2026 Otomo Park Wading Pool / Water Channel: Full-Day Course

Otomo Park stands in Higashi Ward, Sapporo, in an area known as the birthplace of the city's settlement. The park's water play area, Otomo Park Wading Pool / Water Channel, is open from Friday, July 3 to Sunday, August 23, 2026, from 10:00 to 16:00, and use is free. It combines a wading pool shallow enough to walk across with a water channel that has a current, so children who like to sit still in the water and children who want to chase the flow can both be satisfied in the same place. There is combination play equipment as well, so it is easy to switch over and warm up on the equipment when little bodies get cold. For this day we set aside the morning to trace the history of Higashi Ward. First comes the Sapporo Village Local History Museum (札幌村郷土記念館), which holds materials on Otomo Kametaro (大友亀太郎), the man who opened up this area during the pioneer era and after whom the park is named. Lunch is at the red-brick Sapporo Factory, eaten at a relaxed pace while walking through the halls. In the afternoon, change into swimsuits and head back to Otomo Park. It is a day only Higashi Ward can offer, linking history with water play.