Okurayama Observatory 大倉山展望台

An observatory adjacent to the Okurayama Ski Jump Stadium, which served as the venue for ski jumping at the 1972 Sapporo Winter Olympics. A two-person chairlift or escalator carries visitors to the starting point of the jump ramp at an elevation of 307 meters, where they can experience the exact perspective from which athletes launch into the air. Looking down the steep landing slope is a one-of-a-kind experience that makes the power and scale of competitive ski jumping viscerally real.

From the observatory, the view beyond the jump course opens up to a sweeping panorama of Sapporo's cityscape and the Ishikari Plain. At night, Sapporo's nightscape — recognized as one of Japan's New Top Three Night Views — unfolds along the mountain ridgeline in a scene found nowhere else in the city. Mt. Teine is also visible to the northwest. The adjacent Sapporo Olympic Museum features footage and exhibits covering the 1972 Sapporo Winter Olympics and the history of the Winter Games.

The Okurayama Ski Jump Stadium remains an active international competition venue, and during training periods visitors may be able to watch actual athletes in flight. The stadium is accessible by bus from Maruyama Koen Station on the Sapporo Subway Tozai Line.