TV Tower to the Museum of Modern Art, Sapporo: free self-guided walking tour
Quick answer. A free self-guided walking tour from the TV Tower to the Museum of Modern Art in Sapporo: 5 stops, about 4.6 km, about 60 minutes of walking plus about 30 minutes of listening. Start under Sapporo TV Tower, the red-and-white lattice tower of 1956 at the east end of Odori Park and the only tower in Japan with a clock. Walk to Kita Ichijo Catholic Church, the cathedral of the Guardian Angels, with its 1898 rectory of pale Sapporo soft stone. The Clock Tower, the school drill hall of 1878, still keeps time as built. Cross Odori Park, a firebreak of 1871, to the Hokkaido Museum of Modern Art, opened in 1977.
- Stops:
- 5
- Distance:
- about 4.6 km
- Walking:
- about 60 min
- Listening:
- about 30 min
Two ways to do this walk
Sapporo with Mappu
Walk Mode, in the free Mappu app
It knows where you are, tells you about everything you pass between the stops, answers your questions and keeps you on the route. Your phone stays in your pocket.
A 2-hour live walk, €4.99.
50 credits from the Starter pack. One-time purchase, no subscription.
Self-guided audio walk. No guide accompanies you. Not affiliated with the sites.
Free: the audio guides
Listen to each stop’s audio guide in your browser and find your own way between the stops.
Walking directions in Google MapsTV Tower to the Museum of Modern Art, Sapporo: how long does the walk take?
About 90 minutes in all: about 60 minutes on foot over about 4.6 km, plus about 30 minutes of audio at the 5 stops. Time inside the sites is extra.
TV Tower to the Museum of Modern Art, Sapporo: in what order should you visit the stops?
Follow the stops in this order: Sapporo TV Tower, Kita Ichijo Catholic Church, Sapporo Clock Tower, Odori Park, and Hokkaido Museum of Modern Art. The longest stretch between two stops is about 1.6 km, about 21 min on foot.
Route and map
Indicative route. While you walk, watch where you're going, mind the traffic and follow local signs and rules. The map is an aid, not a safety guide. Terms
Follow Mappu’s map: the route runs along the streets from stop to stop, and the stories keep playing as you walk.
To get to the first stop, or if you’re far from the route, Google Maps has walking directions through every stop.
Stop 1
The 147.2 m lattice tower at the east end of Odori Park, built for television in 1956 and fitted with a clock in 1961, the only such tower in Japan.
about 6 min of audio
Next stop: Kita Ichijo Catholic Church · about 1.1 km, about 15 min on foot
Stop 2
The cathedral of the Guardian Angels and seat of Sapporo’s bishop, with an 1898 rectory of Sapporo soft stone and a Romanesque-style tower.
about 6 min of audio
Next stop: Sapporo Clock Tower · about 1.1 km, about 14 min on foot
Stop 3
The white wooden drill hall of the Sapporo Agricultural School, built in 1878, with a New York clock of 1881 that still keeps time as built.
about 7 min of audio
Next stop: Odori Park · about 0.9 km, about 12 min on foot
Stop 4
A 1.5 km ribbon of green through the city centre that began as a firebreak in 1871, home of the Snow Festival and some 4,700 trees.
about 6 min of audio
Next stop: Hokkaido Museum of Modern Art · about 1.6 km, about 21 min on foot
Stop 5
The prefectural museum opened in 1977 with Hokkaido’s largest art collection, from the island’s painters to the School of Paris and glass art.
about 6 min of audio
The stop stories are AI-generated audio guides and can contain mistakes. Check opening hours and tickets on the official sites.
Planning a trip to Sapporo?
Get your plan
Mappu sketches your days free in the chat, no account needed. Then take the full plan with you:
- Weekend trip, €9.99: Your day-by-day plan plus 2 live walks
- Save your trip’s free guides on your phone in the Mappu app: they play with no signal
Before you go
- Check opening hours, tickets and access on each site’s official page before you go.
- Distances and times are estimates: the walking route between stops, from OpenStreetMap, at 4.5 km/h. Your route on the street may differ.
Route checked by Mappu on November 1, 2026. Stop descriptions come from each place’s published Mappu audio guide. Mappu is a Fenutech product.