I stopped by “宮部金吾記念館” while taking a walk around the Hokkaido University campus. Materials associated with Dr. Kingo Miyabe, who laid the foundations for botanical research in Hokkaido, are on display, and in this peaceful space you can learn about the history of Hokkaido University and the progress of nature research. It isn't a flashy tourist facility, but old specimens and research materials are carefully preserved inside, making it a place that stimulates intellectual curiosity. Visiting it alongside a stroll around Hokudai's expansive campus lets you appreciate the depth of Sapporo's culture and scholarship. Recommended not only for tourists but also as part of a walking route for locals. It's also a perfect spot for people in their 50s and older who want to spend some quiet time. It's within walking distance of Sapporo Station and easy to access. Do stop by during a walk around Hokudai.

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2026·R8.5.6 This is a memorial museum displaying the belongings left by Dr. Kingo Miyabe. The explanatory sign reads, “Kingo Miyabe Memorial Museum Kingo Miyabe (Doctor of Science,1860-1951) studied in Meiji 10 as part of the second class at Sapporo Agricultural College alongside Kanzo Uchimura, Inazo Nitobe, Takajiro Minami, Kinya Machimura, and others. After graduating, he earned degrees from Tokyo University and then Harvard University, served his alma mater, and contributed greatly to the development of today's Hokkaido University. He traveled throughout Hokkaido, the Chishima Islands, and Karafuto, researching the plants of the northern regions. In Meiji 16, he participated in designing the botanical garden and, as its first director, devoted many years to its completion. Even after retiring in Shōwa 2, he devoted his days to scholarship until his life ended at 91 in Shōwa 26, and he dearly loved this botanical garden. At home he was active as a member of the Imperial Academy, abroad he was named an honorary member of many scholarly societies, and in Shōwa 21 he received the Order of Culture. He also nurtured promising young people as head of a youth dormitory, lived as a devout Puritan as one of the founders of Sapporo Independent Church, and at the celebration of his 90th year in Shōwa 24 received the title of Sapporo's first honorary citizen, becoming an object of the citizens' affection and respect. In Heisei 2, following the donation of his belongings through the kindness of his son Ichiro, calls to establish a memorial museum arose, primarily among graduates of the Department of Agricultural Biology who had received his guidance. With support from the Hokudai administration, the Faculty of Agriculture, and the Sapporo Alumni Association, it became a reality in Heisei 3. This memorial museum occupies part of the historic former botany classroom building of Sapporo Agricultural College, where the doctor taught and conducted research (built in Meiji 36 at the present south wing of the Faculty of Agriculture). It was relocated here in Shōwa 17 and long served as the director's room and garden office.” Dr. Kingo Miyabe (1860.4.27=late Edo period, Man'en 1, intercalary 3.7, born in Taito, Tokyo–1951·S26.3.16, died in Sapporo at the full age of 90) is also called the “founder of Hokkaido botany” and the “father of the Hokudai Botanical Garden,” and is said to have made contributions to the classification of northern plants (the Miyabe Line). Because these are his personal belongings, photographing the exhibits is prohibited, but I'll post the photos I took of the building itself. Incidentally, the explanatory sign about the building (it isn't an Important Cultural Property, but it is a nationally Registered Tangible Cultural Property) reads, “Registered Cultural Property, Hokkaido University Botanical Garden Administration Building, Kingo Miyabe Memorial Museum Completed in 1901(Meiji 34), relocated from the campus in 1942(Shōwa 17). This is the relocated botany classroom portion of the eastern half of a building used as a zoology and botany lecture hall on the Sapporo Agricultural College campus. It was used as the botanical garden administration building until 1988, but in 1991 its northern half was demolished and it came to be used as a memorial museum displaying and storing the belongings of Dr. Kingo Miyabe, the botanical garden's first director. It is believed to have been designed by Seiichiro Chujo at the same time as the former museum office and lavatory, and preserves the architectural style of Sapporo Agricultural College in the late Meiji period.

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Items related to the botanist Kingo Miyabe are on display My father also loves plants and organizes observation outings and such, so I found it very interesting to look around

Visited on May 3, 2025. Photography is prohibited inside. Kingo Miyabe was a botanist and the botanical garden's first director. He was also Sapporo's first honorary citizen and a recipient of the Order of Culture. The memorial museum displays items associated with him, including diplomas and medals.

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Japan travel: 宮部金吾記念館 is a memorial museum inside the Hokkaido University Botanical Garden. It is said to commemorate Dr. Yabe Kingo, the botanical garden's first director. Here you can find traces of his past. It has 2 floors and is close to the botanical garden's entrance and exit, so it's nice to look around when entering or leaving. It's a free exhibition space, and the building is also a nationally Registered Tangible Cultural Property, making it an even more valuable place.