■ Sapporo Information City Planning Industry and Technology Environment and Nature Culture and Arts Sports International Relations Food |
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 City PlanningSapporo’s city planning is based on the concept of sustainable urban development stemming from the input and guidance of local residents. In this plan, one of the major points of consideration for future city planning is creating a “city that is harmonious with nature.” The City of Sapporo is taking steps to address global environmental problems by considering methods for the advancement in land utilization, transportation efficiency and energy conservation. |
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 JR Sapporo Station |
●Transportation The JR Sapporo Station is not only the central terminal station for people commuting from the suburbs, but also a gateway for tourists from domestic locations and abroad. The JR Sapporo Station’s North Plaza was completed in 1998 with underground pedestrian passages, a bus terminal, parking facilities, and an underground snow melting tank. Located on the opposite side of the station, the South Plaza was completed in 2000 as a public space that is often used as a meeting up point for people heading out on the town. It can also accommodate large scale events and serves as one of the venues for the annual “Yosakoi Soran Festival,” drawing crowds exceeding two million during the five-day event. |
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●Snow Melting Tank With approximately six meters (20 feet) of snow accumulation within one year, Sapporo is faced with various snow control issues. At the North Plaza of JR Sapporo Station, a large, underground snow melting tank was completed in 1997 to facilitate snow removal and disposal. Snow brought to the facility by truck is melted by heat from a nearby district air-conditioning and heating plant. Every year, approximately two hundred thousand cubic meters of snow is processed at this tank. That is enough snow to fill the entire nineteen-story Sapporo City Hall plus another third of the building. |
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●Subway Website: Sapporo, Blessed by Snow The Sapporo subway system was inaugurated in December of 1971 in time for the 1972 Winter Olympics. Unaffected by snow or cold weather, the subways serve as the primary mass transit system of the city. City streetcars also operate above ground in the central part of the city. Every day, approximately six hundred thousand people rely on the subways and street cars for transportation. Special Features of the Subway While most subway systems use steel wheels, Sapporo’s subway cars feature rubber tires which allow for a smoother and quieter ride. Due to the friction created by the rubber, the subway car is capable of accelerating and decelerating quickly, thus, improving the efficiency between the short distances of the subway station. With rubber tires, it is also feasible to climb and descend steeper slopes than with conventional steel wheels |
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●Street Cars and Sasara Trains A unique sight in Sapporo is the street cars that run 8.41 km (5.2 mi) along the streets in the central part of the city. Although their speed cannot compare to the subways, street cars provide pasengers with a distinctive view of the city from above ground. During the winter months, “Sasara trains” become a common sight along the streetcar routes. These trains clear snow off of the tracks to make way for the streetcars to run. Rotating bamboo brushes, called “sasara” in Japanese, are installed on the front and back of the trains, clearing snow from the tracks. |
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| Industry and Technology |
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 Intercross Creative Center (ICC) |
●Promotion of IT Industry Website: sapporo ideas city The "sapporo ideas city" project acts as a catalyst for citizen and industry creativity with the creation of city brands and the improvement of urban lifestyle in order to attract investments and attention from outside of Sapporo. The recently revamped “sapporo ideas city” website can be accessed at http://sapporoideascity.jp/. The Intercross Creative Center (ICC) was generated from the “Sapporo ideas city” project and facilitates the cultivation of creative talent who use digital technology for creating video, music and computer graphics. To further promote the “creative city” concept, the City of Sapporo will host the 2008 iCommons Summit, an international conference that promotesa more flexible (legal) platform for copyrights. Details of the iCommons Summit can be found at http://icommonssummit.org/. |
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●Sapporo Style Website: Sapporo Style Feature by Japan Industrial Design Promotion Organization From the unique stance of being a large metropolis with a harsh winter climate, Sapporo is characterized as having one-of-a-kind views in terms of lifestyle and technology. Ideas about how to stay warm, have fun and be creative have evolved into a new "style" for the city. From 2004, items chosen to represent Sapporo’s unique style are labeled with the brand name “Sapporo Style” and promoted to many markets. |
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●Sapporo City Central Wholesale Market Website: Central Wholesale Market The Central Wholesale Market provides local markets and grocery stores with fresh fish, fruit, vegetables, etc. The annual sales of the market amount to approximately 170 billion yen, making it one of the largest markets of its magnitude in Japan. Many of the products that are sold at the market can only be found in northern territories such as Hokkaido. The Central Wholesale Market has adopted environmentally friendly practices such as switching to natural gas powered forklifts and requiring air-conditioned trucks to be turned off when unloading, thus, reducing CO2 emissions. In order to keep the food in the back of the trucks from spoiling, the market has a special system where the trucks can hook up to an electric outlet to power the cooling system. |
