Sapporo was home to the 1972 winter Olympics and many of the events were held on Mt. Okura where the ski jump overlooks the city. Today the jump is still used, not only for sporting events but as a tourist look out often known as the Okurayama Observatory.
The top of the jump is 300 metre’s high and this is where you can get a great view of Sapporo, the Ishikari Plain and Ishikari Bay from the Observation deck.
At the bottom of the jump are the Winter Sports Museum and the Crystal House. The museum houses plenty of exhibits about the winter Olympics and winter sports while the crystal house is home to a restaurant with spectacular views of the city as well a fast food outlet and ice cream stand.
While top of the jump is fortunately serviced by a lift getting to the mountain is not as easy as some of Sapporo’s other attractions. The closest subway station is Maruyama-koen Station on the Tozai Line from their you either need to catch a taxi at around 1000 yen or get the JR Bus Nishi #14 until the Okura-yama Iriguchi Stop then walk 10 min to venue.
More info at their website:
http://www.sapporo-dc.co.jp/eng/okurayama/index.html
