Founded in 1868, the city of Sapporo has a much shorter history than most areas in Japan, though it was home to the indigenous Ainu population before that time. In 1870-1, the United States government sent an engineer who assisted in creating the city plan, developing it on a grid system based around Odori Park, which runs east to west through the heart of Sapporo.
Sapporo Odori Park, hokkaido 札幌大通公園・北海道 (Photo credit: pictureTYO)
Like many other Meiji Era projects, it incorporated many modern, western elements, so visitors are sometimes surprised at the lack of traditional Japanese-style buildings. Today, Sapporo is the capital of Hokkaido Prefecture, and is the 4th largest city in Japan by population.
Sapporo (Photo credit: David McKelvey)
Sapporo’s most famous event is the Snow Festival which is held annually in February. The city has an annual snowfall of about 630 centimeters (about 248 inches), and winters are very cold. Summers are mild, with the average highest temperatures being around 26.4 degrees Celsius (about 69.5 degrees Fahrenheit) in August. Sapporo hosted the 1972 Winter Olympic Games, giving it the honor of being the first Asian city to do so. It is also famous as the home of Sapporo Beer. Visitors can enjoy outdoor activities throughout Hokkaido using Sapporo as a base.
Sapporo (Photo credit: chrisandkylie)
The most common way to get to Sapporo city is to fly to the New Chitose Airport. Take the JR Airport Express from the airport to Sapporo Station; the ride runs every 15 minutes and takes about 36 minutes. The fare is 1040 yen for adults or 520 for children.
