First Love 初恋 | 札幌駅南口 Sapporo Station South Exit — A Lilac Carried Through the City

A lilac in hand turns Sapporo’s busiest station forecourt into an urgent crossing of paths. In Netflix’s First Love 初恋, 並木晴道 Namiki Harumichi runs into the south-exit taxi rank carrying the flower, trying to reach 野口也英 Noguchi Yae. The Sapporo Film Commission’s official location map identifies this taxi stand as the filming place, grounding the drama’s sweeping romance in the everyday movement of cabs, commuters, and winter streets. The series premiered on 24 November 2022, but this scene feels suspended between its decades: the lilac carries memory forward while the station keeps sending everyone elsewhere. Standing at the public edge of the rank lets a visitor see why the location works—the open forecourt creates distance, while the waiting taxis promise that distance might still be crossed. Sapporo Station is under long-term redevelopment, so façades, routes, and sightlines may differ from the screen. Visit from pedestrian space, keep luggage and tripods out of the taxi queue, and never impede passengers or drivers. Filming reference: Sapporo Film Commission, First Love 初恋 Sapporo Location Map. Visitor context: City of Sapporo station-area construction and taxi-rank information. Photo: Haseyu-, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.