Wender·Vista
Sapporo
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileJapan
in Hokkaido, where Honshu's winter blows past and keeps going

Sapporo

— — the grid the snow keeps redrawing.

— Where it lives

Not only on a wall.

A small tile on the nightstand catching the morning. A larger one above the fire. Yours, wherever you spend the slow hours.
— On the nightstand, a 6-inch on a walnut stand
— Among the books, a 6-inch leaning into the spines
— Beside the kettle, a 12-inch propped
— Down a quiet hall, an 18-inch floating off the wall
— Above the fire, the 24-inch in a walnut surround
— a note from the studio

“Sapporo sits in the centre of Hokkaido, laid out on a north-south grid the Meiji planners borrowed from American railway towns. Odori Park runs straight through the middle, a green ribbon that becomes the spine of the Snow Festival each February when ice sculptors fill it end to end. North of the city, Moiwa's chairlift climbs into older forest.

from the studio
Sapporo
— bring it home

Sapporo, on ceramic.

Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.

What kind of piece?
One tile — square or rectangle.
How big?
the popular one — counter, shelf, nightstand
6 × 6 in · 15 cm · 1.6 lb
Surface finish
A clear glossy finish — the artwork reads as if under resin. Ideal for show-pieces and framed wall art.
How it sits
A hidden cleat — sits ¼″ proud of the wall.
$58
Hand-finished and shipped from our studio at the foot of the Smokies. On your wall in about ten days.
— size
6 × 6 in
15 cm
— weighs
1.6 lb
solid in the hand
— surface
ceramic, hand-finished
art rests beneath a thin glossy finish
— from
Knoxville, TN
our family studio, at the foot of the Smokies
— start a Coaster Set

Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.

— about Sapporo

The place, in three passes.

A little of what's known, in case you fall down the rabbit hole — or want to go see it yourself.
— the place

Sapporo is the capital of Hokkaido and Japan's fifth-largest city, holding roughly 1.97 million people. The city was founded in 1869 during the Meiji government's settlement of the northern island, laid out on a north-south grid by American advisors including Horace Capron. That plan makes it visually unlike older Japanese cities. Odori Park, the central east-west boulevard, runs about 1.5 kilometres through the downtown. The 1972 Winter Olympics were held here, the first Winter Games staged in Asia.

— the season

The Sapporo Snow Festival, Yuki Matsuri, has run every February since 1950, when local high-school students built six snow statues in Odori Park. The modern festival fills Odori, the Susukino entertainment district, and the Tsudome venue for roughly a week, with sculptures reaching several stories tall built by the Japan Self-Defense Forces among others. Attendance has reached around 2 million visitors at its peak. Average February temperatures in Sapporo sit near minus 4°C, with snow already deep on the ground.

— the visit

Most visitors arrive at New Chitose Airport about 45 kilometres south, connected to the city by a rapid train running in about 37 minutes. Within the city the subway opened in time for the 1972 Olympics and now covers three lines. Moiwayama, on the southwest edge, has a ropeway running to a summit observation deck at 531 metres; the night view from there has been ranked among Japan's three best, with Nagasaki and Kobe. The Sapporo Beer Museum, in a brick malt house from 1890, is free to enter.

— where
Japan · Sapporo, Hokkaido
— elevation
19 m · 62 ft
— position
43.0621° N · 141.3544° E
— the neighborhood

What's nearby.

A handful of named places within an hour's walk or short drive. Some we've already painted; some we will.
1 km N
Odori Park
central park
5 km SW
Mount Moiwa
ropeway summit
2 km NE
Sapporo Beer Museum
brewing museum
N
Sapporo
Odori Park
Mount Moiwa
Sapporo Beer Museum
— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Sapporo — and about bringing the piece home.
— about the place

Meiji planners hired American advisors during the settlement of Hokkaido in the 1870s. The grid follows the same rectilinear plan used in railway-era American towns rather than older Japanese castle-town patterns.

A week-long festival held every February since 1950. Snow and ice sculptures, some several stories tall, fill Odori Park and other venues; attendance has reached around 2 million visitors.

February for the Snow Festival and winter sports; June for the Yosakoi Soran dance festival and mild weather. Hokkaido is also Japan's main destination for late-blooming sakura, usually in early May.

Yes, the 1972 Winter Olympics, the first Winter Games held in Asia. The subway system was built for the games, and the Okurayama ski jump from that year is still in use as a training venue.

Sapporo Beer, brewed in the city since 1876 and the oldest beer brand in Japan; miso ramen, which originated here in the 1950s; and the surrounding Hokkaido seafood and dairy.

— about the piece in your home

Reads well for someone from Hokkaido, who skied in Niseko, or attended the Snow Festival. The Medium with a handwritten note works as a clear gesture; the Large for a more permanent piece.

The cool palette settles into Japandi, Scandinavian-modern, and minimalist-Asian interiors. It also reads against warmer wood-heavy rooms where you want a single cold counterpoint.

A single Large reads from across the room; a 4-tile Mural fills a wider wall; a 9-tile Mural commits the full wall. Most customers begin with the Large.

Yes, in Dura Satin or Matte. Both finishes handle steam and scratch. Glossy is intended for framed display, not for vertical wet-room install.

Microfibre cloth, dry or barely damp with water. The colour is bonded into the ceramic surface; no solvents are needed and abrasives should be avoided.

— if this one stayed with you

A few you might also love.

Hand-picked by the eye that found Sorapis. Same air, same kind of quiet.