Moerenuma Park
An Isamu Noguchi park with a 52-meter hill and a shallow summer beach.
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Moerenuma Park
SaveAn Isamu Noguchi park with a 52-meter hill and a shallow summer beach.
A shallow water play area, built for Sapporo children with no sea nearby, opens only in summer.
MoreWhat kind of place
This was where Sapporo put its garbage: about 2.7 million tons went into the ground here between 1979 and 1990.
The park built on top covers about 470 acres counting the lake, and Moere Hill rises 170 feet above the flat land around it.
Moere Beach, the shallow pool in the park, was made as a place to play in the water for Sapporo children with no sea nearby.
Isamu Noguchi, who designed the park, decided the shape of that pool himself, cutting the outline out of paper with scissors.
Sources and evidence (19)
- The address is 1-1 Moerenuma Koen, Higashi-ku, Sapporo, and the phone number is 011-790-1231, with the baseball field on its own line, 011-788-8192.source
- Wheelchairs are free too, with ten at the Glass Pyramid, four at the cycle rental, one at the Field House and five at the baseball field.source
- The cycle rental and the rest area beside it only lend equipment in the summer season, April 29 to November 3; in winter you borrow at the Glass Pyramid.source
- A small locker is 34 cm wide, 36 high and 42 deep — about 13 by 14 by 17 inches; a medium is 52 by 56 by 56 cm (20 by 22 by 22 inches) and a large 52 by 86 by 56 cm (20 by 34 by 22 inches).source
- AEDs are kept in three places: the management office in the Glass Pyramid, the Field House beside the tennis courts, and the lifeguard hut at Moere Beach.source
- P1, the 1,200-space lot, opens only from April 20 to November 20, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., and is shut in winter.source
- Two lots stay open in winter: P2, the 100-space lot attached to the Glass Pyramid, open 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. year round, and P3. P4 runs only from April 20 to November 20.source
- P3 closes from December 29 to January 3, and runs 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the winter season, November 21 to April 19.source
- Moere Beach covers about half an acre and is 18 inches (45 cm) deep at its deepest point.source
- In winter the snow closes the water features and puts the play structures out of use, but a cross-country ski course opens and you can sled on Moere Hill and Play Mountain, neither of which has a lift.source
- A child in the seat has to be able to hold on to the handle and weigh under 44 pounds (20 kg), which works out to about two years old and up.source
- Foxes live in the park, and to avoid echinococcosis, a parasite they carry, you must not feed them, call them over or touch them.source
- During the crow breeding season, up to around June, they come at your head from behind, so if one goes for you, shield the back of your head with an umbrella or a bag and walk away without shouting.source
- Tick bites are reported in Hokkaido as well, and the park is grassland, so keep skin covered.source
- The day after a typhoon or a windstorm, trees can come down, so stay away from any that looks ready to fall.source
- The park stands on a former garbage site where about 2.7 million tons were buried between 1979 and 1990.source
- Counting the lake, the park covers about 470 acres (188.8 hectares), or roughly 34 Sapporo Domes.source
- Moere Hill stands about 200 feet (62 m) above sea level and 170 feet (52 m) above the ground around it.source
- Moere Beach was made as a place to play in the water for Sapporo children with no sea nearby, and Isamu Noguchi decided the shape of the pool himself, cutting it out of paper with scissors.source
With kidsThe part that matters
Coming by taxi, tell the driver to enter through the east gate on the Sankakuten-dori side, and the car can pull up at P2 right beside the Glass Pyramid.
From the bus stop it is a 15-minute walk to the pyramid and 23 minutes to the play structures at Sakura no Mori, so the taxi puts you at the door instead of at the start of that walk.
Strollers are free at the information counter on the pyramid's first floor, but there are only four and they cannot be reserved, so ask as soon as you are inside; the cycle rental keeps two more if those have gone.
The play structures at Sakura no Mori, the 170-foot hill and the paths make a full day on their own, and the shallow water area opens on top of that from mid-June to early September, every day but Thursday.
A lap of the park takes an hour and a half to two hours, and the outer path — 2.3 miles (3.75 km) — is flat the whole way, so you can walk it pushing a stroller.