| ●Economic Exchange Activities in Asia With Asia as one of the most rapidly developing regions with the greatest potential for new markets and extended trade, the City of Sapporo established the Sapporo Economic Exchange Office in Beijing in November of 2003 to promote economic exchange activities with China and to assist industries in Sapporo seeking to develop business in China. Furthermore, the City of Sapporo has supported the promotion of local enterprises in the Asian market by staging product exhibitions in Seoul, Korea for the past three years, which led to the establishment of a permanent “Hokkaido Food” market space. |
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| Environment and Nature Sapporo is blessed with a splendid natural environment that is highlighted by four distinct seasons and an abundance of greenery within the cityscape. To ensure that this same environment will be passed on to future generations, the City of Sapporo has put together the “Sapporo 'Eco-Capital' Declaration" effective as of June of 2008. The City has placed elevated importance on the development and implementation of measures to fight global warming. Since its implementation in 2004, the "CO2 Reduction Action Program" has encouraged an increase in the awareness of local Sapporo residents towards environmental issues. With such steps as a base for future action, the City of Sapporo has taken strides to build partnerships between local residents, businesses and administrative bodies. By encouraging local residents to actively engage in eco-friendly lifestyle habits, the City hopes to foster the development of Sapporo as a model “eco city” and promote the City’s activities domestically and abroad. |
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| ●“Eco Life” 100,000 Person Promotion Campaign In February of 2005, the City of Sapporo started the “Eco Life” 100,000 Person Promotion Campaign to fight global warming. The “Eco Life” campaign encouraged citizens to voice their commitment to an eco-friendly lifestyle by registering on the internet. By the end of the campaign, there were 127,928 Sapporo residents who had registered with the intention of becoming more environmentally conscious by turning off unnecessary lights, conserving water, and practicing more energy efficient driving. Following the success of the campaign, the cause continues to be supported through the “Sapporo Eco-Citizen Movement.” Sapporo residents carry on the “Eco Life” campaign’s mission to reduce CO2 emissions with activities such as supporting “eco-drive” principles and planting trees locally. With a standard calculation of one tree planted for every 406 kilograms of CO2 emitted, there will be approximately 6,000 trees planted for this cause. |
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●Food Recycling To build upon the already established trash separation and recycling system, the “Sapporo School Lunch Food Recycling” program was launched in 2006. Food scrapes and leftover lunches are turned into compost which is used by local farmers to produce food that is then used in the school lunches. This program provides elementary and middle school students with a firsthand view of the ongoing cycle of recycling and production. For example, students at Yamanote Minami Elementary School learn about food and the environment by using the compost from their leftover school lunches to produce crops of soybeans that are then used to make tofu. The compost also helps in the growth of vegetables that are used in the school lunches. |
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●Moerenuma Park Website: Moerenuma Park Moerenuma Park was designed by the world famous sculptor Isamu Noguchi as a park that can be viewed on its own as a complete sculpture. Although the park can be appreciated solely for the superior design vision of Noguchi, it is also an excellent example of how environmentally friendly elements can be incorporated without affecting the integrity of the design. The park was constructed on what was once a site for a waste treatment plant and incorporates innovative approaches for environmental conservation. The main symbol of the park is the majestic Glass Pyramid which uses a unique snow cooling system. During the winter months, snow is stored in the neighboring storage building and is then used to cool the facility during the summer months. Interview with Park Director http://www.welcome.city.sapporo.jp/moerenuma/im-e.html Black Slide Mantra Sculpture Explanation http://www.welcome.city.sapporo.jp/moerenuma/mantra-e.html Noguchi’s intention in designing Moerenuma Park was to create a “park that is considered to be one complete sculpture.” Complete with a beach, music shell, glass pyramid, 48-meter sea fountain, lush landscape and Noguchi-esque sculptures, the park offers an ideal setting to capture the beauty of Hokkaido’s four seasons. |
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●Woodlands and Wildlife An annual survey indicated that Sapporo’s greenery and abundance of nature was a great source of pride for local residents. Woodlands occupy approximately sixty four percent of the total area of the city. In addition, Sapporo overflows with greenery with a total of approximately 2,700 park areas within the city. There are a variety of wild animals living in the city, such as brown bears, Ezo deer, great spotted woodpeckers and red foxes. It is rare to encounter wildlife in the downtown area; however, we live close by such animals and share the natural environment with them. |
