West Sapporo · MiyanomoriNo.1131★★Open in map →

Okurayama Ski Jump Stadium

entertainmentOff the trail — and worth it

A chairlift climbs the side of Sapporo's Olympic ski-jump hill to an observation lounge at the head of the inrun. The view drops straight down the landing slope, then carries on over the city grid to the Ishikari plain and the sea beyond.

FromSapporo Station
~40 minSubway + bus, year-round
Get off atOkurayama Ski Jump Stadium (JR Hokkaido Bus, Kuramaru-go)
From there
Okurayama Ski Jump Stadium

Directions ↗

The sweet spot

This is a ticketed, well-signed attraction on the Sapporo circuit, so it is not a hidden spot. What gets skipped is the angle: most visitors photograph the hill from the base and leave without riding up to stand where the jumpers start.

Where it is

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What to look for — in walking order

The landing slope and grandstandMIKI Yoshihito / CC BY 2.0

Sapporo Olympic Museuma hands-on winter-sports gallery at the foot of the hill, with jump and sliding-sport simulators
The landing slope and grandstandthe base of a large hill rated at 137 metres, wrapped in tiered concrete seating
The two-seat chairliftan open chair running up the flank of the inrun, the steepest part of the run passing right alongside
Okurayama observation loungea glassed room at the head of the inrun with a cafe, seating and telescopes
The lounge rooftopan open deck looking across to the Miyanomori hill, the Games' other jumping venue

How to actually get there

Sapporo Station → Odori → Maruyama-koen (subway Namboku Line, change to the Tozai Line).
Maruyama Bus Terminal, Bay 4 → Okurayama Ski Jump Stadium (Kuramaru-go, JR Hokkaido Bus, about 15 minutes).
At the base, buy a lift ticket and ride the chair up to the observation lounge at the head of the inrun.
Come back down on the lift, then look in at the Sapporo Olympic Museum before the return bus.

Subway to Maruyama-koen, then the Kuramaru-go bus: From Sapporo Station ride the subway to Odori and change to the Tozai Line for Maruyama-koen. Maruyama Bus Terminal is connected to Exit 2; the Kuramaru-go (JR Hokkaido Bus, Okurayama line) leaves from Bay 4 and reaches the stadium in about 15 minutes. Allow roughly 40 minutes door to door. The service runs all year apart from a short New Year break.
Back down on the same bus: The Kuramaru-go turns around at the stop inside the grounds and returns to Maruyama Bus Terminal. Read the last departure posted at the stop before you ride the lift, so the view is not cut short by a countdown. From Maruyama-koen the Tozai Line runs back to Odori for Sapporo Station.

Directions from my location (Google Maps) ↗

About the place

Okurayama sits on the western edge of Sapporo, cut into the wooded slope above the Miyanomori district. A chairlift runs up beside the inrun to an observation lounge 307 metres above sea level. The ground drops away from there down the landing slope, and the city opens out beyond it. This is a working competition venue, so the jumping surface itself is closed to the public and the lift is the only way up. At the foot of the hill, on the same level as the car park, stand a cafe and the Sapporo Olympic Museum.

How to enjoy it

The lift takes about 5 minutes each way, so the hill and the museum at its foot fit into a half-day. In summer the venue also opens in the evening, when the lounge looks out over the city lights and a free shuttle runs up from Maruyama on those nights. Hours are shorter through the winter season.

Background & history

The hill was finished in 1931 and given to the City of Sapporo, and in 1932 it was named Okura Schanze after Baron Kishichiro Okura, who had paid for it. For the 1972 Sapporo Winter Olympics it was rebuilt at national expense, handed to the education ministry and renamed. The Games' 90-metre event ran here; the 70-metre event was held on a separate, smaller hill at Miyanomori, close enough to be picked out from the observation deck's roof. The city took the venue back in 1995.

Before you go

Cash: The chairlift is a paid ride, and the jumping surface itself is not open to the public at any time. Check the current rates for the lift and for the Sapporo Olympic Museum, and which payment methods they take, on the official site before you go. The car park at the foot of the hill is free.
Good to know: The lift is an open two-seat chair on an exposed slope and the summit sits well above the base, so carry a layer even in summer. Lit evening hours exist only in the summer season. The car park is closed to visitors on competition days.
Another way: A second route runs from Maruyama-koen Station on a regular city bus to the Okurayama-kyogijo-iriguchi stop on the road below, from where it is an uphill walk of roughly 10 minutes to the entrance. In summer a free shuttle also links the hill with Shiroi Koibito Park, and on evenings from July to September a free bus runs up from near Maruyama-koen Station.
After you get off: The Kuramaru-go finishes inside the stadium grounds, about 2 minutes on the flat from the lift station, the museum and the car park. There is no climb between the bus and the base of the hill.