Canonical: https://staychapter.com/en/japan/sapporo/sapporo-underground-grand-nikko/ Language: en Content-Signal: search=yes, ai-input=yes, ai-train=yes Description: Compare underground entrances, station exits, exposed winter walking sections and room options at Sapporo Grand Hotel and JR Tower Hotel Nikko Sapporo. Author: hong seokho Published: 2026-10-30 Updated: 2026-11-05 # Sapporo Hotels with Underground Access: Grand or JR Tower Nikko? Compare underground entrances, station exits, exposed winter walking sections and room options at Sapporo Grand Hotel and JR Tower Hotel Nikko Sapporo. **hong seokho**Two-hotel comparisonEnglishSources checked 2026-10-30Updated 2026-11-05 This article contains affiliate links. ## Choose a hotel for this stay | Hotel | Why consider it | View rooms | | --- | --- | --- | | [![Exterior of Sapporo Grand Hotel]()]() **Sapporo Grand Hotel**[Hotel details in the guide]() | Check rooms and rates at Sapporo Grand Hotel | [View rooms]() | | [![JR Tower at night, home of JR Tower Hotel Nikko Sapporo]()]() **JR Tower Hotel Nikko Sapporo**[Hotel details in the guide]() | Check rooms and rates at JR Tower Hotel Nikko Sapporo | [View rooms]() | | [![JR East Hotel Mets Premier Sapporo · Hotel photograph 1]()]() **JR East Hotel Mets Premier Sapporo**[Hotel details in the guide]() | Room example 17 m² · Before choosing, confirm: hotel entrance, underground-passage hours and outdoor segments | [View rooms]() | | [![SOLARIA NISHITETSU HOTEL SAPPORO · Hotel photograph 1]()]() **SOLARIA NISHITETSU HOTEL SAPPORO**[Hotel details in the guide]() | Room example 26 m² · Before choosing, confirm: hotel entrance, underground-passage hours and outdoor segments | [View rooms]() | Affiliate advertising Searches for a “Sapporo hotel connected underground” often combine two different ideas: a hotel entrance beside an underground walkway and a hotel described as directly connected to the station. If you are arriving with a suitcase in winter, the difference can shape the final part of the trip. Sapporo Grand Hotel has a dedicated entrance beside Exit 8 of the Sapporo Ekimae-dori Underground Pedestrian Space. JR Tower Hotel Nikko Sapporo is inside JR Tower, but the hotel’s published JR route includes a short stretch outside the South Exit. Compare the route from your actual gate, not just the location pin. This guide is for travelers deciding between Sapporo Station and Odori. It looks at the underground approaches, the last surface section, and the room details that can affect the choice. Neither hotel promises that every step will be snow-free or that every route can be made with elevators only. Passage hours, construction, snow clearing, and entrance conditions can change. Check the current directions again close to your travel date, especially if you are carrying bulky bags or have a tight transfer. ## First, check which “Exit 8” the directions mean Sapporo Grand Hotel is at Kita 1 Nishi 4. Its official access page directs guests through the Sapporo Ekimae-dori Underground Pedestrian Space, commonly called Chi-Ka-Ho, to the hotel entrance beside Exit 8. This is not Exit 8 inside JR Sapporo Station. If you follow the number alone, you may search the station concourse when the hotel is pointing to the underground walkway exit and its own entrance. The hotel lists about a ten-minute walk from JR Sapporo Station and Sapporo Subway Station, and about five minutes from Odori Subway Station. These are useful orientation points; allow extra time for the route you will actually take and for your pace with luggage. JR Tower Hotel Nikko Sapporo is part of JR Tower, beside Sapporo Station. The hotel describes its location as approximately three minutes on foot from the East Ticket Gate and South Exit. Its step-by-step JR route, however, directs guests toward the South Exit, through the doors to the outside, then left and back into East Mall. “Connected to the station” describes the wider JR Tower complex. It does not mean that every approach stays indoors from the train platform to the hotel. The outdoor portion is brief in normal conditions, yet it can feel more important on a wet or snowy day when you are pulling a suitcase. ![Long corridor of the Sapporo Ekimae-dori underground pedestrian space, Chi-Ka-Ho]() Sapporo Ekimae-dori underground pedestrian space (Chi-Ka-Ho) ![A snowy underground shopping-area entrance in central Sapporo]() Snow at an underground shopping-area entrance in central Sapporo Subway travelers should check their line as well. Grand Hotel’s Chi-Ka-Ho approach can work from either Sapporo or Odori, which is helpful if your day includes both areas. Nikko’s official directions show different subway approaches: about three minutes from Sapporo Station on the Toho Line and about five minutes from the Namboku