Sapporo Clock Tower

Built in 1878 as a martial arts training hall for the former Sapporo Agricultural College (now Hokkaido University), the building of the Clock Tower, a symbol of Sapporo, was used as a place for the military drills of the students and as a central auditorium for ceremonies and speeches. In 1881, a mechanical tower clock, made by E. Howard & Co. of the U.S. and using weights for power, was installed. In 1970, the building was designated as an Important Cultural Property, and in 2009, it was recognized as a Mechanical Engineering Heritage by the Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers as the oldest tower clock still in operation in Japan. The old wooden building, with its soothing atmosphere, will make you feel the breath of history.