1 Day Tour to Hill of the Buddha, Sapporo and Sake

4.9 (10 reviews) 8 h 30 min Free cancellation

out of 5

10 reviews

4.9

1 Day Tour to Hill of the Buddha, Sapporo and Sake — Photos: the activity supplier, via Viator

1 Day Tour to Hill of the Buddha, Sapporo and Sake, photo 2 — Photos: the activity supplier, via Viator

About this activity

On this fun 1-day tour, you will enjoy the new religious heritage of Sapporo, along with stunning views of its downtown and large central park, with sake tasting to top it off at the end of the day!

Visiting the gigantic golden sleeping Buddha at the Butsuganji Temple as well as the Hill of the Buddha, a fusion of modern art and ancient religion, you will see how the people of Sapporo express their spirituality and creativity together.

After lunch, a visit to downtown Sapporo, a ride up its iconic TV Tower, and Sake tasting in a small local bar will introduce you to the secular side of this Northern Japanese city.

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At a glance

Duration: 8 h 30 min
Confirmation: Instant confirmation
Ticket: Mobile or paper ticket accepted
Group: Up to 15 people
People per booking: 1–15
Guide: English
Operated by: Snow Monkey Resorts Tours (Machinovate Japan Ltd.)

Ages: Infants (0–5 years) · Children (6–12 years) · Adults (13–99 years)

What is included

Included

Included: English Speaking Guide
Included: Entry fees at all tour locations
Included: Transportation fee from Sapporo Station to all listed destinations and activities
Included: Sake Tasting

Not included

Not included: Lunch
Not included: Accommodation
Not included: Transport to meet-up point

Itinerary

Stop 1

2 hours

Upon arrival at The Butsugan-ji(Sleeping/Lying Buddha) you will be visually struck by the 45 meter long Buddha Nirvana statue resting/lying down horizontally in peace, on the roof of the Great Nirvana Temple Hall. This amazing place is now considered to be one of the strongest most spiritually power spots in all of Japan. Many visitors flock here from all over Japan and throughout the world. In addition to the Buddha, visitors can see the beautiful Jodo Pure Land Garden with a very authentic Japanese design. Nearby, there is a pond and a waterfall with pure clean water. There are ancient purely clean garden rocks scattered about the garden. People come to this temple not only for its beautiful ambience but also for its powerful spiritual area.
Hill of The Buddha

2 h 20 min Admission included

This sculpted stone Buddha statue is encircled by a rotunda situated on a gently sloping artificial hill within the land belonging to a cemetery. It is 13.5-metre tall and weighs 1500 tonnes. When approaching it from afar, the lone head of the Buddha peeking from within the rotunda conveys a solemn, serene impression of the Buddha. The entrance to the Buddha has a water garden that visitors normally walk around. After this, you walk through an arched concrete tunnel at the end of which sits the Buddha statue, at the center of an open rotunda allowing sunlight to come in. The circular opening of the rotunda with light streaming in almost gives a “halo” like feel to the Buddha statue. Definitely a magnificent site to behold! A “must visit” anytime throughout the year.
Sapporo TV Tower

2 hours Admission included

Next, we will return to central Sapporo and visit The Sapporo T.V. Tower. Built in 1957, it stands 147.2 metres tall. This tower was designed and built by Tachu Naito, a Japanese architect who is also famous for planning the Tokyo Tower. We will head up to the top observation deck where you will enjoy spectacular 360 degree daytime views of the entire city of Sapporo. Your guide will be able to point to various aerial directions from the observation deck and inform the guests as to what specific location that is.
Susukino

2 h 10 min Admission included

Our tour ends at The Yata Sake Stand Bar. This is a cozy and quaint stand bar. This bar is visited often by both locals and visitors. It is easy to know why. The staff are very friendly and really “know their stuff” when it comes to sake. This is a “must” visit for all those who enjoy sake and want to know more detailed information of the various types of sake.

Meeting point and pickup

Everyone meets at the meeting point.

Meeting point

After exiting the main JR gates of Sapporo Station TURN LEFT. Walk towards the

South Exit of Sapporo Station. After a very short walk you will notice the circular white stone art piece. Your guide will be standing in front of this stone structure wearing a SNOW MONKEY RESORTS tour tag.

End point

After exiting the main JR gates of Sapporo Station TURN LEFT. Walk towards the

South Exit of Sapporo Station. After a very short walk you will notice the circular white stone art piece. Your guide will be standing in front of this stone structure wearing a SNOW MONKEY RESORTS tour tag.