Shiroi Koibito Park

Shiroi Koibito - white lover - is a langue de chat biscuit with a white chocolate filling, made by Ishiya since 1976, and it is the standard souvenir brought back from Hokkaido, sold in tins in every airport and station on the island. The company built this around the factory in Sapporo's western suburbs: a red brick complex with a clock tower, gabled roofs, a rose garden and a courtyard, done in a mock English idiom that is unapologetic about being a confection. The point of the visit is the corridor of glass along the production line, where the biscuits are baked, filled, cooled and packed in front of you at speed. There is a chocolate museum, a workshop where you decorate a large heart-shaped biscuit, a cafe, and mechanical figures that perform on the hour. It is aimed at families and it does that job well.

What you actually see

• The production line - biscuits baked, filled and packed behind glass at speed.
• A mock English village - red brick, a clock tower and gardens around the factory.
• A decorating workshop - visitors icing a large heart-shaped biscuit.
• Hourly mechanical figures - performing on the clock tower and in the courtyard.

When to go

All year; the rose garden in summer. Two to three hours.

Honest expectations

The production line does not run at weekends or on some holidays - check before going for that. Entry to the factory zone is charged. It is squarely a family attraction. The workshop needs booking in busy periods.

Nearby

Sapporo city centre is east; Mount Moiwa is south-east.