札幌市

Sapporo (札幌市, Sapporo-shi; [sap.po.ɾo, sap.po.ɾoꜜ.ɕi] ) is a designated city in Hokkaido, Japan. Located in the southwest of Hokkaido, it lies within the alluvial fan of the Toyohira River, a tributary of the Ishikari River. Sapporo is the capital of Hokkaido Prefecture and Ishikari Subprefecture. As of July 31, 2023, the city has a population of 1,959,750, making it the largest city in Hokkaido and the largest north of Tokyo. It is the fifth-most populous city in Japan and is Hokkaido's cultural, economic, and political center. Originally a plain sparsely inhabited by the indigenous Ainu people, there were a few trade posts of the Matsumae domain in the area during the Edo period. The city began as an administrative centre with the establishment of the Hokkaido Development Commission headquarters in 1869. Inspired by the ancient cities of Kyoto and Heijō-kyō, it adopted a grid plan and developed around Odori Park. After the Second World War, it replaced Otaru as Hokkaido's commercial and business hub, and its population surpassed one million by 1970. After giving up the planned 1940 Sapporo Winter Olympics, Sapporo hosted the 1972 Winter Olympics, the first Winter Olympics ever held in Asia, and the second Olympic games held in Asia after the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Sapporo recently dropped its bid for the 2030 Winter Olympics. The Sapporo Dome hosted three matches during the 2002 FIFA World Cup and two matches during the 2019 Rugby World Cup. Additionally, Sapporo has hosted the Asian Winter Games three times, in 1986, 1990, and 2017 and the 1991 Winter Universiade. The annual Sapporo Snow Festival draws more than 2 million tourists. Other notable sites include the Sapporo Beer Museum and the Sapporo TV Tower located in Odori Park. It is home to Hokkaido University, just north of Sapporo Station. The city is served by Okadama Airport and New Chitose Airport in nearby Chitose.