Sapporo, Hakodate and Otaru: Walking through Hokkaido’s seasons and finding smoking areas

About Hokkaido

Hokkaido is Japan’s northernmost island and the largest prefecture by area. Its capital is Sapporo, a region known for snow, nature and superb seafood.

Main walking areas in Hokkaido

Here are some of the prefecture’s most popular places to walk, where public smoking spots and facilities with smoking rooms tend to be available nearby.

• Sapporo (Odori Park, Susukino, around Sapporo Station)
• Hakodate (Motomachi, Bay Area, Goryokaku)
• Otaru (Otaru Canal, Sakaimachi Street)
• Asahikawa (Heiwa-dori shopping street)

Hokkaido trivia

Odori Park in central Sapporo is known for its summer beer garden and the winter Sapporo Snow Festival, making it a year-round walking spot.

Tips for finding smoking areas in Hokkaido

• Use designated smoking spots in areas with no-smoking-on-the-street ordinances
• Stations, large commercial complexes and tourist information centres are good starting points
• Heated-tobacco-only rooms are growing — switch the tobacco-type filter to match your device
• Use a portable ashtray or the ashtray in the smoking area — good etiquette helps keep these spots open for everyone

Find efficiently with Mottosuitai

Allow location access on the Mottosuitai map to see smoking areas within 2 km of you. To browse by region, visit /search/?prefecture=hokkaido for the Hokkaido list.