Saturday, July 18, 2015

Japan, Sapporo: Clock Tower, Old Government Building


Two sites in downtown Sapporo "recommended" to some extent in the guidebooks are the clock tower and the old Hokkaido government office building. The clock tower is so unimpressive I passed by it the first time. What it is is the remaining building of the old agricultural college located in Sapporo. It looks like an American prairie schoolhouse of the nineteenth century, because that's what it is.

Sapporo was developed with American assistance to improve agricultural output of the region. Today the tower building is a museum of the city's history from that era, and the clock still keeps time and chimes on the hour. The entrance fee is 200 Y and you can spend about 15 minutes looking at the exhibits.


The old government office building is somewhat more impressive ...


...but it's only feature of interest to me is the charming little garden on the premises.

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