For the beer and brewery see Sapporo Brewery. Sapporo   Designated city   City of Sapporo1 From top left: Sapporo Clock Tower Former Hokkaido Government Office Building Susukino Odori Park Sapporo Beer Museum Sapporo TV Tower Flag Location of Sapporo in Ishikari Hokkaido Sapporo   Coordinates: 434N 14121E / 43.067N 141.35E / 43.067; 141.35Coordinates: 434N 14121E / 43.067N 141.35E / 43.067; 141.35 Country Japan Region Hokkaido Prefecture Hokkaido Government  - Mayor Fumio Ueda Area  - Total 1121.12 km2 (432.9 sq mi) Population (April 11 2011)  - Total 1915542  - Density 1699/km2 (4400.4/sq mi) Time zone Japan Standard Time (UTC+9) City symbols - Tree Lilac - Flower Lily of the valley - Bird Common cuckoo Phone number 011-211-2111 Address 2-1-1 Kita-ichij-nishi Ch-ku Sapporo-shi Hokkaido 060-8611 Website City of Sapporo A view of the northeastern part of Sapporo city

Sapporo ( Sapporo-shi) listen (helpinfo) is the fifth-largest city in Japan by population and the largest city on the island of Hokkaido. It is the capital of Hokkaid Prefecture located in Ishikari Subprefecture and an ordinance-designated city of Japan.

Sapporo is known outside Japan for hosting the 1972 Winter Olympics the first ever held in Asia and for 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 Sapporo Brewery and the famous white chocolate biscuits "White Lovers" () exclusively sold in Hokkaido. Contents 1 History 1.1 Early history 1.2 Modern History (20th century) 1.3 21st Century 2 Geography 2.1 Climate 2.2 Wards 3 Economy 4 Culture and entertainment 4.1 Cuisine 4.2 Entertainment and performing arts 4.3 Points of interest 4.4 Events 4.5 Sports 4.5.1 Professional sport teams 4.5.2 Sports clubs 5 Demographics 6 Transportation 6.1 Rapid Transit 6.2 Rail 6.3 Air 6.4 Airport shuttle tour and charter bus service 7 Universities 7.1 Public 7.2 Private 8 Sister cities 8.1 The Sapporo Sister Cities Association 9 See also 10 Sources 11 External links History 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.2 The settlement's name was taken from the Ainu language sat poro pet and can be translated as "dry great river".3

In 1868 the officially recognised year celebrated as the 'birth' of Sapporo the new Meiji government concluded that the existing administrative center of Hokkaid 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 Hokkaid.

During 1870-1871 Kuroda Kiyotaka vice-chairman of the Hokkaid Development Commission (Kaitaku-shi) approached the American government for assistance in developing the land. As a result Horace Capron Secretary of Agriculture under President Ulysses S. Grant became a oyatoi gaikokujin and was appointed as a special advisor to the commission. Construction began around a Odori Park 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.

The continuing expansion of the Japanese into Hokkaid continued mainly due to migration from the main island of Honsh immediately to the south and the prosperity of Hokkaid 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 establish sheep and cattle ranches in 1876. He also demonstrated pig raising 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 S. 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.

