More than just gourmet food and nature: How to enjoy Sapporo, a city filled with music

[Kitara] Be enveloped in beautiful sound. A concert hall in a park

One of the musical centers of Sapporo is the Sapporo Concert Hall Kitara, located in the lush Nakajima Park on the south side of the downtown area. Built in 1997 as Hokkaido's first hall dedicated to music, it features two halls, one large and one small, rehearsal rooms, a restaurant, and a ticket center.

From Nakajima Park Station on the subway, a 7-minute walk through the park, with views of the iris pond and Japanese garden, is the start of your exhilarating approach to music. Inside and outside the building, three works of art called "Sokyo" by Kan Yasuda, a sculptor from Bibai City, Hokkaido, are placed, and you are drawn to the entrance by the sculptures. The glass walls offer a view of the park's scenery through the four seasons, allowing you to relax and unwind while you wait for the performance.

The main hall is designed in a vineyard style, with the audience seating arranged around the stage. The curved walls made from wood from Hokkaido and the seating jutting out from the left and right sides of the stage have been calculated to even reflect sound so that rich, beautiful sound is delivered to all 2,008 seats. Another secret is the four lightweight concrete reflectors suspended from the ceiling. These reflect the sound emitted from the stage in a soft, profound way, creating the Kitara sound that is so highly acclaimed by performers.

"We've had artists say with joy, 'When I perform here, it's like the sound is falling from the sky!'" says Sayaka Kanno of the Sapporo City Arts Foundation Concert Hall Division, which manages Kitara. Furthermore, they also take measures to ensure that musicians can perform in good conditions. Ayako Sasaki of the same division explains, "To ensure that there is no big difference in the reverberation between rehearsals and the actual performance, we make the empty seats have the same sound-absorbing effect as when customers are seated."

The main hall is used for performances of classical music, mainly orchestral music, and choruses. One of the must-sees is the pipe organ concert at the front of the hall. The organ, which was built over two years by the prestigious French company Alfred Kern in Strasbourg, has 4,976 pipes and produces a wide variety of tones.

The Sapporo Symphony Orchestra (Sapporo Symphony) is a professional orchestra based in Kitara. Founded in 1961, the orchestra has successfully performed overseas several times during its nearly 60 years of activity. As of 2019, the orchestra has 75 members and performs more than 120 times a year in Hokkaido and abroad, mainly in regular concerts at Kitara.

Also, if you visit, be sure to check out the many original goods available, such as beer glasses that are characteristic of Sapporo, known as the "city of beer," and Ezo deer leather pass cases, all of which are perfect souvenirs for your trip to Sapporo.

*Due to renovation work, the Sapporo Concert Hall Kitara will be closed from November 2, 2020 to June 30, 2021 (scheduled).

[hitaru] Enjoy the latest in stage production and music. Sapporo's arts base

"Performances in Sapporo." With that idea in mind, the Sapporo Cultural Arts Theater Hitaru opened in 2018. It is located in the Sapporo Citizens' Communication Plaza in Sapporo Sosei Square, a high-rise building in the center of Sapporo, with the entrance on the 4th floor and the theater occupying the first 9th floors.

Hitaru's greatest feature is that it can host large-scale productions of performing arts such as opera and ballet. This is because it is the first multi-stage venue in Hokkaido to have multiple stage spaces in addition to the main stage. Stage Technology Director Ito Hisayuki explains, "In the latest stage productions, video plays an important role. At Hitaru, we have generous depth of the stage and height of the gallery (ceiling) to allow for projection from the rear, making a wide range of productions possible."

The 2,302-seat venue has three balconies so that you can feel close to the stage no matter where you sit. The first and second floor seats are close to the performers, giving you a sense of presence, while the third and fourth floor seats offer a bird's-eye view of the stage production. In addition to the view, the seats can also affect how you hear the sound depending on the performance. "The orchestra pit is installed lower than the seats, so the performance feels deeper from the third and fourth floor seats, where both direct and reflected sound can reach you," says Ito. Depending on your seat choice, you may discover different charms.

