When comparing Hakata vs Sapporo, the Slant community recommends Hakata for most people. In the question“What are the best cities to visit in Japan besides Tokyo and Kyoto?” Hakata is ranked 10th while Sapporo is ranked 12th. The most important reason people chose Hakata is:
Home of tonkotsu ramen, famous chains such as Ippudo and Ichiran originated from this city. Getting off the train, you can immediately smell the thick fragrance of pork broth all around the city.
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
Pro Capital of southern-style, pork-bone broth ramen
Home of tonkotsu ramen, famous chains such as Ippudo and Ichiran originated from this city. Getting off the train, you can immediately smell the thick fragrance of pork broth all around the city.
Pro Capital of nothern-style, miso-based ramen
There are two main styles of ramen in Japan, Hakata and Sapporo. For ramen-lovers, a visit to Sapporo for the northern-style ramen would go hand-in-hand with a visit to Hakata.
Pro Annual Snow Festival
The annual festival in February showcases hundreds of ice/snow sculptures. Some as small as a life-size pikachu, others are full-size illuminated light-show castles. Along with all the sculptures are music, food, and game events.
Cons
Con Not a lot of cultural attractions besides food
There are a lot of famous foods in Hakata: motsu nabe, tonkotsu ramen, mentaiko. While there's also a few shrines and gardens, Hakata is a fairly modern city and thus doesn't have a lot of traditional cultural attractions.
Con Can be very cold
Sapporo is the capital of Hokkaido, which is known for its snowy season. There are months where the sidewalks are on-and-off covered with snow.