In 1880 the entire area of Sapporo was renamed as "Sapporo-ku" (Sapporo Ward) 4 and a railroad between Sapporo and Temiya Otaru was laid. The Hheikan a hotel and reception facility for the very important person was erected adjacent to the Odori Park which was moved and is now located in Nakajima Park. Two years later with the abolition of the Kaitaku-shi Hokkaid was divided into three prefectures: Hakodate Sapporo and Nemuro. The name of the urban district in Sapporo remained Sapporo-ku while the rest of the area in Sapporo-ku was changed to Sapporo-gun. The office building of Sapporo-ku was also located in the urban district.4 Sapporo Hakodate and Nemuro Prefectures were abolished in 1886 and Hokkaid government office building an American-neo-baroque-style structure with red bricks constructed in 1888. The last squad of the Tonden-hei the soldier pioneering Hokkaid settled in the place where the area of Tonden in Kita-ku Sapporo is currently located. Sapporo-ku administered surrounding Sapporo-gun until 1899 when the new district system was announced. After that year Sapporo-ku was away from the control of Sapporo-gun.4 The "ku" (district) enforced from 1899 was an autonomy which was a little bigger than towns and smaller than cities. In Hokkaid at that time Hakodate-ku and Otaru-ku also existed. Modern History (20th century) The Former Hokkaido Government Office Building In 1907 the Tohoku Imperial University was established in Sendai Miyagi Prefecture and Sapporo Agricultural College was controlled by the University. Parts of neighbouring villages including Sapporo Village Naebo Village Kami Shiroishi Village and districts where Tonden-hei has settled were integrated into Sapporo-ku in 1910. The Sapporo Street Car was opened in 1918 and Hokkaid Imperial University was established in Sapporo-ku as the fifth Imperial University in Japan. Another railroad operated in Sapporo the Jzankei Railroad which was ultimately abolished in 1969. In 1922 the new city system was announced by the Tokyo government and Sapporo-ku was officially transferred to the Sapporo City.2 The Sapporo Municipal Bus System was started in 1930. In 1937 Sapporo was chosen as the site of 1940 Winter Olympics but due to the outbreak of Second Sino-Japanese War this was canceled in the next year. Maruyama Town was integrated into a part of the Ch-ku in 1940 and the Okadama Airport was constructed in 1942. The first Sapporo Snow Festival was held in 1950. In the same year adjacent Shiroishi Village was integrated into Sapporo City rendered as a part of Shiroishi-ku and Atsubetsu-ku.5 In 1955 Kotoni Town the entire Sapporo Village and Shinoro Village were merged into Sapporo becoming a part of the current Ch-ku Kita-ku Higashi-ku Nishi-ku and Teine-ku.5 The expansion of Sapporo continued with the merger of Toyohira Town in 1961 and Teine Town in 1967 each became as a part of Toyohira-ku Kiyota-ku and Teine-ku.5 The ceremony commemorating the 100th anniversary of the foundation of Sapporo and Hokkaid was held in 1968. The Sapporo Municipal Subway system was inaugurated in 1971 which made Sapporo the fourth city in Japan to have a subway system. From February 3 to 13 1972 the 1972 Winter Olympics were held the first Winter Olympics held in Asia.2 On April 1 of the same year Sapporo was designated as one of the cities designated by government ordinance and seven wards were established.5 The last ever public performance by the opera singer Maria Callas was in Sapporo at the Hokkaido Koseinenkin Kaikan on 11 November 1974.6 The Sapporo Municipal Subway was expanded when the Tzai line started its operation in 1976 and Tho line was opened in 1988. In 1989 Atsubetsu-ku and Teine-ku were separated from Shiroishi-ku and Nishi-ku. Annual events in Sapporo were started such as the Pacific Music Festival in 1990 and Yosakoi Sran Festival in 1992. A professional football club Consadole Sapporo was established in 1996. In 1997 Kiyota-ku was separated from Toyohira-ku. In the same year Hokkaid Takushoku Bank a Hokkaid based bank with headquarters in Odori went bankrupt.7 21st Century The 34th G8 summit protest march in 2008 In 2001 the construction of the Sapporo Dome was completed and in 2002 the Dome