Whole view of Sapporo! 「Mt.Moiwa」 the holly place for lovers and one of the three major night view spot in Japan.

Speaking of the night view of Hokkaido,「The Night View of Hakodate」 is the most famous one up to this day. But on October 9 2015, at the 「Night View Summit 2015 in Kobe」, one place in Hokkaido was selected as a one of the famous night view spot.

That place is 「Moiwa Mountain Observatory(Mt.Moiwa)」. 「Moiwa Mountain Observatory」 was the three major night view sport in Hokkaido, but at the 「Night View Summit 2015 in Kobe」, it was selected as a second beautiful night view spot in Japan after Nagasaki. Also it was certified as the three major night view in Japan. From the 「Moiwa Mountain Observatory」, you can see the panoramic view of Sapporo town and Ishikari plain.

Furthermore, 「Moiwa Mountain Observatory」 is also popular for the 「Holly place for Lovers」. There is a bell called 「Happiness Bell」 at the Observatory and it is said that ring this bell and fit up the padlock means 「The lovers never break up」. So today, it is popular date sport for lovers.

To go to the summit of Mt,Moiwa, you can take the mountain trail with plenty of nature or take 「Ropeway」 and 「Morisu Car」 which makes you feeling like walkig in the air.

So, we would like to introduce the features and facilities of 「Moiwa Mountain Observatory(Mt.Moiwa)）」.

Table of contents for this article

１，Basic and Practical information
２，Date Spot! The features of 「Moiwa Mountain Observatory」, one of the three major night view spot.
３，Photo of the night view from the 「Moiwa Mountain Observatory」
４，Amazing view! 「Moiwa Mountain Observatory」 from Sky
５，Comment from EnjoyJapan!
６，Access information
７，Tips and things to do around 「Moiwa Mountain Observatory」

１，Basic and Practical information

Basic information

Name： もいわ山展望台（藻岩山）
In English： Moiwa Mountain observatory
Prefecture： Hokkaido
Area： Douo area (around Sapporo)
Postal code： 005-0041
Address： Hokkaido Sapporo-shi Chuo-ku Fushimi 5-3-7
Telephone： 011-561-8177 ※Sapporo Mt.Moiwa Ropeway
Close： Open throughout the year
Ropeway operation hour：

・Summer time ：10:30～22:00 ※Last inbound ropeway at 21:30
・Winter time ：11:00～22:00 ※Last inbound ropeway at 21:30

Admission Fee： Free
Official web site：http://moiwa.sapporo-dc.co.jp/index.html

Practical information

Less than 10 min walk from a station： ☓
Free Wi-Fi： Unknown
Credit Card： Unknown
Accompanied with： friend／date／family／alone
Staff who can speak foreign language： Unknown
Smoking： Unknown
Parking： 〇 Free
Duration： 2 hours 〜
Other useful information：

・We don't recommend to go there in rainy day.
・Please check the more information about Ropeway service status.

２，Popular date spot! One of the new three major night view place「Moiwa Mountain Observatory（Mt.Moiwa)」

At the Moiwa Mountain Observatory, there are the Observation where you can see the whole view of Sapporo and 「Happiness Bell」, the popular date spot for lovers. And also there are lots of other attracting points, for example, Ropeway, Morisu Car, Restaurant, Star Hall, Souvenir Shop and Mount trail course. So we show the features of them.

The facilities of Moiwa Mountain Observatory

●Observatory, where you can see one of the new three major night view in Japan.



At first, we introduce its Observatory. The night view from 531m high is so amazing. Sapporo town is brightly shining with lights especially in sunny day. It is the panoramic view where you can see only from this observatory. Please enjoy this beautiful night view as long as you want.



Also, there is a famous date spot 「Happiness Bell」 at the observatory, it is called the holly place for lovers. You can fit up the padlock on the handrail surrounding the bell and lovers vow eternal love.



