On the same beer-soaked latitude as Munich and Milwaukee, Sapporo lays undisputed claim to the title of Japan's brewing Mecca. Beer-makers Sapporo, Asahi, Kirin and a host of local microbreweries have all set up shop here, helping to make this energetic city even more spirited and rambunctious.
The kick of Sapporo, though, comes from much more than its most famous export. This friendly, cosmopolitan city welcomes visitors with a flourishing restaurant scene, as well as myriad outdoorsy opportunities in the rugged Hokkaido landscape outside of town.
Sapporo's transformation from raw forestland to modern city (Japan's fifth-largest) was a quick one, begun in earnest in the late 19th century. At that time the Japanese government poured tens of millions of yen into the frontier town, creating the beautiful Odori Park, gridding out an orderly, navigable city and launching the nascent dairy and beer industries that still form an important part of Sapporo's economy.
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