Sapporo Introduction

As a metropolis in Japan’s Hokkaido region, Sapporo is the political, economic and cultural center of Hokkaido and also Japan’s fifth largest city.

Release time : 2016-10-09 10:23:08

source : WTCF

City Introduction

(Image: www.welcome.city.sapporo.jp)

As a metropolis in Japan’s Hokkaido region, Sapporo is the political, economic and cultural center of Hokkaido and also Japan’s fifth largest city. Sapporo is a tourist city with rich resources, beautiful scenery and four distinct seasons: blooming spring, tree-lined summer, colorful autumn and snowy winter. It was once rated as the No 1 in “Japan charming city ranking” for three years consecutively.

There are various theories on the origin of the word “Sapporo”. The leading theory is that it derivers from the Ainu (indigenous people of Japan) words “Sap (Dry) - Poro (Wide),” but another theory is that it derivers from “Sari (Wetland) -Poro (Wide) -Pe (River)” which describes the downstream basin of the Toyohira River. Until the end of the Edo Period (1603–1868), Sapporo was a trading post with the Ainu. In 1869, it was renamed Hokkaido and the Hokkaido Development Commission was sent and began to establish the head office in Sapporo. Yoshitake Shima, considered to be the pioneering father of Hokkaido, is said to have stood on the hills of Mt. Maruyama and elaborated on a plan for the city. The Hokkaido Development Commission organized Sapporo into a planned city modeled after Kyoto. Thus, Sapporo becomes known for its functional grid of streets and avenues. With the settlement of the Tondenhei (soldiers for developing and guarding Hokkaido), it became a large producing center for potatoes and onions. After the railroads were built, the beer, flour milling and paper making industries began to flourish and Sapporo became the political and economic center of Hokkaido.

Sapporo is a heaven of ice and snow sports in the world. It hosted the winter Olympic Games in 1972 which is also the first Olympic winter games held in Asia. And now it is actively bidding to host the 2026 winter Olympics. Sapporo is attracting much attention as city of