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●Winter Season Website: Snow Management Office, City of Sapporo Sapporo’s cumulative annual snowfall exceeds six meters (approximately twenty feet). There is no other city in the world with a population of approximately 1.9 million that accumulates such a significant amount of snow per year. Although the snow can be a hindrance in many ways, there are also various avenues for Sapporo residents to enjoy the climate, including the annual Snow Festival and a variety of winter sports. Sapporo’s tap water has an excellent reputation in Japan for its superior quality. Thawed snow from the Shikotsu-Toya Park is one of the sources of Sapporo’s water supply. |
  Kappa |
●Jozankei Hot Springs Website: Jozankei Tourist Association A pleasant one-hour drive by car, the Jozankei area is located just twenty-six kilometers (approximately sixteen miles) from the center of Sapporo. As one of Sapporo’s sources of water supply, the area around Jozankei Dam is a marvel of nature with rolling green hills during the summer and ablaze with autumn colors during the fall. Jozankei is well known for its numerous hot springs which draw approximately 2.4 million visitors per year. The number of foreign guests visiting Jozankei’s hot springs has grown over the years. ●Interest Point What are Kappa? The imaginary Japanese water sprite, known as “kappa” in Japanese, has become the symbol of the Jozankei area, stemming from a legend about a young boy who is said to have been taken off to the land of the kappa where he married a “kappa” woman and lived happily ever after. |
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●Toyohira River Sapporo has a total of 590 waterways ranging from large rivers to winding streams. The Toyohira River runs from north to south within the city and is known as the “mother river.” Along the river, there is an area called the “Toyohira River Water Garden” which Sapporo residents use as a place to splash around in the water. After World War II, the river’s water became so polluted that the salmon ceased to swim up the river to spawn. In 1978, a citizen-led campaign to bring the salmon back to the river was launched, resulting in a successful return of salmon to the river beginning in 1981. They can even be found swimming upstream through the center of the city. |
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| Culture and Arts Drawing on Sapporo’s rich and diverse culture as a basis, the City of Sapporo is working to create an arts scene that is easily accessible to all. The Sapporo Art Park allows visitors to take part in hands-on workshops and stroll among sculptures that were created by famous artists from throughout the world. Sapporo’s world-class concert hall, Kitara, features various performances throughout the year and is home to the Sapporo Symphony Orchestra. The “Sapporo Art Stage” is an annual festival that engages local artists and residents’ involvement in cultural activities and is part of November’s “art month.” |
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●Pacific Music Festival Website: Pacific Music Festival The Pacific Music Festival (PMF) was established in 1990 by the prominent twentieth century musical artist, Leonard Bernstein, to promote classical music and foster the development of young musical talent. Along with The Tanglewood Music Festival in the United States and the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival in Germany, PMF is ranked among the top three educational music festivals in the world. Chosen through a competitive audition process, participants from all corners of the world train for four weeks under the world’s most highly regarded musicians. During the festival which is held annually in July, there are numerous concerts at parks and event halls throughout the city. |
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●Sapporo City Jazz Website: Sapporo City Jazz Within Japan, Hokkaido is known as having a strong affinity for jazz music. Created in 2007, the Sapporo City Jazz Festival takes place during the same general season as the Pacific Music Festival. Some of the world’s top musicians and locally chosen artists display their talents in various styles of jazz. Sapporo’s short summer is filled with the sound of music from many genres. |
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●Sapporo International Short Film Festival and Market Website: Sapporo International Short Film Festival and Market Established in 2006, the Sapporo International Short Film Festival features short films from around the world. At the past two festivals, there were over 4,000 films submitted by filmmakers from 90 countries with approximately 17,000 people who attended the screenings. Every year in September, approximately 100 films are shown over a five day period. In addition to an awards ceremony, there are also seminars about the international short film industry and hands-on workshops for elementary school students. The Short Film Market has drawn natural attention as the first of its kind in Japan. It consists of a video library, preview booths, and a meeting space for filmmakers to make presentations. |
