Moerenuma Park

A Living Sculpture: The Grand Transformation of Moerenuma Park If you are visiting Sapporo, you simply cannot miss Moerenuma Park (モエレ沼公園). It is one of the most unique and conceptually ambitious public spaces in the world. Designed by the legendary sculptor Isamu Noguchi, the entire 189-hectare park is treated as a single, unified piece of sculpture—a "sculpture of the earth." From Waste to Wonder What makes this place truly spectacular is its history. The land used to be a wasteland—specifically a massive municipal waste treatment plant. To see it now, transformed into a grand and majestic landscape of geometric hills and lush greenery, is nothing short of a miracle of urban design. It is a powerful example of how art can heal and repurpose industrial land into something breathtaking. Architectural Masterpieces The park is filled with unique buildings and architecture that feel like they belong in a futuristic dream: * The Glass Pyramid (Hidamari): The park's iconic symbol. This stunning structure "swallows" sunlight and houses a gallery dedicated to Noguchi. The interplay of light and glass against the Hokkaido sky is mesmerizing. * Mt. Moere: A man-made mountain standing 62 meters high. Climbing the straight and curved paths to the summit feels like conquering a geometric monument. * Tetra Mound & Sea Fountain: Large-scale installations that use steel, stone, and water to create a sense of scale and power. How to Explore: Cycling vs. Walking Because of the massive grounds, I highly recommend cycling. You can rent bicycles at the East Entrance for a very small fee. Riding along the wide, paved paths with the wind in your hair is the best way to see all the hidden corners of the park, including the "Forest of Cherry Trees." That said, walking is also fun if you have the time (set aside at least 3–4 hours). The paths are flat and easy to navigate, and walking allows you to truly appreciate the subtle shifts in the landscape's geometry as you move through it. The Sunset Experience If you can, time your visit so you are there for the evening. The sunset time is so cool here. As the sun dips behind the mountains of Sapporo, the Glass Pyramid begins to glow, and the long shadows cast by Mt. Moere create a dramatic, almost alien-looking landscape. The view of the city lights beginning to twinkle in the distance from the top of the mountain is a memory you won’t soon forget. Final Verdict: Moerenuma Park is a masterpiece of modern art and environmental recovery. It is a peaceful, inspiring, and absolutely grand destination that proves beauty can grow from anywhere.

This park is was beautiful and has an interesting history, too. It was easy to get to from central Sapporo (coming from a first-time visitor). Plan to spend several hours scaling each of the hills for a great view, wander the grounds to experience the sculpture, and head inside the glass pyramid to see the gallery.

One of the best park in Sapporo. You can get the view of whole city from here. There is a prism shaped building there, it is free for you to go inside. Children have lots of area to play and people from any age group can enjoy there. I just loved the place.

The scenery was superb. One of the highlights of our trip. Its really just admiring the beauty of nature, you don't do much in here but just to take the beauty of the surroundings that takes you to a place like you are inside a painting.

Amazing experience. Can rent bikes cheap and easily onsite. Some amazing places and stops to look at in this quite large park. Would be hard to walk to everything here without a bike. Two decent mountains to climb up as well for nice views!

The best park i have ever been to! Noguchi designed this park with a playful touch. Its like walking into a dream world with geometry playgrounds and pyramid mountains. You can also rent a bike as the park is massive.

A contemporary park with elegant sculptural landscapes. The stroll was soothing. Visited in early November when the color was lovely but few attractions had already been closed for cooler months.

Visited this park in Sapporo during the summer, and I have to say I was amazed by its sheer scale. The place is incredibly vast, so I’d recommend setting aside at least a full day to explore—anything less would feel like a waste. The variety here is impressive: from the glass house to the pyramid, installations, and wide open spaces, there’s so much to see and experience. The glass house can get a bit hot in summer, but overall this park is truly a gem in Sapporo and well worth visiting, even in the warmer months.

A wide open park in the middle of a city! Plus free parking?! How wonderful! This park is extremely large and has so much to do. We went in the first week of June. Unfortunately, it was a little overcast, but we still had a wonderful time. There are tennis courts, a baseball field, art sculptures, a large water fountain show, the hill and the glass pyramid. I believe there is also a beach of some sort, according to one of the signs we saw. There are many paths around the park that are perfect for bike riding. We enjoyed our time listening to the birds and walking up the large hill. It is quite a sight from the top. We also ventured into the glass pyramid where there are nice restrooms and a fancy looking restaurant. We did not eat there, but it looked like a very nice setting. The water fountain area looked neat, but we just missed the show from up close. We saw the fountain going off while we were on top of the hill, but did not know how limited the showtimes were. See picture for showtimes; it must look beautiful at night. Overall, a wonderful park to take a break from the busy city! Clean crisp air and large open fields.

What Guggenheim is to Bilbao, Moerenuma is to Sapporo. What Gehry is to Gugenheim, Noguchi is to Moerenuma. Kind of true. Kind of not true.