1 Day Tour to Hill of the Buddha, Sapporo and Sake
Description
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.
Tour Options
Itinerary
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.
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.
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.
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.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(8)
What a great tour with Scott! He is a wonderfully friendly, knowledgeable guide who took us to various sites including the Hill of the Buddha, a majestic site that you don't want to miss. It was great to hear in detail about its history and design elements, but also generally his insights from his 35 years living in Japan after moving from the US. Would highly recommend to anyone!
Talk to your guide..! Japan is more then sightseeing and food .. it’s the people that will make your visit wonderful
Scott was awesome and was very knowledgeable about the area. If you ask, he will make the Itinerary extra fun too! Easily got to and from the Statue and into Sapporo proper!
If you are visiting Sapporo for a few days, I highly recommend this day trip. I met Scott at the determined meeting spot and he was there waiting when I arrived on time. It turns out I was the only traveler who had booked the tour that day, so we left immediately and took public transportation. It was super easy and we were able to chat on a personal level which made it feel like traveling with a new friend. Hill of the Buddha was the obvious highlight and he was super insightful and gave me pointers on the best photo angles. Having a tour guide there made for a more meaningful experience. From there we headed back to Sapporo and proceeded to do a walking tour of the city. I’m not sure how a regular tour would have been with a full group , but it showed me he was willing to cater the trip to circumstances and my desires and interests. Top notch!
Although I was the only person on this tour, my guide Scott worked just as hard at making sure I had a fabulous time. In addition to the original itinerary that he crafted, which was fabulous (Buddha statue, sake tasting, et cetera), Scott further escalated my experience that day by leveling it up with various destinations including the Nakajima Park, the Odori Park, Shiryokan, and JR Tower Observatory. He also helped me shop for omiyage and truly went over and beyond..
Scott was such a great tour guide. He was fun and incredibly knowledgeable about the area. Navigating to all of our stops was a breeze, and not only did Scott provide great insight into the Hill of the Buddha, but to life in Sapporo and Japan in general. Scott also doubled as a personal photographer, he even knew all the best angles to get photos and certainly didnt mind stopping every 10 feet so I could take a picture. The sake at the end of the tour was just the icing on the cake. Highly recommend!
We had a truly great day with Scott E. In our two-week trip to Japan this time, Scott is the only American born tour guide that we had, thus he was the easiest to understand. Besides Scott’s thorough knowledge of the sites we visited, we were able to share many laughs with him while reminiscing about the “good old days” in America. We were already a fan of the work of architect Tadao Ando, so seeing the Hill of the Buddha with Scott was a real treat. We would highly recommend Scott’s service to any visitors to Sapporo.
We had a truly great day with Scott E. In our two-week trip to Japan this time, Scott is the only American born tour guide that we had, thus he was the easiest to understand. Besides Scott’s thorough knowledge of the sites we visited, we were able to share many laughs with him while reminiscing about the “good old days” in America. We were already a fan of the work of architect Tadao Ando, so seeing the Hill of the Buddha with Scott was a real treat. We would highly recommend Scott’s service to any visitors to Sapporo.
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