Line, with different gates and turns through the underground complex. If you have a large suitcase, are traveling with someone who walks more slowly, or need to plan a particular station entrance, open the directions for the line you will actually use. The broad phrase “underground access from Sapporo Station” does not make the final route the same for both hotels. ## Sapporo Grand Hotel: a defined Chi-Ka-Ho entrance and an Odori option Grand Hotel is worth considering if you want a clearly identified entrance from the underground pedestrian space and may move between Sapporo Station and Odori. Its official directions describe a route via Chi-Ka-Ho and list the station walk at about ten minutes. The hotel is not inside the JR station building, and its stated walking time is longer than Nikko’s. If the shortest walk from the JR gate is your first priority, account for that difference rather than assuming that an underground approach makes the properties equally close. Compare the building and room category, not only the hotel name. The hotel reopened its renovated Main Building rooms in July 2025 and publishes details by room type. For example, a Grand Classic Superior King Double is 26 m² with one 200 × 203 cm bed; a Superior Twin is 27 m² with two 120 × 203 cm beds. The gallery’s Main Building Superior King Double photo is one room example. Decide whether you need one wider bed or two separate beds, then match the building, exact room name, bed setup, and smoking status on the booking screen to the hotel’s current room details. ![Exterior of Sapporo Grand Hotel]() Sapporo Grand Hotel exterior ![Example of a Main Building Superior King Double room]() Main Building Superior King Double room example ![Interior corridor and lounge seating at Sapporo Grand Hotel]() Interior corridor and lounge seating Grand Hotel may fit an itinerary that uses Chi-Ka-Ho after arrival and includes both Sapporo and Odori. The hotel lists about a ten-minute walk from JR Sapporo Station, so compare that stated distance with Nikko if you want the shortest walk from the JR gate. **Check rooms and rates at Sapporo Grand Hotel** [Check on Agoda]() [Check on Trip.com]() ## JR Tower Hotel Nikko Sapporo: prioritize the station and an upper-floor room Nikko is easy to place on an itinerary built around JR Sapporo Station. The hotel occupies floors 23 to 34 of JR Tower, and its official access page gives an approximately three-minute walk from the JR East Ticket Gate and South Exit. The subway routes are not interchangeable. Directions from the Toho Line begin at the North Gate and point toward Exit 18. From the Namboku Line, the route goes through the North Gate and APIA Dome toward Sun Square and JR Tower. Check the page for the line you will actually ride rather than assuming that one station map covers both approaches. If you need to avoid an outdoor segment, read the JR route closely. It tells guests to go outside through the South Exit doors, turn left, and re-enter at East Mall. That is a short stretch in ordinary weather, but it can feel different with rolling luggage in blowing snow or on an icy day. Do not assume that each passage and entrance is open in the same way at every hour. The published directions also do not establish an elevator-only, fully step-free route. If you need that, confirm the practical route and available lifts with the hotel and station before booking. ![JR Tower at night, home of JR Tower Hotel Nikko Sapporo]() JR Tower at night, home of JR Tower Hotel Nikko Sapporo ![Example of a Moderate Double room with a panoramic view]() Moderate Double, non-smoking room example ![Lounge-style lobby at JR Tower Hotel Nikko Sapporo]() Hotel lobby lounge Nikko has 330 rooms between floors 23 and 34. A specific room type gives a more useful comparison than the fact that all rooms are high up. The official room page lists the Moderate Double at 24 m² with one 160 × 203 cm bed, and the Moderate Twin at 30 m² with two 120 × 203 cm beds. The gallery image of a non-smoking Moderate Double is one room example; it does not promise a particular direction or view. Choose bed count and floor area first, then check the exact category and view conditions on the booking screen. For an itinerary centered on JR Sapporo Station, Nikko may be easier to prioritize, but its room sizes and beds differ from Grand Hotel’s. Compare Grand’s 26 m² Superior King Double with a 200 × 203 cm bed if you prefer one wider bed; compare Nikko’s 24 m² Moderate Double if the station location and a 160 × 203 cm bed suit you. If two separate beds matter, look at Grand’s Superior Twin and Nikko’s Moderate Twin, including their listed areas and bed sizes. **Check rooms and rates at JR Tower Hotel Nikko Sapporo** [Check on Agoda]() [Check on Trip.com]() ## Which hotel fits the day you