Sapporo, Japan | World’s Best Cities

Sapporo, Japan

Sapporo is one of Japan’s newest and most orderly cities. With little in the way of traditional architecture, it lacks in that unique “Japanese-ness” of places like Tokyo and Kyoto, but makes up for it with opportunities for summer road trips and snowy winter adventures (don’t miss the ice sculptures on Susukino and the castles and manga characters made of snow—with stops at the Sapporo Clock Tower and the open-air Historical Village of Hokkaido along the way). Of course, no visit to the city would be complete without stops at the Sapporo Beer Museum and the Asahi brewery, followed by a leisurely karaoke crawl around the bars of Susukino. Or a dip in one of the dozens of open-air hot-spring baths. Not surprisingly, the northern city ranks #9 in our overall Livability index, helped by its enviable #2 ranking for (lack of) Heat Stress, as well as #3 for both its Healthcare System, and its Tree Cover. The city is doubling down on its natural attributes with its new Second Sapporo City Development Strategic Vision that features sustainable urban development, focused on green infrastructure, such as increasing urban greenery (you can never have too much of a good thing) and enhancing public transportation.