There are lots of padlocks and lots of love. By the way, you can buy the padlock at the 「Moimoi no Omise(shop)」 at half way up station or 「Star Hall」 at the Observatory.

●View Restaurant 「THE JEWELS」

This restaurant's location is the highest among the restaurants in Sapporo.
The glazed luxury restaurant gives the romantic space. You can enjoy dinner with the night view.

【View Restaurant 「THE JEWELS」 Open hour】

・Summer：

Open／11:00～21:00
Lunch time／11:30～14:30
Cafe time／14:30～17:00
Dinner time／17:00～20:00（LO 20:00）

・Winter：

Open／12:00～21:00
Lunch time／12:00～14:30
Cafe time／14:30～17:00
Dinner time／17:00～20:00（LO 20:00）

Address： Hokkaido Sapporo-shi Minami-ku Kitanozawa 1995
Telephone： 011-513-0531
Official web site：http://www.tgn.co.jp/hall/sapporo/jwlr/


●Star Hall (World top level Super Planetarium 「MEGASTAR-IIB」)

You can enjoy Super Planetarium 「MEGASTAR」, which is the best quality planetarium in the world. In general, at the planetarium, there are 6,000-30,000 stars on the screen but at the Star Hall, there are 5,000,000 stars.
,
・Price：

Adult (High School student or older)／¥700
Children (Jr.high School student or less)／¥400

・Show time：20 min
・Please check the more information at the official web site.

Official web site：http://www.megastar.jp/

●「MoiMoi no Omise」 the souvenir shop at Moiwa Halfway up station

At 「MoiMoi no Omise」,on the 2nd floor of Moiwa Halfway up station, you can buy the souvenir of Hokkaido and Sapporo. There are also lots of unique Moiwa Mountain goods too. Please check it out.

・Open：

Supper (4/1〜11/20)／10：30〜21：30
Winter (12/1〜3/31)／11：00〜21：30

Location： MoiMoi no Omise, at 2nd floor of Moiwa Halfway up station
Telephone： 011-518-8080

Vehicles at Moiwa Mountain Observatory

From Moiwa Sanroku(foot of mountain) station to Moiwa Sancho(summit of mountain) station, take the 「Ropeway」 and 「Morisu Car(Mini cable car)」.

●Ropeway



You can enjoy the view of Sapporo from in the Ropeway. Ropeway runs every 15 min from Moiwa Sanroku station to Chufuku station(Half way up station). It takes 5 min.



You can see the Autumn Leaves in Mt.Moiwa. It is popular Autumn Leaves spot in Sappporo.

【Ropeway operation hour】

・Summer time ：10:30～22:00 ※Last inbound ropeway at 21:30
・Winter time ：11:00～22:00 ※Last inbound ropeway at 21:30

●Morisu Car





Morisu Car runs every 15 min from Chufuku station to Sancho station and it takes 1 min 40 seconds.

●Price of Ropeway and Morisu Car

Example 1：
Ropeway ＋ Morisu Car (Mini Cable Car)

Moiwa Sanroku station→Moiwa Halfway up station→Moiwa Sancho station (Observatory)

Adult (Jr.high school student or older)／Round trip ¥1,700, One way ¥900
Children (Elementary school student or less)／Round trip ¥850, One way ¥450

Example 2：
Only Ropeway

Moiwa Sanroku station→Moiwa Chufuku station

Adult (Jr.high school student or older)／Round trip ¥1,100, One way ¥600
Children (Elementary school student or less)／Round trip ¥550, One way ¥300

Example 3：
Only Morisu Car (Mini cable car)

Moiwa Chufuku station→Moiwa Sancho station (Observatory)

Adult (Jr.high school student or older)／Round trip ¥600, One way ¥300
Children (Elementary school student or less)／Round trip ¥300, One way ¥150

Annual Passport is ¥2,800 for adult and ¥1,400 for children. So if you come more than 2 times, it is better to buy Annual Passport.

