Photo Check-In

The group strolled forward along the park in front of the station. The sidewalk beneath their feet was clean and tidy, and before long, an iconic clock tower came into view at the street corner ahead.

The Sapporo Clock Tower stood at the end of the park, a retro Western-style building two stories high. Its exterior walls bore the mottled traces of time, while a huge round clock was set into the tall tower at its center.

A low white fence surrounded the clock tower, with neatly trimmed shrubs planted along it. Snow had piled on their branches like fluffy balls of cotton candy.

"Wow, so this is the Sapporo Clock Tower!"

Kushida Kikyo was the first to quicken her pace and head over to the fence. She examined the red-brick building before her, her voice carrying a hint of novelty. "It looks a little smaller than it did in the photos, but it's so retro and pretty. This kind of building has such a nice atmosphere."

As she spoke, she took out her phone and kept snapping pictures of the clock tower from every angle. Sometimes she aimed at the clock face, sometimes at the roof, letting out little gasps of amazement now and then.

Ichinose Honami followed with a smile, flipping through the sightseeing guidebook issued by the School Authority. Comparing it with the descriptions of the photo spots, she looked around and quickly fixed her gaze on a patch of ground beside the fence.

"The photo spot should be here."

She pointed to the marker, then looked up at everyone. "This is the designated spot. Let's take a group photo here. Once we're done, we'll have checked in at our first attraction."

After all, this was only a basic sightseeing spot, with no extra activities to enjoy.