Sources and evidence (5)
- Subway Toho Line to Kanjodori-higashi, then bus 69 or 79 to the east gate: 25 minutes, 240 yen, two an hour.source
- A Sapporo mother with a two-year-old: play gear too big for toddlers, toilets far away, and you will want a rented bike.source
- A walk round the Sakura Forest play pieces one by one. Moere Mountain has five routes up, about ten minutes for a child.source
- One winter visitor found Moere Mountain closed after cracks opened in the snow. The sea fountain runs only at set times.source
- Sleds, skis and snowshoes are 500 yen each inside the Glass Pyramid, boots 300; in winter the open parking lot is P2.source
By age0-1 / 2-3 / 4-6
- Ages 0-1The outer path is flat and about 3.75 km around, so you can push a stroller the whole loop (1.5 to 2 hours). Moere Beach is 45 cm deep at its deepest, and a child not yet out of diapers can get in wearing swim diapers.Strollers are free to borrow: four at the general information desk on the 1st floor of the Glass Pyramid and two at the bicycle rental. They cannot be reserved, so it is first come, first served. Swim diapers are required for a child still in diapers. Moere Beach is open June 15 to September 2, 10:00-16:00, closed Thursdays.
- Ages 2-3The play equipment in Sakura no Mori is there for them. For getting around, 20 rental bicycles have a child seat (150 yen an hour); a child can ride in one once they can hold the handle and weigh under 20 kg, roughly from age 2. Moere Beach is 45 cm at its deepest, so a child who can stand walks into the water on their own.From the Moerenuma Koen Higashiguchi bus stop it is a 23-minute walk to the Sakura no Mori play equipment and 24 minutes to Moere Beach, so borrow a free stroller or a bicycle if that is too far. Wash your shoes at the washing area before entering Moere Beach. Foxes live in the park, so do not feed them, call them over, or touch them.
- Ages 4-6Rental bicycles are free for children below elementary-school age, as long as they are tall enough to ride one. Moere Mountain rises 52 meters above the ground and has no lift, so they climb it on their own feet. In winter, that same Moere Mountain and Play Mountain become sledding hills.One lap of the 3.75 km outer path takes 1.5 to 2 hours, so plan water and rest stops if you walk it. The sea fountain runs three or four times a day (13:15 and 16:00 on weekdays; 10:30, 13:15, and 16:00 on weekends and holidays), so time your visit around it. High-voltage lines cross the park and the wind is strong, so kites and radio-controlled models are prohibited.
By weatherRain, heat, cold
- Rainy dayThe draws are outdoors: the flat perimeter path of about 3.75 km, the play equipment in Sakura no Mori, the 52-meter-high Moere Mountain, and the Moere Beach water play area. The indoor building is the Glass Pyramid (9:00-18:00, closed the first Monday of each month).
- Hot dayNot checked yet
- Cold dayNot checked yet
Time needed1.5–2 h
How was it with your kids?
Not greatGreat
- ElevatorElevator：with conditionsconditions
- Stroller OKStroller friendly：with conditionsconditions
- RentalStroller rental：not checked
- NursingNursing space：not checked
- ChangingDiaper changing table：not checked
- Family WCFamily restroom：with conditionsconditions
- Own foodOutside food allowed：not checked
- EnglishEnglish support：not checked
* Other not checked (7)
Diaper disposal bin, Kids' toilet seat & step stool, Official family-friendly certification, Best-fit ages (guide), Crowding (guide), Quietness (guide), Lost-child support
Green = we confirmed it. Gray = not checked yet. Gray with a line through = the place does not have it.
Worth a look before you go
Guide
Subway Toho Line to Kanjodori-higashi, then bus 69 or 79 to the east gate: 25 minutes, 240 yen, two an hour.
Moerenuma Park - Sapporo Travel
Japanese · opens translatedFirst-hand
A Sapporo mother with a two-year-old: play gear too big for toddlers, toilets far away, and you will want a rented bike.
Is Moerenuma Park really nothing but space? An honest review from a local mother who took her child
Japanese · opens translatedFirst-hand
A walk round the Sakura Forest play pieces one by one. Moere Mountain has five routes up, about ten minutes for a child.
The play equipment at Moerenuma Park is almost too beautiful, plus Moere Mountain and the Glass Pyramid
Japanese · opens translatedFirst-hand
One winter visitor found Moere Mountain closed after cracks opened in the snow. The sea fountain runs only at set times.
Moerenuma Park: reviews, access and what is nearby (Sapporo)
Japanese · opens translatedFirst-hand
Sleds, skis and snowshoes are 500 yen each inside the Glass Pyramid, boots 300; in winter the open parking lot is P2.