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●Ainu Culture Website: Ainu Promotion Center The Ainu people, who foster a unique culture, live indigenously in Hokkaido including the Sapporo area. They believe that there is a “spirit” in all living things, natural phenomena and manmade tools. The presence of these “spirits,” who were sent from the divine world, influences the Ainu’s outlook on the world. Values in the Ainu culture include giving thanks to nature, loving human beings and living in peace. The Ainu language differs from standard Japanese and is unique to the Ainu ethnic group. Various geographic names from the Ainu remain in Hokkaido. For example, Sapporo’s name was taken from the Ainu language, meaning "river lined with large reed bed" or "large dried-up river." |
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●Hokkaido’s Dairy Industry Started by American Edwin Dun Website: http://ihome.cuhk.edu.hk/~b334739/ (Japanese Only) Hokkaido is well known as one of the main producers of dairy in Japan. In 1873, Edwin Dun laid a foundation for dairy farming in the area. At the age of 25, he came as an advisor for the Hokkaido Development Agency. The Edwin Dunn Memorial Museum is located in Sapporo. Contact: Edwin Dun Memorial Museum Tel: 011-581-5064 (Inquiries can only be taken in Japanese. A pamphlet in English is available at the museum) |
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●Susukino District—Center of Sapporo’s Nightlife The “Times Square” of Sapporo is lit late into the night with over 4,000 businesses, including restaurants, clubs, bars, and karaoke boxes. It is home to Japan’s largest entertainment district north of Tokyo. Contact: Hokkaido-Sapporo Tourist Information Center Tel: 011-213-5088 (Hours: 8:30-20:00) (Inquiries in English accepted) |
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| Sports Sapporo became world famous by hosting the 1972 Olympic Winter Games. In 2003, the Sapporo Sports Promotion Plan was launched to create opportunities for everyone to enjoy sports whenever and wherever. |
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●Ski Resorts Website: Sapporo, Blessed by Snow There are six large-scale ski resorts located within one hour of the center of Sapporo. Because of the close proximity, it is not uncommon for people to head to the slopes on weekdays after work or school. The ski season typically lasts from December until April. The 25-kilometer cross-country ski course of Shirahatayama Open Stadium was one of the official FIS courses used by world class skiers at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in 2007. This was the first time for all of the championship games to be hosted by a single country in Asia. Okurayama Ski Jump Stadium has a large ski jump that has been the venue for many world-class competitions, including the Winter Olympics and the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships. It also houses the Winter Sports Museum, a popular tourist site with state-of-the-art simulators where visitors can “experience” winter sports at any time during the year. |
| ●Sapporo Dome Website: Sapporo Dome (English, Chinese and Korean) The Sapporo Dome serves as a year-round, all-purpose space for sporting and cultural events. The world’s first “Hovering Technology” allows natural and artificial turf to be easily interchanged to accommodate a variety of large-scale events, such as the FIFA World Cup and the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships. It is also home to Sapporo’s professional sports teams---the Hokkaido Nihon-Ham Fighters (baseball) and Consadole Sapporo (soccer). |
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●Snow Hockey Originating in Sapporo, snow hockey is played on top of snow with players wearing plastic mini-skis instead of skates. Unlike ice hockey, protective gear is not needed; so, the sport can be enjoyed by a wide-variety of people. There are approximately seven hundred snow hockey players in Sapporo. The Sapporo Mayor’s Snow Hockey Tournament is held annually in February. |
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| International Relations Sapporo strives to promote not only a general understanding of various cultures of the world, but also to cultivate a sense of value and importance in the development of interactions with the world. Whether it is creating a hospitable environment for local foreign residents to live or building upon economic, environmental and cultural bases to increase international cooperation, the City of Sapporo has taken proactive steps towards increasing global partnerships by enacting the “Sapporo City Internationalization Propulsion Plan” in 2002. With this plan, internationalization has been expanded beyond the standard international exchanges and cooperation activities to include economic rejuvenation, hospitality and multicultural assistance between cities worldwide and Sapporo’s local residents, industries and administrative bodies. |
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●Conventions and International Events Website: Sapporo Convention Bureau Sapporo is equipped with numerous, centrally located convention facilities including the Sapporo Convention Center and top-class hotels that can accommodate international gatherings. The transportation infrastructure which includes subways, buses and JR train lines allows convention participants easy access to all parts of the city. There are approximately 100 international conferences held in Sapporo per year. To date, Sapporo has hosted large international conferences such as the 19th United Nations Conference on Disarmament Issues and the APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) Ministrial Meeting in addition to international medical conferences and large sporting events such as the FIFA World Cup. Capitalizing on the city’s beautiful winter season, Sapporo has been the stage for large winter sporting events such as the 1972 Olympic Winter Games, the Winter Universiade and the FIS Nordic World Ski Championship. The internationally famous Sapporo Snow Festival is also held every year, bringing crowds from Asia and beyond. |
