is one of the ten wards in
Sapporo
( ain, サッ・ポロ・ペッ, Satporopet, lit=Dry, Great River) is a city in Japan. It is the largest city north of Tokyo and the largest city on Hokkaido, the northernmost main island of the country. It ranks as the fifth most populous city ...
,
Hokkaido
is Japan, Japan's Japanese archipelago, second largest island and comprises the largest and northernmost Prefectures of Japan, prefecture, making up its own List of regions of Japan, region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; th ...
,
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...
. Chūō-ku means "central ward" in Japanese. City administration and entertainment facilities are centred in this ward.
History
During Meiji Period, Sousei river, precursor of Susukino district, Sapporo Beer company and the drill hall of the former Sapporo Agricultural College were built in the area where Chūō-ku is currently located.
[outline of Chuo-ku]
After Sapporo was divided into wards (ku, 区), Sapporo Agricultural College, currently Hokkaido University, was moved to what would become Kita-ku, and was replaced by the Sapporo wards administration building.
[
In 1922, Sapporo was chartered as a city.][ The 1st Sapporo Snow Festival was held during the Showa period, and Sapporo City Hall was erected in 1971.
Chūō-ku was officially established in 1972, when the Sapporo Olympics was held and Sapporo was accredited as one of the ]city designated by government ordinance
A , also known as a or , is a Japanese city that has a population greater than 500,000 and has been designated as such by order of the Cabinet of Japan under Article 252, Section 19, of the Local Autonomy Law.
Designated cities are delegate ...
.[ During the Olympics, Chūō-ku hosted the normal hill ]ski jumping
Ski jumping is a winter sport in which competitors aim to achieve the farthest jump after sliding down on their skis from a specially designed curved ramp. Along with jump length, competitor's aerial style and other factors also affect the fina ...
event and the ski jumping portion of the Nordic combined
Nordic combined is a winter sport in which athletes compete in cross-country skiing and ski jumping. The Nordic combined at the Winter Olympics has been held since the first ever Winter Olympics in 1924, while the FIS Nordic Combined World Cup ...
event. The other 6 wards ( Higashi-ku, Kita-ku, Minami-ku, Nishi-ku, Shiroishi-ku and Toyohira-ku) were also established in the same year. The ski jump would be a venue when the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships
The FIS Nordic World Ski Championships is a biennial nordic skiing event organized by the International Ski Federation (FIS). The World Championships was started in 1925 for men and opened for women's participation in 1954. World Championship eve ...
would be held at Sapporo in 2007
File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple Inc., Apple's first iPhone (1st generation), iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakis ...
.
Overview
The ward is located in the center of Sapporo. As a downtown district of the city, there are a lot of governmental offices and buildings of companies. The City Hall of Sapporo, the office building of the government of Hokkaido and the headquarters of Hokkaidō Police office are located.
Chūō-ku is also the centre for sightseeing, and many of historical and entertainment facilities of Sapporo are located. Odori Park lies on the centre of the ward, and Sapporo TV Tower is placed on the eastern end of the park. The Sapporo Snow Festival is also held annually in Odori Park. The largest shinto shrine in Hokkaidō prefecture, Hokkaido Shrine (Hokkaidō jingu) is located in Miyanomori area, and draws a number of people on the island during Oshougatsu (the New Year's Day). Maruyama Zoo, Mt. Okura Ski Jump Stadium, and Miyanomori middle hill jump stadium are near the shrine.
Susukino area has many bars and pubs. The street car runs from there to Odori Park going around the ward. A beautiful panorama view is enjoyable on the top of Mt. Moiwa, which has a ropeway. Memorial guest hall, Hōhei Kan, is in Nakajima Park, which houses a music hall Sapporo Concert Hall "Kitara". The Hokkaido University Botanical Gardens is also in this ward.
Economy
Hokkaido Railway Company
The is one of the constituent companies of the Japan Railways Group (JR Group), and is often referred to using its official abbreviation of . It operates intercity and local rail services in Hokkaido, Japan. The company introduced Kitaca, a s ...
has its headquarters in the ward. Hokkaido International Airlines
, previously known as , is a Japanese regional airline headquartered in Sapporo, Japan. It operates scheduled service between the islands of Honshu and Hokkaido in cooperation with All Nippon Airways, from its hubs at New Chitose Airport in Sap ...
