Sapporo

Located on Hokkaido, Sapporo is the largest city on the island and the fifth largest in Japan. It hosted the 1972 Winter Olympics, and is also known for its yearly Sapporo Snow Festivals.

Fast Facts

1. Country: Japan
2. Language spoken: Japanese
3. City population: 1,894,344 (2007)¹
4. Currency: Japanese Yen (JPY)
5. Country code: +81
6. Area code: 011
7. Time zone: JST
8. Airport code: CTS²
9. Climate: Humid continental
10. Was originally inhabited by Ainus³
11. Has 10 wards called ku: Chuo-ku, Kita-ku, Higashi-ku, Shiroishi-ku, Atsubetsu-ku, Toyohira-ku, Kiyota-ku, Minami-ku, Nishi-ku, Teine-ku⁴

History

In 1868, after proclaiming the city of Hakodate unsuited for defense, the Meiji government decided to establish a new capital in the Ishikari Plains. This city was called Sapporo, a word that comes from the Ainu meaning "a large dry land."⁵ In 1871, the land was further developed, and agriculture and industry flourished after the establishment of the Kaitaku-shi (Development Commission). Sapporo became the capital of Hokkaido in 1922.⁶

Sapporo Attractions

• Sapporo Snow Festival
• Odori Park
• Clock Tower
• Sapporo TV Tower
• Sapporo Beer Museum
• Sapporo Dome
• Pioneer Village
• Moiwa Mountain

Notable People from Sapporo

• Matsuri Hino, mangaka⁷
• Akitsugu Konno, skier⁸
• Miyuki Nakajima, singer⁹
• Nana Kitade, singer¹⁰
• Masayuki Mori, actor¹¹
• Tama Morita, writer/politician¹²
• Hiroshi Watanabe, photographer¹³
• Chuhei Nambu, athlete¹⁴

Related Pages on Mahalo

Japan | Tokyo | Kyoto | Otaru | Osaka | Yokohama | Chiba | Saitama | Shizuoka | Nagoya | Kobe Japan | Hamamatsu | Sakai | Hiroshima | Kitakyushu | Fukuoka | Niigata | Munich

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