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Sapporo Ski Jump

■Sapporo Okurayama Ski Jump

The Sapporo Okurayama Ski Jump was used as the Large Hill event stage in the 1972 Sapporo Winter Olympics. There had been a ski jump here since 1931, when a smaller facility was built with help from Crown Prince Yasuhito, the younger brother of Emperor Hirohito. For the Olympics, the ski jump was entirely rebuilt, becoming one of only a few (at the time) 90-meter jumps, with space set aside for 50,000 spectators.

The jump is still in regular use, and in fact was remodeled again in 1996 to reflect changes in the sport, including the now-famous use of the V-formation. It has also been covered in Astroturf, allowing a particularly insane breed of jumper to practice even when there’s no snow. In 2007, the Nordic World Ski Championship will put the ski jump on the world stage once again, at least for winter sports fans.

For visitors, a rope lift can carry you to the top of the jump (don’t worry, it will also carry you down again), where you’ll enjoy spectacular views of Sapporo and Ishikari Bay. The observation lounge is open even in winter, and if you’re lucky you’ll have a chance to see jumpers practicing. Even if the jump isn’t in use when you visit, just staring down the steep, narrow slope will change the way you watch the Winter Olympics forever. After you’ve returned to the bottom, you may want to check out the Winter Sports Museum, where you can make your own simulated ski jump (as well as simulated bobsleigh runs and ice hockey goalkeeping) in the museum’s Experience Zone. Just don’t try it right after you’ve had a big bowl of Sapporo ramen.

>>Access
Downtown of Sapporo ===(20 min. by taxi or car)===Okurayama

>>Open Hours
●Okurayama Passenger Lift
April 16th - April 30th: 9:00 - 17:00
May 1st - Oct. 31st: 8:30 -18:00
Nov. 1st - March 31st: 9:00 -17:00

●Sapporo Winter Museum
May 1st -Oct. 31st: 9:00 -18:00
Nov. 1st -April 30th: 9:30 -17:00

>>Holidays
Okurayama Passenger Lift: April 1st - 15th
Sapporo Winter Museum: No Holidays

>>Fee
●Okurayama Passenger Lift
Adult: 250 yen, Child: 150 yen (one way)

●Sapporo Winter Museum
Adult: 600 yen, Junior High and younger: Free

>>Website
Sapporo Development Corporation

■Sapporo Ramen

It’s almost unbelievable how obsessive ramen fans can be about their favorite bowls of noodles. Up and down the length of Japan, various regional versions of ramen spawn fiercely partisan factions, and for at least thirty years Sapporo ramen has been one of the heavy hitters. But what’s the difference?

Ramen is really just noodles in a broth, but variations between noodles and, especially, the soup can make two versions of the dish substantially different. Sapporo ramen is famous for its inclusion of miso in the broth, which can be pork or chicken based.

Sources disagree on the exact year that Sapporo ramen made its grand entrance, but everyone agrees that sometime between 1952 and 1962 Morita Omiya, owner of a restaurant called Aji-no-Sampei, dropped some ramen noodles into a soup of pork broth and miso (a salty, fermented soy paste) and decided he was onto something. Miso soup, of course, is one of Japan’s most basic dishes, and it’s amazing that no one had thought of doing this before. At any rate, Morita tinkered with the recipe and, when he knew he had a winner, put it on his menu and claimed his place in the ramen pantheon.

Today there are more than 1,000 ramen shops in Sapporo itself, and Sapporo ramen can be found on menus across Japan. Besides the miso base, another characteristic addition is butter and corn, two of Hokkaido’s most iconic products. It may take some getting used to, but once you’ve converted there ’s no turning back. Patty and Kevin, taking a cue from three Sapporo natives, went to Aji-no-Tokeidai, a local favorite. There’s also an alley tucked away in the Susukino drinking district called Ramen Yokocho that has dozens of ramen shops crowded together. Some noodle fans dismiss Ramen Yokocho as a tourist trap, but several of the shops are excellent. Just keep an eye out for the crowds, and don’t be afraid to wait for a seat. The shops with a lot of space at the counters are probably empty for a reason.

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　-Matt Mangham

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