Winter at Moerenuma Park in Sapporo turned out to be the best place for sledding and cross-country skiing
Moerenuma Park · Links & reads ▾
Where to go next
- Sapporo Beer GardenBeer hall & Genghis Khan lamb barbecueStroller friendlyNursing spaceDiaper changing table7.2 kmGenghis Khan lamb and beer in five restaurants around a red-brick Hokkaido Heritage hall.
- Sapporo KanihonkeCrab kaiseki restaurantElevator8.4 kmA long-established crab kaiseki restaurant by Sapporo Station, the only branch left in Hokkaido.
- Nemuro Hanamaru Kaiten SushiConveyor-belt sushiStroller friendlyFamily restroom8.3 kmA conveyor-belt sushi chain serving Nemuro-caught fish, with seven branches in Sapporo.
- Sapporo Beer GardenBeer hall & Genghis Khan lamb barbecueStroller friendlyNursing spaceDiaper changing table7.2 kmGenghis Khan lamb and beer in five restaurants around a red-brick Hokkaido Heritage hall.
- Sapporo KanihonkeCrab kaiseki restaurantElevator8.4 kmA long-established crab kaiseki restaurant by Sapporo Station, the only branch left in Hokkaido.
- Nemuro Hanamaru Kaiten SushiConveyor-belt sushiStroller friendlyFamily restroom8.3 kmA conveyor-belt sushi chain serving Nemuro-caught fish, with seven branches in Sapporo.
Where it is
Moerenuma Koen 1-1, Higashi-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido 007-0011source2
Before you go
- Strollers and wheelchairs cannot be reserved, so they go to whoever gets there first.source
- Swimsuits are required at Moere Beach, and a child who is not out of diapers has to wear swim diapers.source
- Before going into Moere Beach you wash your shoes at the washing area, and pets cannot come in.source
- Power lines cross parts of the park and the wind is strong, so kites and radio-controlled models are banned, as is carrying long objects around.source
- Dogs can walk the paths on a leash six feet (2 m) or shorter but cannot go onto the restricted lawn areas, and the Glass Pyramid and Moere Beach take no pets at all.source
Basics
- Fee: Strollers and wheelchairs are lent free. What costs money: hire bikes at 100 yen an hour (200 for two), 150/300 with a child seat, 400/800 for an electric one and 600/1,200 for an electric with a child seat; coin lockers at 100, 200 or 300 yen. Bikes are free for anyone 65 or over and for children below school age who are tall enough to ride.source2
- Hours: The park itself is open 7:00-22:00 all year, but the things inside it are not. The east gate runs 7:00-22:00 with last entry at 21:00, while the west and south gates shut at 19:00. The Glass Pyramid is 9:00-18:00, closed the first Monday of each month. Moere Beach runs 15 June to 2 September 2026, 10:00-16:00, closed Thursdays. The sea fountain plays three or four times a day from 29 April to mid-October. Hire bikes run 25 April to 3 November. In winter the water features and the play equipment are out of use, and cross-country ski trails and sledding hills take their place.source23
- Time to allow: 1.5–2 hsource
- Booking: Nothing needs booking. Strollers and wheelchairs are lent free at the Glass Pyramid information desk and at the rental cycle hut, but cannot be reserved - they go in the order people arrive. Hire bikes need a filled-in slip and photo ID at the counter.source2
Basics in detail (19)
- The park itself is open 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. with no closed days, though each facility inside has its own.source
- The east gate is open 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., with last entry at 9 p.m., while the west and south gates close at 7 p.m.source
- The Glass Pyramid is open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and closes on the first Monday of every month.source
- Moere Beach is open from June 15 to September 2, 2026, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and closes on Thursdays.source
- The Sea Fountain runs in the summer season, April 29 to mid-October, three or four times a day: at 1:15 and 4 p.m. on weekdays, and at 10:30 a.m., 1:15 p.m. and 4 p.m. on weekends and holidays.source
- Cycle rental is open 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. from April 25 to October 15, 2026, and 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. from October 16 to November 3, with the last bikes going out an hour before closing.source
- Coin lockers stand next to the shop on the first floor of the Glass Pyramid and in the rest area by the cycle rental, at 100 yen for a small one, 200 for a medium and 300 for a large.source
- From New Chitose Airport the JR Rapid Airport train reaches Sapporo Station in about 40 minutes for 1,230 yen for an adult and 610 for a child, and from there you change to the subway and a bus.source
- A regular bike costs 100 yen for an hour and 200 for two, and an electric-assist one 400 and 800 yen.source
