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is the fifth-largest city in Japan by population and the third-largest by geographic area. It is the capital of Hokkaidō Prefecture and an ordinance-designated city of Japan.
Sapporo is best known outside Japan for hosting the 1972 Winter Olympics, and the annual ''yuki matsuri'' in the city, internationally referred to as the Sapporo Snow Festival, which draws more than 2 million tourists from around the world. The city is also home to the eponymous Sapporo Breweries.

Contents

Early history

Wards

Demographics

Transportation

Buildings

Universities

Public

Private

Sports

Professional

Sports clubs

Annual events

Foods

Sister cities

See also

Gallery

External links

Early history

Prior to its establishment, the area occupied by Sapporo (known as the Ishikari Plain) was home to a number of indigenous Ainu settlements. In 1866 at the end of the Edo Period construction began on a canal through the area, encouraging a number of early settlers to establish Sapporo village. The settlement's name was taken from the Ainu language, and can be translated as "large river running through a plain".
In 1868 (the officially recognised year celebrated as the 'birth' of Sapporo), the new Meiji government concluded that the existing administrative center of Hokkaidō, which at the time was the port of Hakodate, was in an unsuitable location for defense and further development of the island. As a result it was determined that a new capital on the Ishikari Plain should be established. The plain itself provided an unusually large expanse of flat, well drained land which is relatively uncommon in the otherwise mountainous geography of Hokkaidō.
During 1870-71, Kiyotaka Kuroda, vice-chairman of the Hokkaidō Development Commission (kaitakushi) approached the American government for assistance in developing the land resulting in Horace Capron (O-yatoi gaikokujin), Secretary of Agriculture under President Ulysses S. Grant being appointed as a special advisor to the commission. Construction began around a park, Odori Koen, which still remains as a green ribbon of recreational land bisecting the central area of the city. The city closely followed the American-style grid plan with streets at right-angles to form city blocks, highly unusual in Japan even today.
The continuing expansion of the Japanese into Hokkaidō continued, mainly due to migration from the main island of Honshū immediately to the south, and the prosperity of Hokkaidō and particularly its capital grew to the point that the Development Commission was deemed unnecessary and was abolished in 1882.
Edwin Dun (O-yatoi gaikokujin) came to Sapporo to make farms of sheep and cattle in 1876. He also demonstrated pig farming and the making of butter, cheese, ham and sausage. He married a Japanese woman. He once went back to the States in 1883 but returned to Japan as a secretary of government.
William Smith Clark (O-yatoi gaikokujin) who was the president of the Massachusetts Agricultural College (now The University of Massachusetts Amherst) came to be the founding vice-president of Sapporo Agricultural College (now Hokkaido University) for only eight months from 1876 to 1877. He taught academic subjects in science and lectured on the Bible as an "ethics" course, introducing Christian principles to the first entering class of the College.

Wards

Sapporo has ten :

(purple)

(blue)

(skyblue)

(orangered)

(green)

(red)

(orange)

(brown)

(forestgreen)

(pink)

''Color shows the location of each 'ku' in the map above.''

Demographics

The city has an estimated population of 1,890,561 as of March 2007 and the density of 1686 persons per km² (4367 persons per mi²). The total area is 1,121.12 km² (432.87 mi²).

Transportation

Sapporo has one streetcar line, three JR Hokkaidō lines, three subway lines and bus lines of JR-bus, Chuo-bus and other. Trains of Sapporo Subway have rubber-tyred wheels.

★ JR Hokkaidō Stations in Sapporo

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★ HAKODATE LINE:(Zenibako) - Hoshimi - Hoshioki - Inaho - Teine - Inazui Kōen -Hassamu - Hassamu Chūō - Kotoni - Sōen - Sapporo - Naebo - Shiroishi - Heiwa - Atsubetsu - Shinrin kōen - (ōasa)

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★ CHITOSE LINE:Heiwa - Shin Sapporo -Kami Nopporo - (Kita Hirosima)

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★ GAKUEN TOSHI LINE:Sōen - Hachiken - Shinkawa - Shinkotoni - Taihei - Yurigahara - Shinoro - Takuhoku - Ainosato Kyōikudai - Ainosato Kōen - (Ishikari Futomi)

★ : Map

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Buildings

★ (147.2m)

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★ (173m)

★ (Toyohira-ku)

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Universities

Public

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''Please refer to Japanese national university''

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Private

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Sports

★ The 'Sapporo Dome' is host to the Consadole Sapporo and Hokkaidō Nippon Ham Fighters.

★ Sapporo was selected to be the host of the Vth Winter Olympics scheduled February 3-12, 1940, but Japan had to give the Games back to the IOC, after the Second Sino-Japanese War broke out in 1937.

★ In 1972, Sapporo hosted the XIth Winter Olympics. Some structures built for Olympic events remain in use today, including the ski jumps at Miyanomori and Okurayama

★ In 2002, Sapporo hosted three group matches of the FIFA World Cup at the Sapporo Dome.

★ In 2006, Sapporo hosted some games of the FIBA World Championships.

★ In 2007, Sapporo hosted the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships at the Sapporo Dome, Miyanomori ski jump, Okurayama ski jump, and the Shirahatayama cross country course.

Professional

Club	Sport	League	Venue	Established
Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters	Baseball	Pacific League	Sapporo Dome	2004
Consadole Sapporo	Football	J. League (J2, 2nd league)	Sapporo Atsubetu Park Studium, Sapporo Dome, Muroran Irie Studium, Nishi-ga-Oka Studium	1996
Sapporo Ambitious	baseball	Professional baseball Masters League	Sapporo Dome	2001

★ , J1(1998,2001-2002). J2(-2007).

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★ in Pacific League, The champion team of professional baseball leagues of Japan in 2006.

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★ in Masters League

Sports clubs

★ Ice Hockey

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★ Sapporo Polaris

★ Rugby football

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★ Hokkaido Barbarians

Annual events

★ Snow Festival: The first or second week of Feburuary.

★ Sapporo Marathon: The first or second weekends of July and October.

★ Oodori Koen Beer Garden: July 20 - August 10

★ Fireworks: the last two Fridays nights of July, starting at 7:30 pm.

★ Susukino Summer Festival: The first weekend of August.

Foods

★ Barbecued Lam or Maton ()

★ Tiny bamboo shoot ()

★ Sea foods

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★ Giant Crabs ()

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★ Sea urchin ()

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★ Salmon eggs ()

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★ Scallops ()

Sister cities

Sapporo has relationships with several cities worldwide.[1]

★ Portland, Oregon, United States, since 1959

★ Munich, Germany, since 1972

★ Shenyang, China, since 1980

★ Novosibirsk, Russia, since 1990
'The Sapporo Sister Cities Association'
The Sapporo Sister Cities Association was founded in April 1986 to foster friendly relations between Sapporo and its sister cities by promoting a wide range of exchange activities. Specifically, the association organizes various exchanges related to education, science, the arts, economics, technology and sports.
The Sapporo Sister Cities Association Office is in Sapporo International Communication Plaza Foundation[2].

★ The Sapporo Sister Cities Association

See also

★ Sapporo Breweries Limited

★ Wonder Land Sapporo Co ltd / Snowmobile land Sapporo

Gallery

External links

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★ Sapporo City Official Webpage

★ Sapporo City Official Webpage

★ Sapporo International communication Plaza Foundation

★ Information on living in Sapporo for foreign residents

★ a live view of Odori Park from Sapporo TV Tower

★ Sapporo Ski Vacation Information