West Sapporo · MiyanosawaNo.727★★★Open in map →

Shiroi Koibito Park

— Ishiya's confectionery park in west Sapporo

foodThe classic — done right

West Sapporo's confectionery park, built around the working plant that turns out Hokkaido's signature cookie. Brick facades, a rose garden and a mechanical clock tower surround a glassed-in factory floor you can look straight down onto.

FromOdori Station
~30 minSubway, direct to the terminus
Get off atMiyanosawa Station (Tozai Subway Line)
On foot
Shiroi Koibito Park

Directions ↗

Where it is

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What to look for — in walking order

Shiroi Koibito production linet-konno / CC BY-SA 3.0

Courtyard and Rose Gardenthe outdoor heart of the site, planted with roses and framed by brick and half-timbered facades
Mechanical clock towera karakuri clock tower rising over the courtyard, the landmark most visitors photograph first
Chocolatopia Factorya raised viewing corridor above the working line where the biscuits are baked and wrapped
Chocolatopia Houseexhibits on cacao and chocolate, including a projection-mapped room built around the cacao pod
Dream Kitchenthe workshop kitchen where visitors shape and bake a heart-shaped biscuit themselves

How to actually get there

Sapporo Station → Odori Station (Namboku Line, one stop, or walk through the underground concourse).
Odori Station → Miyanosawa Station (Tozai Line, direct to the western terminus).
Miyanosawa Station → Shiroi Koibito Park (walk), entering through the courtyard garden before buying a ticket for the factory zone.

Tozai Subway Line, direct from Odori: Odori Station →(Tozai Line, bound for Miyanosawa)→ Miyanosawa Station, the western terminus, then a short walk. No transfer is needed and trains run through the day, so there is no timetable to plan around. From Sapporo Station, ride one stop to Odori on the Namboku Line or walk there through the underground concourse.
Return from Miyanosawa Station: Miyanosawa is the end of the line, so eastbound trains start here and you will usually get a seat back into the centre. Services run late into the evening while the park closes much earlier, so the return leg is rarely tight. Check the platform display if you plan to eat in the area first.

Directions from my location (Google Maps) ↗

About the place

Shiroi Koibito Park stands in Miyanosawa, at the western end of Sapporo's Tozai subway line. It is run by Ishiya, the confectionery maker whose head office sits on the same block. The buildings are brick and half-timber, arranged around a courtyard garden instead of a car park, so the place reads as a small European-styled town. Inside, a raised corridor runs the length of the production floor, and the ovens, belts and wrapping machines are visible from above while the line is running. A separate wing holds exhibits on cacao and chocolate, plus a workshop kitchen where visitors bake a cookie of their own.

How to enjoy it

Come on a weekday and plan to be through the gate by mid-afternoon, because the ticketed factory zone stops admitting visitors at 16:30 and that is earlier than most people expect. For the biscuit-making workshop, reserve a place in advance rather than turning up and hoping. Leave the courtyard and garden for last, when the light is low and the brickwork warms up.

Background & history

Ishiya was founded in Sapporo in 1947, beginning in starch processing before it turned to confectionery. The langue-de-chat biscuit sandwiching white chocolate that carries the company's name became the standard gift brought back from Hokkaido, and the plant and head office were established here in Miyanosawa. The visitor complex grew around that working plant rather than being built as a separate attraction, which is why the viewing route looks down on real production instead of a mock-up. The site has been extended and rebuilt in stages since.

Before you go

Cash: Ishiya's official information describes both free-entry areas and a ticketed zone. Tickets for the ticketed zone and for the workshop courses are sold on site, and workshop places can also be reserved beforehand. Prices are revised from time to time, so confirm them on the official page rather than trusting figures found elsewhere.
Good to know: The grounds keep to a set daily window, opening at 10:00 and closing at 18:00 as confirmed at the time of writing. The courtyard is outdoors and fully exposed to Sapporo's winter, and in the cold months the gardens are given over to illuminations rather than roses.
Another way: Miyanosawa Station is joined by an underground passage to a bus terminal, so if you are approaching from Sapporo's western suburbs by Chuo Bus you can reach the park without going through the city centre at all.
After you get off: From Miyanosawa Station it is about a 7-minute walk on level pavements. The station has lifts and a moving walkway between the platform and the street, so the change of level is easy with a suitcase or a pushchair.