- There are 20 bikes with a child seat at 150 yen an hour or 300 for two hours, and three electric-assist ones with a child seat at 600 or 1,200.source
- Renting a bike means filling in a form and showing ID, and it is free for riders 65 and over and for children under school age who are tall enough to ride.source
- Coming by taxi, tell the driver to enter through the east gate on the Sankakuten-dori side, which lets the car reach P2 beside the Glass Pyramid.source
- If you want the rental bikes, have the taxi drop you at the P1 lot instead, because the Glass Pyramid does not rent them.source
- From the Moerenuma Koen Higashiguchi bus stop it is 15 minutes on foot to the Glass Pyramid, 24 to Moere Beach and 23 to the play structures at Sakura no Mori.source
- The seasonal bus stops at a temporary stop called Moerenuma Koen, which is closer in: 10 minutes on foot to the Glass Pyramid and 18 to Moere Beach.source
- That seasonal bus runs from April 25 to November 3, 2026, on weekends and holidays, and every day from July 27 to August 20, leaving from Kanjodori-Higashi Station, the Odori Bus Center and Asabu Station among others.source
- The year-round option is city bus route Higashi 69 from Kanjodori-Higashi Station on the Toho subway line, getting off at Moerenuma Koen Higashiguchi.source
- Sapporo Satoland next door is about a 30-minute walk from the Glass Pyramid at adult pace, which is a long way to walk.source
- One lap of the park takes an hour and a half to two hours.source
Once you've decided
evidence & sources (5)
- Official: Family restroom, Elevator, Stroller access notes
- Official: Indoor / outdoor
- Official: Stroller access notes
- Official: Stroller friendly
- Official: Stroller access notes
Isamu Noguchi died in December 1988, just after finishing the model, and others carried his plan through. The water play area runs mid-June to early September and is nowhere deeper than 45 centimeters. In winter the water and the play equipment close, and sled hills and cross-country ski trails take over. The outer path is a flat 3.75 kilometers, and one lap on foot takes 90 minutes to two hours. The Glass Pyramid's first-floor desk lends four strollers; they cannot be reserved and go in order of arrival.
| Stroller friendly | Yes | Strollers are lent free: 4 at the Glass Pyramid first-floor desk, 2 at the rental cycle hut (the hut only from 29 April to 3 November). They cannot be reserved. The outer path is 3.75 km and flat. | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | moerenumapark.jp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diaper changing table | Not checked yet | ||||
| Nursing space | Not checked yet | ||||
| Family restroom | Yes | Every toilet block in the park except the one at the Music Shell has a wheelchair-accessible toilet. | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | moerenumapark.jp12 |
| Diaper disposal bin | Not checked yet | ||||
| Kids' toilet seat & step stool | Not checked yet | ||||
| Elevator | Yes | The Glass Pyramid has a lift that goes up to the roof. | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | moerenumapark.jp |
| Indoor / outdoor | Indoor & outdoor | Almost all of the 188.8 hectares is outdoors. The Glass Pyramid is the indoor building, open 9:00-18:00 and closed the first Monday of each month. | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | moerenumapark.jp |
| Outside food allowed | Not checked yet | ||||
| English support | Not checked yet | ||||
| Official family-friendly certificationExtra info — guide only | Not checked yet | ||||
| Best-fit ages (guide)Extra info — guide only | Not checked yet | ||||
| Crowding (guide)Extra info — guide only | Not checked yet | ||||
| Quietness (guide)Extra info — guide only | Not checked yet | ||||
| Lost-child supportExtra info — guide only | Not checked yet | ||||
| Stroller access notesExtra info — guide only | Yes | By taxi, tell the driver to come in through the east gate on Sankakuten-dori; that reaches P2 next to the Glass Pyramid, the one parking lot open all year (100 spaces, 7:00-22:00). The 1,200-space P1 and P4 only open 20 April to 20 November. Accessible bays: 18 at P1, 10 at P2, 2 each at P3 and P4. By bus, the year-round stop Moerenuma Koen Higashiguchi is a 15-minute walk from the Glass Pyramid and 24 minutes from Moere Beach; the seasonal buses (weekends and holidays 25 April to 3 November, daily 27 July to 20 August) stop closer, 10 and 18 minutes. There are foxes in the park, and echinococcosis is the reason not to feed or touch them; ticks, wasps, falling branches and overhead power lines are also warned about. | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | moerenumapark.jp123 |