In addition to performances such as opera, ballet, and theater, the hall is also used for concerts of a wide range of genres, from classical to pop and enka, by installing acoustic reflectors. For the live event "Sapporo City Jazz," the hall also attempts to set up a stage and audience seats on the large stage. As a "creative" theater, the facilities are available to various people engaged in artistic and musical activities in Hokkaido, and it also serves as a flagship for exploring new possibilities for the stage.

At performances sponsored by hitaru, a drink stand operated by "MORIHICO.", a popular coffee shop in Sapporo that also has a cafe on the first floor of the Civic Communication Plaza, will be set up in the foyer. Eating and drinking are prohibited inside the hall, but on days when the drink stand is full, we recommend getting a takeout coffee from the cafe on the first floor.

Other facilities include the restaurant "DAFNE" on the second floor and the "SCARTS Mall", where events and exhibitions are held, so even if you arrive early before a show, you'll still be able to have a wonderful time immersed in culture.

[PMF] Young talents gather from all over the world. "One Summer Only Orchestra"

Sapporo is packed with classical, jazz, and rock music events in the summer. One of these big classical music events that takes place mainly in Sapporo every July and August is the international educational music festival Pacific Music Festival Sapporo (PMF), which has been loved by Sapporo residents for many years. Founded in Sapporo by world-renowned conductor Leonard Bernstein and the London Symphony Orchestra, the festival celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2019.

PMF is counted as one of the world's three major educational music festivals that nurture young musicians around the world. There is an educational program called the PMF Academy that nurtures young musicians aged 18 to 29 who are selected through auditions, and during the PMF period, concerts are held in which academy students and professors form orchestras and ensembles. The PMF GALA Concerts held at Kitara allow you to enjoy music for a long period of time. Another popular concert is the Picnic Concert, where you can enjoy music at your leisure while feeling the nature outdoors.

In addition, "outreach concerts" are held at stations, shopping facilities, and other locations within Sapporo that anyone can drop by. During a break in your travels, you might suddenly hear a beautiful melody coming from somewhere... You might have such an experience.

*PMF2020, which was scheduled to be held from July 10 to August 3, has been canceled due to the impact of COVID-19.

Gourmet spots to stop by while waiting for the show to begin or after the show has ended

If you're going to enjoy music, you'll want to make the most of the time before and after. Here are some recommended gourmet spots to enjoy while you wait for the show to begin, or when you want to soak in the afterglow of a performance.

musica hall café

Although it's a little far from Kitara and hitaru, we highly recommend "Musica Hall Café," a 5-minute walk from Susukino Station on the subway. This cafe is loved by local music fans because you can enjoy live performances by musicians from Hokkaido and beyond. The gallery inside the cafe also hosts a variety of events other than music, such as art events and workshops.

The menu is extensive, ranging from filling meals such as pizza and doria to sweets such as cakes and parfaits. The homemade scones made with wheat from Hokkaido are particularly recommended, with a crispy exterior and a moist interior.

Farm to Table TERRA

A two-minute walk from Nakajima Koen Station, the closest station to Kitara, will bring you to Farm to Table TERRA, surrounded by white birch trees. This restaurant is based on the concept of indoor glamping, and was designed by the outdoor brand Snow Peak. The open-ceilinged interior makes you feel like you're in the middle of a forest.

The restaurant has a camping-themed menu, with a wide variety of meat, fish, and vegetable dishes. The colorful and dynamic presentation will make you want to take photos. The restaurant is open for a long time, from breakfast to dinner, so you can use it before a concert or after an evening performance.

TO OV café

Also located a 1-2 minute walk from Nakajima Koen Station is TO OV café, a café and art gallery. It hosts exhibitions of paintings and photography, as well as occasional live music performances by local artists, making it a place where you can experience Sapporo's art scene.

In addition to the two types of blended coffee (540 yen each), which are the shop's specialty, we also recommend the "straight coffee" (650 yen), which changes depending on the season and allows you to enjoy the original taste of the beans. There are also food menus such as hot sandwiches, curry, and pasta to fill your stomach before the show, making it the perfect cafe when you have some free time.

Sapporo, where music is overflowing in every corner of the city, is the perfect place for those who want to take a different trip, relax, or get energized. While gourmet food and nature are great, why not take a trip like this to immerse yourself in music once in a while?

*Some content was updated on April 8, 2020.