When comparing Onomichi vs Sapporo, the Slant community recommends Onomichi for most people. In the question“What are the best cities to visit in Japan besides Tokyo and Kyoto?” Onomichi is ranked 1st while Sapporo is ranked 12th. The most important reason people chose Onomichi is:
There are several walking paths that take you through the hills, past many interesting sites and nice views of the city.
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Pros
Pro Nice walking paths
There are several walking paths that take you through the hills, past many interesting sites and nice views of the city.
Pro Friendly street cats
Pro Easily accessible by train
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 Is a tourist town, but for locals and not foreigners
Onomichi has lots of locals living in it, but it's definitely a popular place for Japanese locals to visit. From that perspective, it's still interesting for a foreigner, but has some of the same drawbacks as the standard touristy cities.
Con Very little English communication
Most signs are Japanese-only, and very few locals speak any English at all.
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.