Enjoy Sapporo Night View, Moiwayama, Mt.Moiwa

This place is written as [藻岩山] in Japanese.

Sapporo night view from Mt.Moiwayama is selected the best 3 night view of Japan in 2015. Hakodate night view is the world-wide famous one, but recently Sapporo night view is getting famous and popular by citizens and visitors. 

Hakodate night view, it has a beauty of the shape, this is definitely the best. But Sapporo night view could be more lightening, as its population, there are many of lights from cars, buildings, houses and so on. You should go to Mt.Moiwayama if you stay in Sapporo for that reason. It doesn’t let you down.

It is said that weekdays is better than weekend or holiday. Because there are more lights from office buildings. It will be nice that you go there before sunset. Enjoy Sapporo night view.

Moiwayama is located in the south-west area of Sapporo. From the top of Mt.Moiwa, 531m height,  it is a nice view of Sapporo downtown, Ishikari plane and the Sea of Japan far away. There is a ropeway to the top and a hiking course.

Mt.Moiwa was used to be called ‘Inkarushipe’ in Ainu, which means a place mounted for keep watching. That’s why this is a holy ground for Ainu people. It was said that they saw a lightening called ‘kamui shune’, God’s lightening, in the middle of the mountain. After Wajin(basically people from Honshu, now the Great Tokyo area, they could be a officer of the Meiji Government) coming in the Meiji era, they had misunderstood ‘Moiwa’ which means a small mountain in Ainu as ‘Inkarushipe’. Now, it is named Mt.Maruyama formerly called Moiwa by Ainu. That’s why ‘Inkarushipe’ has been called Mt.Moiwa by Wajin.

 Access to Mt.Moiwa

Streetcar

  • You take a streetcar at West 4 chome near Odori, right front of 4 Chome Plaza or Susukino.
  • Take a streetcar to Ropeway Iriguchi(ロプウェイ入口) and transfer a free shuttle bus for Moiwa Ropeway station.
  • Free shuttle buses are available every 15 minutes.

Subway + Bus

  • Take a Tozai line to Maruyama Koen(円山公園)
  • Transfer a JR Bus(循環円10 or 11) to Ropeway Iriguchi(ロプウェイ入口)
  • Walk 5 min to Moiwa Ropeway station

Car

parking available

Mount by car

check google map below

Ropeway Open Hours

  • Apr,1 to Nov,20: 10:30 – 22:00
  • Dec,1 to Mar,30: 11:00 – 22:00
  • Dec,31: 11:00 – 17:00
  • Jan,1 New Year Special for sunrise: 5:00 – 17:00

Closed Nov,21 to Nov,30 for maintenance.

Ropeway Fare

Handicapped persons’ fare cost half of below.

Ropeway + mini cable car(もーりすカー) : From the foot to the top of Mt.Moiwa

  • Adult: ¥1,700(round trip)
  • Child: ¥850(round trip)

Ropeway: From the foot to the middle of Mt.Moiwa

  • Adult: ¥1,100(round trip)
  • Child: ¥550(round trip)

Mini cable car: From the middle to the top of Mt.Moiwa

  • Adult: ¥600(round trip)
  • Child: ¥300(round trip)

Happy Birthday Discount Fare

This is a discount fare for a person coming in his/her birthday.

Ropeway + mini cable car round trip

  • Free: a person in question
  • Adult companions: ¥1,000
  • Child companions: ¥500