(Air Do) is headquartered in Chūō-ku. Yomiuri Shimbun
The (lit. ''Reading-selling Newspaper'' or ''Selling by Reading Newspaper'') is a Japanese newspaper published in Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka, and other major Japanese cities. It is one of the five major newspapers in Japan; the other four are ...
has a branch office in the ward.
Japan Airlines
, also known as JAL (''Jaru'') or , is an international airline and Japan's flag carrier and largest airline as of 2021 and 2022, headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. Its main hubs are Tokyo's Narita International Airport and Haneda Airport, as w ...
, at one time, operated a ticketing facility on the second floor of the Imon Sapporo Building in Chūō-ku. On March 31, 2009, the facility closed.
Statistics
As of April 1, 2008, statistics of Chūō-ku, Sapporo is listed below.
* Area: 46.42 square km
* Population: 211,233
* Households: 115,362
* Chūō-ku Ward Office: Minami 3 Jo Nishi 11 Chome, Chūō-ku, Sapporo-shi (city)
* Zipcode: 060-8612
Education
University
Public
* Sapporo Medical University
is a public university in Chūō-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaidō, Japan. The precursor of the school was founded in 1945, and it was chartered as a university in 1950.
History
The , the precursor of the university, was founded in 1945. The Sapporo Medi ...
* Sapporo City University, Soen Campus and Satellite Campus
Private
* Hokkai Gakuen University, Yamahana Campus
High schools
Public
* Hokkaido Sapporo Nishi High School
* Hokkaido Sapporo Minami High School
* Hokkaido Sapporo Asahigaoka High School
* Sapporo Odori High School
Private
* Sapporo Seishu High School
* Sapporo Ryukoku Gakuen High School
* Sapporo Sacred Heart School High School
* Hokusei Gakuen Girls' High School
Other
The South Korean government maintains the Korea Education Institution ( ko, 삿포로한국교육원; ja, 札幌韓国教育院) in Chuo-ku.
Transportation
Rail
* JR Hokkaido
The is one of the constituent companies of the Japan Railways Group (JR Group), and is often referred to using its official abbreviation of . It operates intercity and local rail services in Hokkaido, Japan. The company introduced Kitaca, a sm ...
** Hakodate Main Line, Sasshō Line
The is a railway line in Japan operated by Hokkaido Railway Company (JR Hokkaido), which connects in Sapporo and in Tōbetu, Ishikari District. Its name is made up of two characters from and , the latter of which was the terminus of the l ...
: Sōen Station, Naebo Station
is a railway station in Chūō-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaidō, Japan. It is served by Hakodate Main Line and Chitose Line. The station is numbered H02.
Station layout
The station consists of two island platforms connected by a footbridge, servin ...
* Sapporo Municipal Subway
** Namboku Line: Sapporo
( ain, サッ・ポロ・ペッ, Satporopet, lit=Dry, Great River) is a city in Japan. It is the largest city north of Tokyo and the largest city on Hokkaido, the northernmost main island of the country. It ranks as the fifth most populous city ...
- Ōdōri - Susukino - Nakajima-Kōen - Horohira-Bashi
** Tōzai Line: Nishi-Nijūhatchōme - Maruyama-Kōen - Nishi-Jūhatchōme - Nishi-Jūitchōme - Ōdōri - Bus Center-Mae
** Tōhō Line: Sapporo - Ōdōri - Hōsui-Susukino
* Sapporo Streetcar
** Ichijō Line
** Yamahana Line
** Yamahana-Nishi Line
Road
* Route 5
* Route 12
* Route 36
Points of interest
* Sapporo Clock Tower
* Former Hokkaidō government office building
* Odori Park
* Maruyama Baseball Stadium
* Okurayama Ski Jump Stadium
The , also known as the is a ski jumping venue located in the Miyanomori area in Chūō-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaidō, Japan. Owned mostly by Sapporo City, the ski jump is on the eastern slope of the Mt. Okura. The stadium has hosted a number of winte ...
* Susukino
* Tanukikōji Shopping Arcade
* Hokkaido Shrine
is Japan's second largest island and comprises the largest and northernmost prefecture, making up its own region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; the two islands are connected by the undersea railway Seikan Tunnel.
The lar ...
* Hōheikan
The is a historical building and a wedding venue, located in Nakajima Park, Chūō-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaidō, Japan. The building has previously been a hotel, guest house, event venue, and military camp. Currently, the Hōheikan is registered as o ...
* Hongō Shin Memorial Museum of Sculpture
References
External links
Chūō-ku ward office
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chuo-ku, Sapporo
Wards of Sapporo