hosted three games during the 2002 FIFA World Cup; Germany vs Saudi Arabia Argentina vs England and Italy vs Ecuador all of which were in the first round. The present mayor of Sapporo Fumio Ueda was elected as the mayor for the first time in 2003. Sapporo became the home to a Nippon Professional Baseball team Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters in 2004 which won the 2006 Japan Series and the victory parade was held on Ekimae-Dri (a street in front of Sapporo Station) in February 2007. The 34th G8 summit took place in Tyako in 2008 and a number of people including anti-globalisation activists and marched in the heart of the city to protest. Police officers were gathered in Sapporo from all over Japan and the news reported that four people were arrested in the demonstrations.8 The Hokkaid Shinkansen line which is currently under construction to Hakodate through the Seikan Tunnel is planned to link to Sapporo. Geography The Sapporo TV Tower located west of the Sousei River Sapporo is a city located in the southwest part of Ishikari Plain and the alluvial fan of the Toyohira River a tributary stream of the Ishikari River.9 Roadways in the urban district are laid to make grid plan road. The western and southern part of Sapporo are occupied by a number of mountains including Mount Teine Maruyama and Mount Moiwa as well as a lot of rivers including the Ishikari River Toyohira River and Sousei River. Sapporo has many parks including Odori Park which is located in the heart of the city and hosts a number of annual events and festivals throughout the year. Moerenuma Park is also one of the largest parks in Sapporo and was constructed under the plan of Isamu Noguchi a Japanese-American artist and landscape architect. Neighbouring cities are Ishikari Ebetsu Kitahiroshima Eniwa Chitose Otaru Date and towns are Tbetsu Kimobetsu Kygoku. Climate Sapporo has a humid continental climate (Koppen Dfa) with a wide range of temperature between the summer and winter. Summers are generally warm but not humid and winters quite cold and snowy. With an average snowfall of 630 cm (248 inches)10 it is one of the few metropolises in the world with such heavy snowfall11 enabling it to hold events and festivals with snow statues and objects. The city's annual average precipitation is around 1100 mm (43 inches) and the mean annual temperature is 8.5 C (47 F).9 Climate data for Sapporo Japan (1971-2000) Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year Record high C (F) 11.2 (52.2) 10.8 (51.4) 16.8 (62.2) 28.0 (82.4) 31.1 (88) 31.9 (89.4) 36.0 (96.8) 36.2 (97.2) 32.7 (90.9) 26.4 (79.5) 22.4 (72.3) 14.8 (58.6) 36.2 (97.2) Average high C (F) 0.9 (30.4) 0.3 (31.5) 3.5 (38.3) 11.1 (52) 17.0 (62.6) 21.1 (70) 25.0 (77) 26.1 (79) 22.0 (71.6) 15.8 (60.4) 8.1 (46.6) 2.1 (35.8) 12.5 (54.5) Daily mean C (F) 4.1 (24.6) 3.5 (25.7) 0.1 (32.2) 6.7 (44.1) 12.1 (53.8) 16.3 (61.3) 20.5 (68.9) 22.0 (71.6) 17.6 (63.7) 11.3 (52.3) 4.6 (40.3) 1.0 (30) 8.5 (47.3) Average low C (F) 7.7 (18.1) 7.2 (19) 3.5 (25.7) 2.7 (36.9) 7.8 (46) 12.4 (54.3) 17.1 (62.8) 18.5 (65.3) 13.6 (56.5) 6.9 (44.4) 0.9 (33.6) 4.4 (24.1) 4.8 (40.6) Record low C (F) 27.0 (-17) 28.5 (-19.3) 22.6 (-8.7) 14.6 (5.7) 4.2 (24.4) 0.0 (32) 5.2 (41.4) 5.3 (41.5) 0.9 (30.4) 5.8 (21.6) 15.5 (4.1) 23.9 (-11) 28.5 (-19.3) Precipitation mm (inches) 110.7 (4.358) 95.7 (3.768) 80.1 (3.154) 60.9 (2.398) 55.1 (2.169) 51.4 (2.024) 67.2 (2.646) 137.3 (5.406) 137.6 (5.417) 124.1 (4.886) 102.7 (4.043) 104.8 (4.126) 1127.6 (44.394) Snowfall cm (inches) 182 (71.7) 154 (60.6) 106 (41.7) 16 (6.3) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 2 (0.8) 35 (13.8) 137 (53.9) 630 (248) % Humidity 71 70 67 63 67 74 77 77 73 69 67 70 70.4 Avg. snowy days 28.1 25.2 23.4 6.7 0.3 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 1.3 13.8 25.7 124.5 Sunshine hours 97.2 109.2 157.0 178.4 196.7 187.2 175.8 173.5 160.3 153.0 99.6 86.9 1774.8 Source: 12 Wards Sapporo has ten wards ( ku): Atsubetsu-ku () (purple) Ch-ku () (blue) - administrative center Higashi-ku () (skyblue) Kita-ku () (orange-red) Kiyota-ku () (green) Minami-ku () (red) Nishi-ku () (orange) Shiroishi-ku () (brown) Teine-ku () (forest green) Toyohira-ku () (pink) Color shows