjoy a jingisukan-style mutton barbecue.
To get there take the Toho Subway Line from Sapporo to Fukuzumi, a journey of about 14 minutes, then board Chuo Bus Fuku 84 from Bus Stop 4 at Fukuzumi Bus Terminal. The bus takes about 12 minutes and costs 240 yen for adults and 120 yen for children, separate from the subway fare and observation-hill admission. Check the destination display, as some late departures terminate before the observation hill outside summer.
Mitsui Outlet Park
Mitsui Outlet Park Sapporo Kitahiroshima is an outlet shopping mall in Kitahiroshima with international brands and Hokkaido products. To get there take Bus 100 from Chuo Bus Stop 1 on the south side of Tokyu Department Store, south of Sapporo Station. This stop is marked C1 on the station-area map. The bus takes about 50 minutes and the fare is 500 yen for adults and 250 yen for children.
On board a local bus
How to Ride Local Buses in Sapporo
Ordinary local buses in Sapporo are boarded from the rear or middle door and exited from the front. When you are ready to get off, you can push a stop button to request a stop. Fares can be paid with cash, or with an IC card.
If you intend to pay with cash, take a numbered ticket as you get on the bus from a ticket machine by the entrance. The number on your ticket corresponds to a numbered digital fare chart at the front of the bus. This tells you how much you should pay when you get off. You should put both your ticket and the exact fare into the fare box which is located beside the driver. If you don’t have the exact fare, you can use a change machine located beside the fare box. Carry coins or 1,000-yen notes for onboard change, as the machines do not accept larger banknotes.
If you want to use an IC card, you should tap it on the card reader located by the entrance when you get on the bus, and then tap it again to the card reader beside the driver when you get off.
About IC Cards
Prepaid IC cards can be used on buses in Sapporo. The SAPICA card is the local IC card that can be used on participating bus routes as well as on the streetcar and subway networks in the Sapporo area. SAPICA can also be used to buy goods from shops and vending machines in Sapporo that display the SAPICA logo. This card can be bought from bus terminal ticket offices or from subway ticket machines. However, you cannot buy it on board buses or streetcars. SAPICA covers some bus services beyond Sapporo city limits, but it cannot be used on JR trains or in other transport IC-card areas. There are other regional IC cards that can be used in Sapporo and throughout the country. The following IC cards can all be used on Sapporo’s local bus networks as well as on the streetcar and subway: Kitaca (JR Hokkaido), Suica (JR East), PASMO, manaca, TOICA, PiTaPa, ICOCA, Hayakaken, nimoca, and SUGOCA.
Special Bus Services
The Sapporo Walk Bus and Chuo Bus One Day Pass
The Sapporo Walk Bus (Loop 88) is a useful circuit bus operated by Hokkaido Chuo Bus Company that stops at several popular tourist locations in central Sapporo. As written above, this bus runs from Sapporo Station to Sapporo Beer Museum via Sapporo Factory. On the way back from Sapporo Beer Museum it returns via Sapporo Factory, Odori Park, and Sapporo Clock Tower before returning to Sapporo Station. Buses on this route run roughly every 30 minutes. If you plan to use this bus several times in one day, you can save money by buying a Chuo Bus Sapporo City One-Day Pass. This pass costs 900 yen for adults or 450 yen for children and gives you unlimited rides on Chuo Bus services within the designated Sapporo city fare area, including Loop 88. It does not cover JR Hokkaido Bus, Jotetsu, the subway or the streetcar, or every suburban Chuo Bus journey. Four ordinary 240-yen rides cost 960 yen, more than the adult pass, while a single return trip costs less than the pass. You can buy it on board Loop 88 from the driver, subject to stock, or at designated Chuo Bus ticket offices. Once you have the pass you can just show it to the driver as you get off the bus.
The Chuo Bus sightseeing counter at Sapporo Station Bus Terminal before its relocation.
Sightseeing Buses
A number of sightseeing bus tours run from the Sapporo Station area to locations on the outskirts of Sapporo.
Jotetsu Bus operate regular bus services to hot spring resorts near Sapporo that include Jozankei Onsen, Hoheikyo Onsen, and Koganeyu. From Sapporo Station, take the Kappa Liner from temporary Bus Stop 27 and reserve in advance. For ordinary local services, take the Namboku Subway Line to Makomanai and board Jotetsu 12J for Jozankei or 12H for Hoheikyo at Bus Stop 3.
The Jozankei hot-spring day-trip package includes Kappa Liner travel, a Jotetsu one-day ticket and admission to one eligible bath. It costs 3,700 yen for adults and 1,900 yen for children at a ticket office, or 3,500 yen for adults and 1,800 yen for children through the reservation website. Koganeyu has a separate package. For more details and service notices, visit the Jotetsu website before travel. The Jotetsu ticket counter at Sapporo Station is beside the south-exit taxi stand.
Inside Sapporo Station Bus Terminal before its September 2023 closure.
Hokkaido Chuo Bus operate a number of regular half-day and one-day sightseeing bus tours that take in several popular locations inside and outside Sapporo. In Sapporo these include:
- A Morning Tour of Shiroi Koibito Park, Okurayama Ski Jump Stadium, and Sapporo Central Wholesale Market’s outer market. The tour takes about 5 hours and is accompanied by a multilingual audio narration in Japanese, English, Chinese and Korean.
- An Afternoon Tour of Okurayama Ski Jump Stadium and Hitsujigaoka Observation Hill. The tour takes about 3 hours and 30 minutes and is accompanied by a multilingual audio narration in Japanese, English, Chinese and Korean.
Chuo Bus sightseeing tours outside of Sapporo vary by season. They include day trips to the picturesque port of Otaru, the scenic countryside around Lake Shikotsu and Lake Toya, summertime excursions to Furano and Biei, and autumn trips to view the fall foliage.
Chuo Bus regular sightseeing buses depart from the regular-sightseeing bus area at Sapporo Station North Exit. The sightseeing ticket counter is beside the north-exit taxi stand near the departure area. Arrive at least 20 minutes before departure. You can check operating days, date-specific fares, admission inclusions and optional extras, and make reservations on the Chuo Bus website.
Article and original photos by Michael Lambe. All rights reserved. Last updated 30-Aug-2026.