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●Sapporo’s Sister Cities Website: International Relations Department, City of Sapporo(Japanese only) Sapporo is an active hub of "international city diplomacy" in the northern part of Japan. With similar latitudes as a uniting factor, Sapporo has established sister city relations with Portland in the United States, Munich in Germany, Shenyang in China, and Novosibirsk in Russia. A multitude of bilateral exchange activities, including citizen delegations and junior sports competitions, are carried out in the fields of art, culture and sports. The German Christmas Market is one ongoing international event that Sapporo residents look forward to every year and helps to promote continued relations with Munich and Germany in general. |
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●World Winter Cities Association for Mayors Website: World Winter Cities Association for Mayors The World Winter Cities Association for Mayors (WWCAM) is a network of winter cities around the world, providing members with opportunities to meet and learn about winter technologies from each other. With “Winter is a Resource and an Asset” as the main slogan, the association was initiated by the City of Sapporo in 1981. There are currently twenty participating cities in eleven countries that take part in the biennial conference. In January of 2008, the 13th World Winter Cities Conference for Mayors was held in Nuuk, Greenland with the theme of “Climatic Changes in the Artic.” With Sapporo as the main promoter for the cooperation of other winter cities, the “Nuuk Declaration” was adopted with the objective of advancing the use of renewable energy such as biomass, natural energy, etc. in addition to setting the goal of reducing greenhouse gas and carbon dioxide emissions by WWCAM member cities. |
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Food |
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●Ramen is a Longtime Favorite of Visitors to Sapporo Ramen noodles are the “fast food” of Japan and can be found all over the country. However, Sapporo is particularly famous for these tasty noodles, specifically “miso” flavored ramen. With more than 1,000 ramen restaurants, Sapporo is heaven for the ramen fanatic. Near Susukino, Sapporo’s popular night area, customers line up to eat in one of the restaurants found in Ramen Alley, New Ramen Alley, or Tanuki Menkoi Street. Contact: Hokkaido-Sapporo Tourist Information Center Tel: 011-213-5088 (Hours: 8:30-20:00) (Inquiries in English accepted) |
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●Hottest Craze in Sapporo is Soup Curry Although Sapporo is famous for its ramen and sushi, soup curry has taken the city’s culinary scene by storm. Unlike regular Japanese curry which is rather thick, the base of “soup curry” is thin, bringing out the flavors of the many spices in the soup stock and complementing the variety of ingredients such as vegetables, potatoes, chicken, seafood, etc. that are added to the soup. A great way to forget about Sapporo’s harsh winters is to indulge in a bowl of curry soup that is not only warm and hardy, but just spicy enough to warm up your body and clear your senses! Contact: Hokkaido-Sapporo Tourist Information Center Tel: 011-213-5088 (Hours: 8:30-20:00) (Inquiries in English accepted) |
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●Sapporo Beer’s History is Showcased at Sapporo Beer Museum Website: http://www.sapporobeer.jp/english/guide/sapporo/ As one of the most popular beer brands in Japan and around the world, Sapporo Beer is the only beer company in Japan to have its own beer museum. Constructed in 1890, the museum’s building is a unique red-brick building that was originally a factory of Sapporo Sugar Company. Attached to the museum is Sapporo Biergarten where you can taste the freshest draft beer and Hokkaido’s famous Genghis Khan-style fresh barbecued lamb. Contact: Sapporo Beer Museum Tel: 011-731-4368 （Japanese only） |
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●Australian Bar Owner Tries to Bridge Cultural Gaps Website: http://www.tk6.jp/ In 1992, Mark Schumann came to Japan from Australia to learn about Japanese culture and language, but liked the country so much that he decided to stay and open a Western style bar and pub which caters to both ex-pats and Japanese alike where they can mingle. He wanted to make a place that would in some way bridge the cultural gap between Japan and the rest of the world, and bring a little bit of western culture to Sapporo. Mark says that “there have been many changes to Sapporo over the last 16 years and the foreign population in Hokkaido is growing rapidly due to great snow and ski conditions and increased tourism and overseas investment in the area. Sapporo people are friendly and very warm hearted which is why I married a Sapporo.” Contact: Mark Schumann (Tel 011-272-6665 / Email mark@tk6.jp) |
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●American Brews German Beer in Japan Website: http://www.otarubeer.com/main/index.php?lang=en Brian Dishman came from a small town in Oklahoma to Hokkaido and has become the Brewery and Marketing Manager for Otaru Beer Breweries. The company was established in 1995 as the eighth microbrewery in Japan and brews German-style beers according to the German Law of Purity with all raw materials grown by special contract farmer in Germany and imported directly to Japan. Otaru Beer is served at Leibspeise, a restaurant/bar at the base of the Sapporo TV Tower. Contact: Brian Dishman (Email briandishman@mac.com) |
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