Hokkaido Highlights: Red Brick Building

Earlier this year, Japan Society and the Government of Hokkaido hosted a special evening in NYC focused on Hokkaido tourism, culture and food. Based on the strong response to this event, we’re excited to present a series of blog posts diving deeper into Japan’s northernmost island. Please enjoy exploring Hokkaido Highlights with us.

One of Hokkaido’s most iconic buildings is the "Red Brick Building" located in Hokkaido’s capital, Sapporo. This building was originally constructed in 1888, just two years after the establishment of the Hokkaido Government. And while built to serve as a Japanese government office, the building’s design was actually inspired by the United States.

It was designed by Seijiro Hirai, who was chosen to study abroad as part of the first group of Japanese students sent to the U.S. by the Ministry of Education. Hirai attended the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York, the oldest technical university in the United States. While at RPI, he deeply studied American trends and styles, and after returning to Japan, he designed the Red Brick Building in a Neo-Baroque style and modeled it after the Massachusetts State House. The goal was to capture the grandeur and theatricality of 17th-century Baroque architecture combined with modern materials and construction techniques, together expressing strength and power – something the Red Brick Building continues to do today.

Indeed, the Red Brick Building is said to be the oldest surviving large-scale Western-style brick building in Japan. It was built with bricks produced in Hokkaido, rare at the time, using roughly 2.5 million bricks in its construction, and when finished, it was one of the tallest buildings in Japan. While no longer a governmental building, it remains a landmark and an important part of Hokkaido.

The building was listed as one of Japan’s National Important Cultural Properties in 1969 and has gone through three major renovations since its original construction. Currently, the building is home to an exhibition room that displays a large panoramic video of the natural scenery of Hokkaido’s parks, as well as displays of local products and crafts from Hokkaido’s 179 cities, towns and villages. Tourist guides help visitors around the facility, which features a restaurant serving Hokkaido foods, gift shop offering an exclusive edition of Hokkaido’s famous "Shiroi Koibito" sweets and recently the former Director-General’s/Governor’s Office has been restored and opened to the public, offering a look at how the room appeared in the Meiji Era.

The Red Brick Building is located just a short walk from additional destinations including the Hokkaido Museum of Modern Art, Hokkaido Botanic Garden, Odori Park and Sapporo TV Tower. We hope you make the Red Brick Building one of your first stops in Hokkaido, and we look forward to presenting you with additional destinations and recommendations in future Hokkaido Highlights articles.

Address: Kita 3-jo Nishi 6-chome 1, Chuo-ku, Sapporo

Website: https://www.hokkaido-redbrick.jp/en/

The Hokkaido Highlights series is written in collaboration with the Government of Hokkaido.