8 Best Things to Do with Kids in Sapporo

Sapporo Satorando or Sapporo Satoland is a farming experience facility situated in Higashi Ward in the city of Sapporo. It covers a plot the size of 14 Sapporo Domes and is full of activities for learning about farming and experiencing it first-hand. At the Experience Farm, seasonal vegetables are harvested from May to early November. This is a great chance to observe how Hokkaido’s agricultural products (corn, asparagus, potato, and onions) grow in the field. 

At Satorando Centre, you can enjoy making sausages, butter and ice cream in summer, and miso and tofu in winter. The farming field changes into a snow playground in winter for activities like the horse sleigh, tractor excursion, ski walk and snow tube slide. Don’t forget to buy some fresh Sapporo vegetables before your departure.

The Puppet Theatre for Children: Koguma-za is where children will love looking into the world of tiny handmade dolls. Situated just a 5-minute walk away from Nakajima Koen Station on the Subway Nanboku Line, the puppet theatre is Japan’s first public puppet theatre. Here you’ll be welcomed by puppets performing in a play at the entrance. Picture-card shows and ventriloquism along with puppet plays have been performed since 1976 at this small 90-capacity theatre. 

For families with small children, weekday performances are ideal because they’re relatively short (45 minutes), so children won’t easily become bored. On weekends, hour-long puppet plays are performed with varied programs each month. At Puppet Theatre for Children: Yamabiko-za, in Higashi Ward, puppet plays and children’s plays are performed in a hall that has 300 seats.

The snow play area for children at Sapporo Teine Ski Resort is open throughout the winter. The Tyrannosaur Figure and Triceratops Slide are very popular with children who love dinosaurs. This area is divided into 3 zones (Snow Tube Zone, Sled Zone and Ski & Snowboard Zone), with nets for security. 

Sleds and snow tubes are free to rent. Sliding on the long, gentle slope down to the base is a great way to get to grips with the mountain. With a snow escalator in the middle of the course, it’s easy for children to go up to the mountain as much as they like. Ski & Snowboard Zone is best for children who are trying this kind of thing for the very first time.

Auto Resort Takino is a high-quality campsite situated in Takino Suzuran Hillside Park in Sapporo’s Minami Ward. First, head to the Centre House to check-in. You’ll find shower rooms, a launderette, and shops selling groceries and camping equipment. It's a really convenient place. You can choose from log cabins, a camping car site and space for pitching tents. 

There’s also a play area with athletic equipment, open lawn space for ball games, and an observation deck from which you can view the entire campsite. Keiryu Zone in Suzuran Park features several waterfalls, plus you can cycle along Atsubetsu River, fish for Yamame Trout and Rainbow Trout, and play in the water during the summertime.

Fantasy Kids Resort is an indoor amusement park designed for children up to 12 years of age, so if you’ve got kids in tow, this is the perfect place to visit on a rainy day. Parents and children will have a great time together bouncing around on the inflatable playground. Little children can enjoy playing with sand at Sarasara Sunaba, make-believe play at the Milk Kids Space, and playing with toys in the Toy Space. 

If your children are 5 or older and have plenty of energy, why not let them loose on the 12-metre-high climbing wall? Fashion-conscious kids will enjoy the Fashion Photo Studio, where they can get makeovers with costumes of their choice from a range of hundreds. Your children will no doubt be hungry after all the play and excitement, so it’s a good idea to head to the rooftop picnic area for some fuel.

At the Historical Village of Hokkaido open-air museum in the Atsubetsu Ward of Sapporo you can let your children play and enjoy themselves, and at the same time learn something about history and culture. A total of 52 buildings from the Meiji period to the early Showa period are here to give you an experience of life and industry in the era of Hokkaido’s development. 

You can explore the town area and farm village riding on a horsedrawn streetcar in summer or horsedrawn sleighs in winter. The farm village area features storehouses, boats and equipment for herring fishing. You can also try making traditional toys like beanbags (otedama) and the Japanese card game known as menko. At the Kaitaku no Mura Shokudo cafeteria, you can take a break and enjoy a Tondenhei set meal or the famous potato cakes (imomochi).

Look no further than Chateraise Gateaux Kingdom Sapporo if you're looking for a hotel to stay at with the kids. The rooms are fully equipped with amenities for children as well as rental services for picture books and toys. The restaurant has plates for children, and you can even rent baby beds. Relax in open-air baths and saunas at night, and the next day enjoy the pool. 

Inside, the family can choose between the jumbo pool with its own waterfall, the kids’ pool with playsets and toys like water guns, and an infant pool that’s only 15 cm deep. There's also an outdoor pool open in summer. Splash around and cool down under the sun with the gently sloping waterslide and 'banana pool'.

Sapporo Science Center is a great place to visit with the family at the weekend. The highlight is the planetarium, which was updated in 2016 to accurately map 100 million stars even with carefully replicated colours. There are programs for infants and for primary school children to teach the mysteries of the universe. And on the 2nd floor, you’ll find the Astronomy & Earth Science Space with an Earth Dome measuring 20 metres in diameter in the centre. 

The popular Earth Elevator simulates the experience of teleporting from Earth out into the universe. On the 3rd floor, you can experience the desynchronization of your sense of balance and sight in the Diagonal Room, and enjoy science experiment shows and robot performances. Head to the Experiment Room on Sundays to take part in experiments like a real scientist.