Nature and hiking at Mt.Moiwa

Mt.Moiwa is 531 m height and it is selected as the best 100 nature in Hokkaido. In north part of the forest, there is a Primeval forest designated as National Nature Treasure and you can enjoy nature season by season. Also you may can see the Natural Treasure birds and animals, like 「Kumagera(black woodpecker)」, 「Great tit」, 「Narcissus Flycatcher」,「Ezo squirrrel」, 「Ezo Red Fox」, 「Ural Owl」.

●Nature Trail, from Moiwa Nakahara station to Moiwa Sancho station


Source by： Sapporo Mt.Moiwa Ropeway official web site／http://moiwa.sapporo-dc.co.jp/

There is a 600m nature trail from Moiwa Nakahara station to Moiwa Sancho station, so you can enjoy walking and the beautiful scenery. It takes just 15 min so it is good for woman or children.

●Mt.Moiwa 5 hiking routes

There are 5 hiking routes at Mt.Moiwa and we show each routes. For the beginners, it is better to take Ropeway and Morisu Car for going up and take hiking trail for going down.

・Jikeikai hospital route

Trail Length／about 2.9km
Route／Starting point of a trail→（1.8km）→Uma no Se (horse back)→（1.1km）→Summit
Characteristic of this route／ This is the most popular hiking trail at Mt.Moiwa. The trail is good in condition so we can recommend this route to the beginners too.
Access／At the subway 「Maruyama Koen」 station, take the JR bus 「Loop line #10 or 11 bound for Ropeway line」 and get off at 「Jikei kai mae」 and walk 2 min.

・Asahiyama memorial park route

Trail Length／about 4.0km
Route／Starting point of a trail→(2.4km)→T6 Junction→(0.5km)→Uma no Se (horse back)→（1.1km）→Summit
Characteristic of this route／The starting point is near from Asahiyama memorial park. From the Uma no Se, this route is same as Jikeikai hospital route.
Access／At the subway 「Maruyama Park」, take the JR bus 「West 13 Asahiyama Park line」 and get off at 「Asahiyama Koen mae」 and walk 2 min.

・Mt.Moiwa Sky slope route
Trail Length／ about 2.5km
Route／Starting point of a trail→(2.5km)→Summit
Characteristic of this route／The foot of Mt.Moiwa Sky slope is the starting point and walk in the forest.
Access／At the JR Sapporo bus terminal, take the Jotetsu bus 「South 55 Moiwa line」 and get off at 「South 34 Josai 11 cho-me」 and walk 15 min.

・Kobayashi pass route

Trail Length／about 4.5km
Route／Starting point of a trail→(2.9km)→T6 Junction→(0.5km)→Uma no Se (horse back)→（1.1km）→Summit
Characteristic of this route／The starting point is Kobayashi pass, and it is popular for the beautiful autumn leaves. From the Uma no Se, this route is same as Jikeikai hospital rote.
Access／At the subway 「Makomanai」 station, take the Jotetsu bus 「South 97 Kitanosawa line」 and get off at 「Sansui danchi」 and walk 30 min.

・Kitanosawa route

Trail Length／2.4km
Route／Starting point of a trail→(1.3km)→Uma no Se (horse back)→（1.1km）→Summit
Characteristic of this route／This is the shortest route in Mt.Moiwa hiking route. This route is not so difficult.
Access／At the subway 「Makomanai」 station, take the Jotetsu bus 「South 97 Kitanosawa line」 and get off at 「Kitanosawa Kaikan mae」 and walk 15min.

３，Photo of the night view from 「Moiwa Mountain Observatory(Mt.Moiwa)」

The night view from Moiwa Mountain Observatory is very beautiful.



When I saw the view with my own eyes, I could understand why the night view from Mt.Moiwa was selected as a three major night view in Japan.



Now it gets popular for lovers, 「Happiness Bell」.