the location of each ku in the map above. Economy This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (May 2009) The tertiary sector dominates Sapporo's industry. Major industries include information technology retail and tourism as Sapporo is a destination for winter sports and events and summer activities due to its cool climate.citation needed The city is also the manufacturing center of Hokkaido manufacturing various goods such as food and related products fabricated metal products steel machinery beverages and pulp and paper.citation needed Hokkaido International Airlines (Air Do) is headquartered in Ch-ku.13 In April 2004 Air Nippon Network was headquartered in Higashi-ku.14 The game production company Eushully is also headquartered here. Culture and entertainment Sapporo is one of the popular tourist attractions in Japan and as of 2006 the annual number of tourists had reached 14104000 which was an increase of 5.9% over the previous year (13323000 in 2005) .15 2006 was also the first year for Sapporo when the number of tourists exceeded 14 million in its history of tourism. Cuisine Soup curry Sapporo is known as the birthplace of miso ramen16 a ramen noodle dish using miso and Sapporo ramen is also widely known. The Kouraku Ramen Meitengai an alley lined with many ramen restaurants was established in 1951 in Susukino district and after its demolition due to plans for the Sapporo Olympics the Ganso Sapporo Ramen Yokocho was established in the same place. It currently attracts many tourists throughout the year.16 From the year 1966 a food company named Sanyo Foods began to sell instant ramen under the brand name "Sapporo Ichiban". In 2001 Sapporo Ramen was listed as one of the Hokkaido Heritage along with other ramen in Hokkaido such as Asahikawa Ramen and Hakodate Ramen. On October 1 2004 The Sapporo Ramen Republic a theme park focused on ramen was opened at the 10th floor of Sapporo Esta a commercial complex located in front of the Sapporo Station. Soup curry a liquid curry with vegetables and rice is also one of the specialties in Sapporo and currently plenty of soup curry restaurants are located in the cities and towns in Hokkaido. Sapporo Sweets a confectionery using many ingredients from Hokkaido is also popular and the Sapporo Sweets Competition is held annually.17 A lamb barbecue style dish called jingisukan (named for Genghis Khan) is another popular local specialty. Sapporo is also famed for fresh seafood such as salmon sea urchin and crab in particular. It is also noted for Haskup a local variety of blueberry. Entertainment and performing arts The Sapporo Concert Hall Kitara is the main musical venue in Sapporo located in Nakajima Park in Chuo-ku. It is home to the Sapporo Symphony Orchestra a local professional orchestra organized in 1961 and their regular concerts are held in this hall. The open-air stage in Sapporo Artpark is another one of the music venues in Sapporo. The Pacific Music Festival (PMF) an event started with the idea of Leonard Bernstein in 1990 is held in both places. The Sapporo Artpark located in Minami-ku also contains public arts an art museum and the old house of Takeo Arishima. Other art museums in Sapporo include The Hokkaido Museum of Modern Art the Sapporo Museum of Sculpture and the Migishi Kotaro Museum of Art Hokkaido. The Hokkaido Museum of Literature located in Nakajima Park has hosted many exhibitions seminars and other educational activities. The Sapporo Convention Center is located in Shiroishi-ku and a number of forums and events are held in the building. The Sapporo Salmon Museum is located in Minami-ku and displays mainly materials related to the ecology of salmon. The Sunpiazza Aquarium is located close to the Sapporo Science Center in Atsubetsu- Points of interest Sapporo Beer Museum Susukino the entertainment district of Sapporo Many historical buildings as well as shopping malls and parks are located in Sapporo and draw many tourists in every year. Historic landmarks include the Former Hokkaid government office building the Sapporo Clock Tower the Hokkaido Shrine (Hokkaid Jing) and the Sapporo TV Tower. The Sapporo Factory was a former brewery of the Sapporo Beer and is currently a huge