Sapporo local information

 
The following information are recovered from the tourist information website of Sapporo City. For more details, see their website.
Photo credits: Sapporo City
 
General information

Sapporo is the northern-most city designated by government ordinance.
It has the 5th largest population in Japan (1.963.626 people).

There are various theories on the origin of the word “Sapporo.” The leading theory is that it derivers from the Ainu (indigenous people of Japan) words “Sap (Dry) – Poro (Wide),” but another theory is that it derivers from “Sari (Wetland) -Poro (Wide) -Pe (River)” which describes the downstream basin of the Toyohira River.

In 1972, Sapporo hosted the Sapporo Olympic Winter Games. Sapporo is attracting much attention as city of tourism with attractions such as the Sapporo Snow Festival which began in 1950, the YOSOKOI Soran Festival which began in 1992 and the Sapporo International Art Festival.
 



Sapporo Lilac
Hokkaido University

Hokkaido University first opened as Sapporo Agricultural College in 1876. Its historical buildings and elm and gingko trees draw many tourists. The “Elm Forest” located to the left of the main entrance of the University was once the sericulture classroom and is now an information center. We recommend getting a campus map here before walking through the campus. The campus is large and one can easily make a day of walking through it. The Hokkaido University Museum, which is free, is not to be missed. Here, one can see exhibits of scientific samples such as nipponosaurus and specimens of cattle skeletal structure.


Tourism


Sightseeing spots in and around Sapporo:
Discover sightseeing spots in and around Sapporo through the seven categories of Eat, Shop, Nature & Parks, History & Culture, Art, Sports, and Experience. Use a dedicated map to look for spots and find out where they are located.
Have a look at the map here!
For further information please see the website of the
tourist information of Sapporo city here.


Weather in Sapporo

Annual Average Temperature 8.9℃/48.02°F   Summer (Aug) Average Temperature	26.4℃/79.52°F   Winter (Jan) Average Temperature -7.0℃/19.4°F
Snow covers the ground 132.4 days a year. Low humidity and refreshing in the summer.

The first snowfall is in October and by December the city is covered in snow. There is much snowfall with the average annual snow accumulation at 600cm. However, with efficient measures for snow removal in place, there is minimum effect on daily life. It is rare by world standards that over 1.9 million people reside in an area prone to this much snowfall. The characteristics of the summer is that there is no rainy season and is not affected by Typhoon. The water resources is abundant due to snow that remains on the mountains into the summer, which acts as storage of water. The average temperature reaches 20℃(68°F) in the summer, but the humidity is low and the temperature is cool during the morning and evening.


Animals and Plants of Sapporo

Flower: Lily of valley   Tree: Lilac   Bird: Common Cuckoo
 


    
      Hokkaido University Campus

Hokkaido University Campus





     
      Sapporo Clock Tower

Sapporo City View




last modified: September 2018