Botanical garden of Hokkaido University 北海道大学植物園

Managed by Hokkaido University, this botanical garden has served as a center for research and education since its founding in 1886 (Meiji 19). Its origin traces back to a proposal by Dr. William S. Clark, who argued that a botanical garden was essential for teaching botany and horticulture. Across approximately 13.3 hectares, the garden cultivates approximately 4,000 plant species, primarily native to Hokkaido. As one of the few expanses of greenery remaining in the city center, it provides a retreat for residents while also playing an important role in biodiversity conservation.

The grounds include several museum facilities. The main museum building houses natural history, zoological, and botanical specimens. The Northern Peoples Gallery, opened in 1988, holds a collection of actual artifacts related to the lives and cultures of the Ainu and other indigenous peoples of Hokkaido, Sakhalin, and the Kuril Islands. The Ainu materials collected by the Kaitakushi (Hokkaido Development Commission) in the early Meiji period are among the oldest surviving Ainu collections in Japan. The gallery itself is designed to evoke the interior of a traditional Ainu house (chise), with a central hearth and a ritual altar (nusa) at the far end recreating the cultural atmosphere of that time.

The greenhouses display a wide range of plants from subarctic species to tropical and subtropical flora, allowing visitors to enjoy plant diversity in any season. In the heart of Sapporo, this garden offers a rare combination of quiet nature, knowledge, and tranquility.