shopping mall with many restaurants offices and the multiplex movie theatres. Another former brewery of the Sapporo Beer is the Sapporo Beer Museum which is currently a part of the Sapporo Garden Park and houses the Sapporo Beer Gardens ( Sapporo Bru En). The Sapporo City Archive Museum The Edwin Dun Memorial Hall and some old buildings in the Hokkaido University are also historically important in Sapporo and each was listed in the Registered Tangible Cultural Properties of Japan.18 The Sapporo JR Tower a complex building houses the Tower 38 and department store is located adjacent to the Sapporo Station. Being close to the main station of Sapporo the Sapporo JR Tower has been visited by many tourists and the number of visitors of the Tower 38 the tower with an observation deck recorded 311815 in 2006.19 The Sapporo TV Tower located at the eastern end of the Odori Park is one of more modern architectures and has also an observation deck viewing the entire Odori Park and Sapporo City. Susukino is a district having the main nightlife scene in Sapporo Sapporo Ramen Yokocho Norubesa (a building with a huge Ferris wheel) which are located in this district as well as many restaurants nightclubs bars and adult entertainments. The district also has the Tanuki Kji Shopping Arcade the oldest shopping mall in the City. In Minami-ku the district of Jzankei is a site that has many hotels with steam baths and hot springs and that many visitors also have visited. Sapporo also offers many parks and gardens. The Odori Park houses buildings such as the Sapporo TV Tower and hosts many events including Yosakoi Soran Festival Sapporo Lilac Festival Sapporo White Illumination and the Sapporo Snow Festival. In the Nakajima Park there are some landmarks including Hheikan an old hotel building moved from the Odori Park and the Sapporo Concert Hall Kitara. The Maruyama Park is located next to the Hokkaido Shrine and houses the Maruyama Zoo. The Moerenuma Park is located in Higashi-ku and houses many open-air art compositions including the Glass Pyramid planned by Isamu Noguchi. One of the gardens in Sapporo the Chizaki Rose Garden provides various kinds of roses and the Hokkaido University Botanical Gardens has also many types of plants and historically important buildings. The Hitsujigaoka observation hill has a farm with sheep and attracts visitors with a statue of William S. Clark. Events Dancers in the Yosakoi Sran Festival In February the Sapporo Snow Festival is annually held. The main site is the Odori Park and other sites include Susukino (known as the Susukino Ice Festival) and the Sapporo Satoland. Once Makomanai area in Minami-ku was one of the festival sites but it was abolished and moved to the Satoland site in 2006. Many of the snow and ice statues in the sites are built by the armies of Japan Ground Self-Defense Force. In 2006 the number of visitors at the Sapporo Snow Festival marked 1985000 in total.20 Every June the Yosakoi Soran Festival is held. The sites of the festival are centered in the Odori Park and the street leading to Susukino but other festival sites also exist. In the festival many dance teams dance to their music which are composed based on a Japanese traditional song Sran Bushi. Members of the teams wear special costumes and compete their dancing skills on the roads or stages constructed on the festival sites. In 2006 350 teams were organized with around 45000 dancers and over 1860000 people visited at the festival sites.20 During the summer the Sapporo Summer Festival takes place in the heart of the city and people enjoy drinking beer in the beer gardens constructed in the Odori Park and on the streets of Susukino district. This festival consists of a number of fairs such as Tanuki Festival and Susukino Festival as well as the Odori Park site.20 Sports The Sapporo Dome in winter The Sapporo Dome was constructed in 2001 and currently is the host to the local football team Consadole Sapporo and the baseball team Hokkaid Nippon Ham Fighters. Once Sapporo was selected to be the host of the 5th Winter Olympics scheduled on February 3 to 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 11th 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 and 