Sapporo is the fifth largest city of Japan by population, and the largest city on the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido. Located in Ishikari Subprefecture, it is the capital of Hokkaido Prefecture, and an ordinance-designated city of Japan.

Sapporo is known outside Japan for having hosted the 1972 Winter Olympics, the first ever held in Asia, and for the city's annual Yuki Matsuri, 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 white chocolate biscuits called shiroi koibito.

The Sapporo Concert Hall Kitara is the main musical venue in Sapporo, in Nakajima Park in Chuo-ku. It is home to the Sapporo Symphony Orchestra, a local professional orchestra organized in 1961. Their regular concerts are held in this hall. The open-air stage in Sapporo Artpark is another music venue. The Pacific Music Festival (PMF), an event started with the idea of Leonard Bernstein in 1990, is held in both places. The Sapporo Artpark, in Minami-ku, 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 in Shiroishi-ku: forums and events are held there. The Sapporo Salmon Museum, within Makomanai Park in Minami-ku, mainly displays materials related to the ecology of salmon. The Sunpiazza Aquarium is close to the Sapporo Science Center in Atsubetsu.

Sapporo has various historical buildings, as well as shopping malls and parks. Historic landmarks include the former Hokkaidō government office building, the Sapporo Clock Tower, the Hokkaidō Shrine (Hokkaidō Jingū), and the Sapporo TV Tower. Sapporo Factory was a former brewery of the Sapporo Brewery and is currently a huge shopping mall with many restaurants, offices, and a multiplex movie theatre. Another former brewery is the Sapporo Beer Museum, which is currently a part of the Sapporo Garden Park, and houses the Sapporo Beer Garden. The Sapporo City Archive Museum, the Edwin Dun Memorial Hall, and some old buildings in Hokkaido University are historically important in Sapporo. Each was listed as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property of Japan.

The Miyanomori Art Museum has the largest collection of Christo and Jeanne-Claude in Asia and Oceania. The museum collection includes works by Lucio Fontana, Frank Stella, Jasper Johns, Lee Ufan, Guillaume Bottazzi, and Kumi Sugai. The Hokkaido Museum of Modern Art represents Hokkaido artists like Eien Iwahashi, Kinjiro Kida, Nissho Kanda, Tamako Kataoka, and especially glass objects of Ecole de Paris.

Sapporo JR Tower, a building complex including Tower 38 and department stores, is adjacent to Sapporo Station. Being close to the main station, Sapporo JR Tower has been visited by many tourists. The number of visitors to Tower 38, which has an observation deck, was 311,815 in 2006. The Sapporo TV Tower, at the eastern end of the Odori Park, has an observation deck for viewing the entire Odori Park and Sapporo City. Susukino is the city's main nightlife district. Sapporo Ramen Yokocho and Norubesa (a building with a huge Ferris wheel) are in this district, as well as many restaurants, nightclubs, bars, and adult entertainment. The district also has the Tanuki Kōji Shopping Arcade, the oldest shopping mall in the city. Here, one can find quirky shops, game centers (with crane games, arcade games, and the Japanese photo booths called Purikura), good restaurants, and many souvenir shops. In Minami-ku, the district of Jōzankei is a site that has many hotels with steam baths and hot springs with many visitors.


Let us share the beautiful scenery of Sapporo.