Sapporo weather

August runs the highest averages in Sapporo, with typical daytime highs of 26°C (78°F). August hits 30C with high humidity; locals ride the Maruyama subway up to the beer garden or drink Sapporo Classic (only sold in Hokkaido) at Odori Park's summer beer terrace.

January brings the lowest averages, with daytime highs near -2°C (28°F). January averages -4C with two meters of snow; locals wear crampons on shoes and use the underground Chikagai passages to walk from Sapporo Station to Susukino without surfacing.

August typically records the highest monthly rainfall — around 187mm on average. September typhoon tails dump 100mm overnight; the Toyohira River swells and the Hokkaido shrine grounds close for windfall cleanup.

Sapporo, Japan has mild summers, freezing winters, moderate seasonal rainfall. Hokkaido has its own beer, dairy, and even its own convenience store chain — Seicomart — which no Honshu Japanese has heard of. The correct miso ramen order is at Sumire or Aji no Sanpei in the arcade north of Susukino, never at the tourist Ramen Yokocho. Locals eat 'Genghis Khan' (jingisukan) — grilled mutton on a domed skillet — at Daruma with the door closed even in summer because the smoke stains everything. You can read the detailed month-by-month breakdown on this page.