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. Skiing remains a major sport in Sapporo with almost all school children skiing as a part of the school curriculum. Okurayama Elementary School is unusual in having its own ski hill and ski jumping hill on the school grounds and within the city are a number of commercial ski hills including Moiwayama Bankeiyama KobaWorld Sapporo Teine and Fu's. Many sports stadiums and domes are located in Sapporo and some of them have been designated as venues of sports competitions. The Sapporo Community Dome also known by its nickname "Tsu-Dome" has hosted to the Golden Market a huge flea market event which is usually held twice in a year along with some sports events. The Makomanai Ice Arena located in the Makomanai Park was used to be one of the venues of Sapporo Olympics in 1972. It was renamed to the "Makomanai Sekisuiheim Ice Arena" in 2007 when a real estate company Sekisui Chemical Co. Ltd. acquired its naming rights and renamed the arena after their real estate brand.21 Other large sports venues include the Makomanai Open Stadium the Tsukisamu Green Dome the Maruyama Stadium and the Hokkaido Prefectural Sports Center. The Toyota Big Air is a major international snowboarding event held annually in Sapporo's Makomanai Ice Arena. As one of the richest events of its kind in the world it draws many of the world's best riders. Professional sport teams Club Sport League Venue Established Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters Baseball Pacific League Sapporo Dome 2004 Consadole Sapporo Soccer J. League (J1 top division) Sapporo Atsubetu Park Studium Sapporo Dome Muroran Irie Studium Nishi-ga-Oka Studium 1996 Rera Kamuy Hokkaido Basketball Japan Basketball League Tsukisamu ALPHA COURT Dome 2007 Sapporo Ambitious Baseball Professional baseball Masters League Sapporo Dome 2001 J. League - Consadole Sapporo (J1 in 1998 2001 to 2002 and J2 in 2002 to 2007) . Professional Baseball - Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters in Pacific League champion team of professional baseball leagues of Japan in 2006. Sapporo Ambitious - belonged in Masters League. Sports clubs Ice hockey - >Sapporo Polaris Rugby football - Hokkaido Barbarians Demographics The city has an estimated population of 1890561 as of March 2007 and a population density of 1686 persons per km (4367 persons per mi). The total area is 1121.12 km (432.87 mi). Transportation Sapporo Station Sapporo has one streetcar line three JR Hokkaido lines three subway lines and JR-bus Chuo-bus and other bus lines. Sapporo Subway trains have rubber-tyred wheels. Rapid Transit Sapporo Municipal Subway Sapporo Streetcar Mt. Moiwa Ropeway Teineyama Ropeway Rail JR Hokkaido Stations in Sapporo Hakodate Line: (Zenibako) - Hoshimi - Hoshioki - Inaho - Teine - Inazumi Ken - Hassamu - Hassamu Ch - Kotoni - Sen - Sapporo - Naebo - Shiroishi - Heiwa - Atsubetsu - Shinrin Ken - (asa) Chitose Line: Heiwa - Shin Sapporo - Kami Nopporo - (Kita-Hiroshima) Gakuentoshi Line: Sen - Hachiken - Shinkawa - Shinkotoni - Taihei - Yurigahara - Shinoro - Takuhoku - Ainosato Kyikudai - Ainosato Ken - (Ishikari Futomi) Air The Sapporo area is served by two airports: Okadama Airport which serves regional flights within Hokkaido and New Chitose Airport a larger international airport located in the city of Chitose. Airport shuttle tour and charter bus service An airport shuttle bus servicing all hotels in Sapporo operates 365 days a year. Skybus was founded in 2005 and also provides transport to and from various ski resorts throughout Hokkaido including Niseko. Universities The Sapporo Clock Tower formerly a part of Hokkaido University in the 19th century Public Hokkaido University Hokkaido University of Education See Japanese national university Sapporo Medical University Sapporo City University Private Sapporo University Hokusei Gakuen University Hokkai School of Commerce Hokkai Gakuen University Fuji Women's University Sapporo International University Tenshi College Health Science University of Hokkaido Sapporo Otani University Hokkaido Tokai University Hokkaido Musashi Women's Junior College Hokkaido Bunkyo University Koen Gakuen Women's Junior College Hokkaido