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About Sapporo
Nationwide surveys consistently rank Sapporo as one of Japan's most desirable places to live. Sapporo is located on the Ishikari Plain, which is home to the island's indigenous people, the Ainu. Japanese settlers came to Ezo, as Hokkaido was then known, in the 7th century.
Sapporo is surrounded by mountains and offers five national parks that feature volcanoes, lakes, and hot springs and is just 30 minutes from the coast. Sapporo has its own symphony orchestra, an art park featuring sculptures, a zoo, art galleries and craft studios, restaurants and cafes, and a variety of nightclubs.
From Sapporo, it is easy to explore the rest of Japan with a nearby airport and train service featuring the world-famous bullet train, Shinkansen.
Sapporo Quick Facts
- "Sapporo" is actually an Ainu word Sari-poro-betsu, meaning “a river which runs along a plain filled with reeds.”
- The Ainu remain a distinct ethnic group in Japan, with their own language, which once had 19 dialects. Today, just 15 families speak the remaining dialect, Tsishima.
- The most famous annual event is the Yuki Matsuri, or Snow Festival. Many tourists travel to Sapporo each year to see the world-famous ice sculptures that pop up in and around the city.
- Sapporo’s international sister cities, which link it both economically and culturally, include Portland, Oregon; Munich, Germany; Shenyang, China; and Novosibirsk, Russia.
- On April 1, 1972, Sapporo was designated an autonomous city and was established as one of Japan's "eleven major cities." Also in 1972, Sapporo hosted the Winter Olympic Games.
- Sapporo was home to the United Nations Conference on Disarmament in 1997.
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