Sapporo Shiryokan (Former Sapporo Court of Appeal)
Renaissance-style courthouse of hand-carved volcanic soft stone, its old criminal courtroom preserved inside.
Location
About this audio guide
This guide to the Sapporo Shiryokan, the former Sapporo Court of Appeal, in Sapporo starts with masons quarrying soft volcanic stone by hand at Ishiyama, rock that built half the city's warehouses before it went into this 1926 courthouse. It follows the Renaissance-style facade and the courtroom inside, where judges in black robes once decided the fates of Hokkaido's early settlers. You'll hear how the building avoided demolition when the high court moved out in 1973. Look up at the staircase spiraling beneath its stained glass on your way in.
This audio guide was created using AI.
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