Institute of Technology Sister cities Sapporo City Hall (June 2007) Sapporo has relationships with several cities worldwide.2223 Portland Oregon United States since 1959 Munich Germany since 1972 Shenyang China since 1980 Novosibirsk Russia since 1990 Daejeon South Korea since 2010 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.24 The Sapporo Sister Cities Association See also Sapporo Breweries Limited Wonder Land Sapporo Co ltd / Snowmobile land Sapporo Sources Sapporo's official English Name a b c Hometown Homepage - Look back a bit Sapporo.jp a b c New Sapporo History 2nd edition (2 Shin Sapporo Shishi) a b c d New Sapporo History 5th edition (5 Shin Sapporo Shishi) Sutherland Robert Maria Callas Diaries of a Friendship London Constable 1999 p265 ISBN 0-09-478790-5 lawsuit against the bankruptcy of the Takushoku Bank CBS News World - July 5 2008 a b Sapporo City Official Homepage - the outline of Sapporo (Japanese) Sapporto.jp " / ". Japan Meteorological Agency. http://www.data.jma.go.jp/obd/stats/etrn/view/nmlsfcym.phpprecno14&precch%90%CE%8E%EB%8Ex%92%A1&blockno47412&blockch%8ED%96y&year&month&day&elmnormal&view.  "." Hokkaido International Airlines. Retrieved on May 20 2009. "." Air Nippon Network. April 6 2004. Retrieved on May 20 2009. Tourism Statistics of Sapporo 2006 p.11 (pdf file) a b Ganso Ramen Yokocho History of Sapporo Ramen Sapporo the sweets republic Registered Tangible Cultural Properties in Sapporo Tourism Statistics of Sapporo 2006 p.35 (pdf file) a b c Tourism Statistics of Sapporo 2006 p.29 (pdf file) Makomanai Sekisuiheim Ice Arena Homepage - - (Japanese) Sister Cities International Community Bureau (Japanese) 1 External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Sapporo Sapporo travel guide from Wikitravel Sapporo City official website (Japanese) Sapporo City official website (English) Information on living in Sapporo for foreign residents (English)/(Japanese)/(Korean)/(Chinese) a live view of Odori Park from Sapporo TV Tower (Japanese) v d eWinter Olympic Games host cities 1924: Chamonix 1928: St. Moritz 1932: Lake Placid 1936: Garmisch-Partenkirchen 1940 & 1944: No games due to World War II 1948: St. Moritz 1952: Oslo 1956: Cortina d'Ampezzo 1960: Squaw Valley 1964: Innsbruck 1968: Grenoble 1972: Sapporo 1976: Innsbruck 1980: Lake Placid 1984: Sarajevo 1988: Calgary 1992: Albertville 1994: Lillehammer 1998: Nagano 2002: Salt Lake City 2006: Turin 2010: Vancouver 2014: Sochi 2018: TBA v d eMetropolitan cities of Japan Tokyo Metropolis Special wards of Tokyo (Adachi  Arakawa  Bunky  Chiyoda  Ch  Edogawa  Itabashi  Katsushika  Kita  Kt  Meguro  Minato  Nakano  Nerima  ta  Setagaya  Shibuya  Shinagawa  Shinjuku  Suginami  Sumida  Toshima  Tait) Designated cities Chiba  Fukuoka  Hamamatsu  Hiroshima  Kawasaki  Kitakysh  Kobe  Kyoto  Nagoya  Niigata  Okayama  Osaka  Sagamihara  Saitama  Sakai  Sapporo  Sendai  Shizuoka  Yokohama Core cities Akita  Amagasaki  Aomori  Asahikawa  Fukuyama  Funabashi  Gifu  Hakodate  Higashisaka  Himeji  Iwaki  Kagoshima  Kanazawa  Kashiwa  Kawagoe  Kchi  Kriyama  Kumamoto  Kurashiki  Kurume  Maebashi  Matsuyama  Miyazaki  Morioka  Nagano  Nagasaki  Nara  Nishinomiya  ita  Okazaki  tsu  Shimonoseki  Takamatsu  Takatsuki  Toyama  Toyohashi  Toyota  Utsunomiya  Wakayama  Yokosuka Special cities Akashi  Atsugi  Chigasaki  Fuji  Fukui  Hachinohe  Hirakata  Hiratsuka  Ibaraki  Ichinomiya  Isesaki  Jetsu  Kakogawa  Kasugai  Kasukabe  Kawaguchi  Kishiwada  Kfu  Koshigaya  Kumagaya  Kure  Matsumoto  Mito  Nagaoka  Neyagawa  Numazu  Odawara  ta   Sasebo   Ska   Suita   Takarazuka   Takasaki   Tokorozawa   Tottori   Toyonaka   Tsukuba   Yamagata   Yamato   Yao   Yokkaichi Prefectural capitals (not included above) Fukushima  Tsu  Naha  Saga  Matsue  Tokushima  Yamaguchi v d eHokkaid Subprefectures Abashiri Hidaka Hiyama Iburi Ishikari Kamikawa Kushiro Nemuro Oshima Rumoi Shiribeshi Sorachi Sya Tokachi Cities Abashiri Akabira Asahikawa Ashibetsu Bibai Chitose Date Ebetsu Eniwa Fukagawa Furano Hakodate Hokuto Ishikari Iwamizawa Kitahiroshima Kitami Kushiro Mikasa Monbetsu Muroran Nayoro Nemuro Noboribetsu Obihiro Otaru Rumoi Sapporo (capital) Shibetsu Sunagawa Takikawa Tomakomai Utashinai Wakkanai Ybari