Sapporo (札幌市; -shi) is the fifth-largest city in Japan and it is the capital of Hokkaido Prefecture.

The 1972 Winter Olympics were held in Sapporo. This was the first Winter Olympics to be held in Asia and it opened on February 3. Sapporo also hosts the popular annual Sapporo Snow Festival every February, famed for its ice sculpture competition.

In Japan, Sapporo is known as the home of the eponymous Sapporo beer and miso-flavored Sapporo ramen. The entertainment district Susukino is among the largest and most well known in Japan.

Contents

1 History 2 Wards 3 Buildings 4 Demographics 5 Sports 5.1 Professional Sports 5.2 Sports Club 6 Sister Cities 7 See also 8 External links

History

The city was founded on August 1, 1922 and was designated on April 1, 1972 by government ordinance, and is served by New Chitose Airport.

Wards

Sapporo has 10 wards (ku):

• Atsubetsu-ku
• Chuo-ku
• Higashi-ku
• Kita-ku
• Kiyota-ku
• Minami-ku
• Nishi-ku
• Shiroishi-ku
• Teine-ku
• Toyohira-ku

Buildings

• Sapporo TV Tower

Demographics

The city has an estimated population of 1,854,837 as of 2003 and the density of 1,654.45 persons per km². The total area is 1,121.12 km².

Sports

Professional Sports

• J. League
  • Consadole Sapporo
• Professional Baseball
  • Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters (Pacific League)
  • Sapporo Ambitious (Masters League)

Sports Club

• Ice Hockey
  • Sapporo Polaris

Sister Cities

• Novosibirsk, since 1990
• Munich, since 1972
• Portland, Oregon, since 1959
• Shenyang, since 1980

See also

• Sapporo Breweries Limited

External links

• Official homepage (English)
• Sapporo Snow Festival
• Sapporo Travel Guide