Hitsujiaoka Observation Hill


Sapporo Dome

The view of Hitsujiaoka Observation Hill and Sapporo Dome from Moiwa Mountain Observatory. You can see other sightseeing places from the Observatory in daytime. Even the huge Sapporo Dome looks smaller looking from the highest point of Sapporo.




Clouds cover the sun and the sun's ray peep through the clouds. It's called 「Crepuscular rays」.



The mountain is lush with green leaves, it is nice for hiking.



Mt. Moiwa looks different in each seasons.
In fall, the mountain is covered with beautiful autumn leaves.



Mt.Moiwa in white with snow.



「Morisu」 is a mascot of Mt.Moiwa.

４，So amazing! Looking 「Moiwa mountain Observatory」 from the Sky

This movie was taken in fall. You can see the Mt.Moiwa and the whole of Sapporo plain from the sky. This is special view which it not easy to see. Please enjoy the movie.

５，Comment from EnjoyJapan!

「You must see the view from Moiwa mountain Observatory which you can see the whole view of Sapporo and one of the three major night view in Japan!」. The view is so beautiful and fantastic. It is nice place for going out with your lover. Also if you want to enjoy nature please try hiking there and if you want to enjoy walking in the air please take Ropeway and Morisu Car. It is also fun to walk at the hiking trail from Moiwa Chufuku station to Sancho station. Actually, I climbed Mt.Moiwa for my first hiking in winter. There were lot of people who enjoy hiking even in weekday. in the weekend, the parking near from the Mountain will be full, so I suggest to go early or park the car at parking little be far. Mt. Moiwa is very nice place with plenty of nature near from Sapporo.

６，Access information

Postal code： 005-0041
Address： Hokkaido Sapporo-shi Chuo-ku Fushimi 5-3-7
Telephone： 011-561-8177 ※Sapporo Mt.Moiwa Ropeway
Transportation：

(Train) 20 min from Sapporo station

●Subway and Tram

Take the Sapporo subway south north line「Sapporo」station and get off at 「Odori」station, then take Tram at 「Teiryujo Nishi 4 cho-me」 or 「Susukino」and get off at 「Ropeway entrance」 and take free shuttle 5 min.

【Free Shuttle Timetable】

South 19 West15 → To Moiwa Sanroku station (PDF)
http://moiwa.sapporo-dc.co.jp/images/temp_2013/access/time_to_moiwa_summer.pdf

Moiwa Sanroku station → South 19 West 15(PDF)
http://moiwa.sapporo-dc.co.jp/images/temp_2013/access/time_from_moiwa_summer.pdf

(Bus) 20 min from station

Take subway south north line「Sapporo」station and get off at 「Maruyama Koen」station, then take JR Hokkaido Ropeway line 「Maruyama Koen mae」 and get off at 「Moiwa Sanroku」station.

※JR Hokkaido Bus Ropeway line「Junkanen 11」

Timetable at Maruyama Koen mae
▶http://www.busdia.com/polhtml/15401.html

Time table at Moiwa Sanroku station
▶http://www.busdia.com/polhtml/17282.html

(Car)

●Ropeway Sanroku

30 min from Sapporo city to 「Moiwa Sanroku」station

※There is a free parking at 「Mt.Moiwa Sanroku station」.

●Ropeway chufuku station

You can go until 「Mt.Moiwa Ropeway」 chufuku station.
Please take Moiwa Kanko motor way(charged).



Moiwa Kanko motor way
▶http://moiwa.sapporo-dc.co.jp/access/road.html

【Information (hours／price)】

・Open hour ※Close in winter

Open／Beginning of Apr 〜 End of Nov
Close／End of Nov 〜 Beginning of Apr

・Price

Car／¥660
Motor cycle ( over 125cc)／¥320
Micro Bus／¥1,340

７．Tips and things to do around 「Moiwa Mountain Obseｒvatory(Mt.Moiwa)」

※This information has being prepared.