Sapporo Clock Tower

The building was one of the earliest to be built in Sapporo, which was chosen as the new administrative center of Hokkaidō in 1868, the officially recognized year celebrated as the "birth" of the city.

The clock was installed in July 1881 by E. Howard & Co. (headed by a co-founder of what would eventually become the Waltham Watch Company) of Boston, Massachusetts, US., and was used on 12 August 1881.

In 1970, Sapporo Clock Tower was designated an Important Cultural Property,[1] and certified as Mechanical Engineering Heritage of Japan in 2009.

Another tower, Shinkorō (Ja辰鼓楼) located in Toyooka, Hyogo, was built in 1871 but was initially used to keep time via drum beats.

Viewing and photographing the building is very popular among visitors to Sapporo, and visiting it forms a part of many tours of the city.