have planned? If you arrive from New Chitose Airport by JR, plan to eat or shop near Sapporo Station, and will continue by train, Nikko is an easy location to prioritize. If you expect to move between Sapporo Station and Odori and prefer following a marked underground walkway to a dedicated entrance, Grand Hotel may fit better. This is not a contest between the phrases “directly connected” and “underground access.” The practical question is which ticket gate you will use and which direction you expect to walk during the day. In winter, check the last few hundred metres instead of relying on the hotel name. For Grand, the reference point is the dedicated entrance beside Chi-Ka-Ho Exit 8. For Nikko, look at the approach into JR Tower and the outdoor portion in the published South Exit route. Both locations can reduce surface walking in central Sapporo, but neither removes station construction, walkway hours, snow clearing, or the conditions on your travel date. If you are traveling with a stroller, wheelchair, or bulky luggage, check the current route and elevator locations separately. ![Sapporo Station and JR Tower illuminated at night]() Sapporo Station and JR Tower at night ![Odori Park and the road around Sapporo TV Tower]() Odori Park and the area around TV Tower ![Roofline and clock faces of the Sapporo Clock Tower]() Sapporo Clock Tower exterior Still deciding between JR and bus from New Chitose Airport? Trip Fieldbook’s article [“From New Chitose Airport to Sapporo: choosing JR or bus and where to stay on arrival”]() covers the airport-to-city decision. Trip Fieldbook’s piece addresses that journey; this comparison begins after you reach Sapporo and focuses on the hotels’ entrances and rooms. For a general method of judging hotel location by arrival and return routes, continue with our [guide to choosing a hotel location](). To summarize the choice, start with Nikko if your plans focus on Sapporo Station and its 24 m² double or 30 m² twin suits your party. Start with Grand if you will also visit Odori and prefer to compare its 26 m² king double or 27 m² twin. Check the station gate you will use and the bed count and size on the exact room offer before you book. ## More hotels to consider These additional hotels broaden the comparison of locations and rooms. Conditions established for the hotels above do not carry over to another property. ### JR East Hotel Mets Premier Sapporo **Location:** 2-5-3 Kita7jo nishi Kita-ku. **Room example: 17 m²** · “Superior Single Separate Bath and Toilet for 2 People - Non-Smoking”. Enter your dates and party size, then match the exact room name on the booking page. **Before choosing, confirm:** hotel entrance, underground-passage hours and outdoor segments. ![JR East Hotel Mets Premier Sapporo · Hotel photograph 1]() JR East Hotel Mets Premier Sapporo · Hotel photograph 1 ![JR East Hotel Mets Premier Sapporo · Hotel photograph 2]() JR East Hotel Mets Premier Sapporo · Hotel photograph 2 ![JR East Hotel Mets Premier Sapporo · Hotel photograph 3]() JR East Hotel Mets Premier Sapporo · Hotel photograph 3 [JR East Hotel Mets Premier Sapporo · View rooms · Agoda ↗]() ### SOLARIA NISHITETSU HOTEL SAPPORO **Location:** CHUO-KU NORTH 4 WEST 5. **Room example: 26 m²** · “Hollywood Twin Room Non-Smoking”. Enter your dates and party size, then match the exact room name on the booking page. **Before choosing, confirm:** hotel entrance, underground-passage hours and outdoor segments. ![SOLARIA NISHITETSU HOTEL SAPPORO · Hotel photograph 1]() SOLARIA NISHITETSU HOTEL SAPPORO · Hotel photograph 1 ![SOLARIA NISHITETSU HOTEL SAPPORO · Hotel photograph 2]() SOLARIA NISHITETSU HOTEL SAPPORO · Hotel photograph 2 ![SOLARIA NISHITETSU HOTEL SAPPORO · Hotel photograph 3]() SOLARIA NISHITETSU HOTEL SAPPORO · Hotel photograph 3 [SOLARIA NISHITETSU HOTEL SAPPORO · View rooms · Agoda ↗]() ## Official information and references checked - [Sapporo Grand Hotel access]() · [room types and renovation information]() - [JR Tower Hotel Nikko JR access]() · [subway access by line]() · [accommodation overview]() - [Trip Fieldbook: New Chitose Airport to Sapporo]() - [Sapporo Grand Hotel Main Building renovation (English)]() - [JR Tower Hotel Nikko Moderate Double (English)]() - [JR Tower Hotel Nikko Moderate Twin (English)]() Photo credits· 5 - Sapporo Ekimae-dori underground pedestrian space (Chi-Ka-Ho)[663highland]() · [CC BY 2.5]() · Resized - Snow at an underground shopping-area entrance in central Sapporo[ノボホショコロトソ]() · [CC BY 4.0]() · Orientation corrected · Resized - Sapporo Station and JR Tower at night[掬茶]() · [CC BY-SA 4.0]() · Resized - Odori Park and the area around TV Tower[ノボホショコロトソ]() · [CC BY 4.0]() · Resized - Sapporo Clock Tower exterior[Tokoname3205]() · [CC BY-SA 4.0]() · Orientation corrected · Resized