Makomanai Park (真駒内公園) is a city park in

Minami-ku, Sapporo is one of the 10 wards in Sapporo, Hokkaidō, Japan. Minami-ku is directly translated as "south ward". Having the area of 657.48 km² in total, Minami-ku occupies 60 percent of the area of Sapporo. Overview According to the jūminhyō (re ...

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. It is home to attractions such as

Makomanai Open Stadium The Makomanai Sekisui Heim Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Sapporo, Japan. During the 1972 Winter Olympics, it hosted the opening ceremonies and the speed skating events.Makomanai Ice Arena Makomanai Sekisui Heim Ice Arena (真駒内セキスイハイムアイスアリーナ) is an indoor ice skating arena in Minami-ku, Sapporo, Japan. It was built in December, 1970, holds 11,500 people (10,024 seats, fixed plus temporary, and 1,476 ...

and the Sapporo Salmon Museum. It also contains a small gymnasium, restaurant and a shop. The area where the park is now located was the main site of the Sapporo 1972 Winter Olympic Games.

History

The current Makomanai Park was originally the site of a former dairy factory and farm. For the

1972 Winter Olympics The 1972 Winter Olympics, officially the and commonly known as Sapporo 1972 ( ja, 札幌1972), was a winter multi-sport event held from February 3 to 13, 1972, in Sapporo, Japan. It was the first Winter Olympic Games to take place outside Euro ...

it was designated as the main area for the Games, where most facilities, including the main stadium, were to be built. After the Olympics, construction of the Park began and in 1975 it was officially opened to the public.

Overview

Located in the southern part of the city, along the Toyohira riverside, in the confluence with the

Makomanai River is a tributary of the Toyohira River in Sapporo, Hokkaidō, Japan. It has a length of and has a watershed of . Flowing from in the mountains, the Makomanai River's upper course is called , too. Its middle course flows through a narrow valley ...

, the park contains coniferous and broad-leaved trees. The park includes over 10 km of walking paths. It is used from spring to autumn as a walk or jogging course and in winter as a cross-country skiing path. The

Makomanai Open Stadium The Makomanai Sekisui Heim Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Sapporo, Japan. During the 1972 Winter Olympics, it hosted the opening ceremonies and the speed skating events.speed skating Speed skating is a competitive form of ice skating in which the competitors race each other in travelling a certain distance on skates. Types of speed skating are long track speed skating, short track speed skating, and marathon speed skati ...

events. It is used today for speed skating competitions in the winter, and as a

tennis court A tennis court is the venue where the sport of tennis is played. It is a firm rectangular surface with a low net stretched across the centre. The same surface can be used to play both doubles and singles matches. A variety of surfaces can be ...

in the summer. The park also contains the

Makomanai Ice Arena Makomanai Sekisui Heim Ice Arena (真駒内セキスイハイムアイスアリーナ) is an indoor ice skating arena in Minami-ku, Sapporo, Japan. It was built in December, 1970, holds 11,500 people (10,024 seats, fixed plus temporary, and 1,476 ...

, which opened also in 1972. The arena was inside the new venues plan and hosted during the Winter Olympics

figure skating Figure skating is a sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform on figure skates on ice. It was the first winter sport to be included in the Olympic Games, when contested at the 1908 Olympics in London. The Olympic disciplines are me ...

competitions, some

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice ...

games and the closing ceremonies. Today, it is utilized as a concert venue and

ice skating Ice skating is the self-propulsion and gliding of a person across an ice surface, using metal-bladed ice skates. People skate for various reasons, including recreation (fun), exercise, competitive sports, and commuting. Ice skating may be per ...

facility. The Sapporo Salmon Museum, opened in 1984. It is located at the northwestern end of the park, and explains the fish, including its life history and its importance for the region. In the outdoor observation channel, visitors can watch salmon spawning in autumn, and newly spawned salmon alevins in the spring. The indoor aquarium exhibits rainbow trout, landlocked salmon and Sakhalin taimen species.

Access

* Namboku Line: 20 minutes walking distance from

Makomanai Station Makomanai Station (真駒内駅) is a rapid transit station in Minami-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan. The station number is N16. It is the south terminus of the Namboku Line. The Makomanai Park is about 10 minutes by bus, or 20 minutes walking d ...

External links

Park at Hokkaido Pref. website

Park website
Minami-ku, Sapporo Parks and gardens in Sapporo 1975 establishments in Japan Olympic Parks {{Olympic venues cross country skiing