Quietly telling the story of Hokkaido.

Red Brick Government Office

The Red Brick Government Office was completed in Meiji 21 (1888), when Sapporo's population was still only about 14,000. At the time of its construction, it was said to be one of the largest buildings in Japan. Naturally, there were no high-rises around it back then, so this massive brick building towering in the center of Sapporo must have projected an overwhelming presence visible from far away, burning itself into people's minds as a symbol of Hokkaido. It later went through the removal of its octagonal tower and a fire, before being restored to its original appearance in Showa 43 (1968) to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Hokkaido's development. The following year, it was designated a National Important Cultural Property.

It still serves today as the office of the Hokkaido government, but it also houses galleries, archives, and exhibition rooms related to Hokkaido's development, open to the public. The furnishings in the offices once used by successive directors and governors, along with the ornately decorated pillars, staircases, entrances, and windows, still seem to carry the hope and resolve felt during the era of Hokkaido's development. From the outside, the central octagonal tower draws the eye, but just below it sits a single red star — the "Star of the North," symbol of the Kaitakushi, also found on the Clock Tower, Hoheikan, and the Sapporo Beer Museum. And while the imposing east-facing front tends to leave the strongest impression, walk around to the west side and view it from behind, and you'll find two tall chimneys rising up, giving it an unexpectedly slender look — it's sometimes called a "beauty from behind."

Compared to the surrounding buildings, which keep changing with the times, it can't compete in novelty or height — but that hardly seems to matter. Firmly rooted in this spot, it seems to quietly watch over Sapporo's remarkable growth, and Hokkaido's ongoing development into an agricultural and tourism powerhouse.