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'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 la ...

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 north ...

. 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 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 Europe ...

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 final ...

event and the ski jumping portion of the

Nordic combined Nordic combined is a winter sport in which athletes compete in cross-country skiing (sport), cross-country skiing and ski jumping. The Nordic combined at the Winter Olympics has been held since the first ever 1924 Winter Olympics, Winter Olympic ...

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 e ...

would be held at Sapporo in

2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...

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 is a red-light district in Chūō-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaidō, Japan. It is one of the major red-light districts in Japan along with Kabukichō, Tokyo, and Nakasu, Fukuoka. Currently, the district is congested with many restaurants, bars, hotels, and ...

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 is a city park in Chūō-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan. The park has a lake, two streams, a museum, a concert hall, an observatory, a historical building housing a tea shop, and several lawns and forests. At the south end, there are two shrines. ...

, which houses a music hall Sapporo Concert Hall "Kitara". The

Hokkaido University Botanical Gardens The are botanical gardens operated by Hokkaido University. They are located at North 3, West 8, Chūō-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaidō, Japan, and open daily; an admission fee is charged. The gardens were established in 1886 as part of the Old Sapporo A ...

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 sm ...

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 t ...

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 is a public university with campuses in Chuo-ku, Sapporo, Chuo-ku and Minami-ku, Sapporo, Japan. The predecessor of the school was established in 1991, and it was chartered as a university in 2006 when it merged with a nursing school. External ...

, Soen Campus and Satellite Campus

Private

Hokkai Gakuen University is a private university in Sapporo, Hokkaidō, Japan. The precursor of the school was founded in 1885, and it was chartered as a university in 1952. Organization Faculties *Economics *Business Administration *Law *Humanities *Engineering ...

, 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 The is a railway line connecting the cities of Hakodate and Asahikawa via Sapporo in Hokkaido, Japan. It is one of the trunk lines operated by the Hokkaido Railway Company (JR Hokkaido). The Sawara Line, a 35 km loop line from Ōnuma to Mo ...

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 is a railway station in Chūō-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan, operated by the Hokkaido Railway Company (JR Hokkaido). The station is numbered S02. Lines Sōen Station is served by the Hakodate Main Line and also the Sasshō Line (Gakuentoshi Lin ...

, Naebo Station *

Sapporo Municipal Subway The is a mostly-underground rubber-tyred rapid transit system in Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan. Operated by the Sapporo City Transportation Bureau, it is the only subway system on the island of Hokkaido. Lines The system consists of three lines: ...

** Namboku Line:

- Ōdōri -

- Nakajima-Kōen - Horohira-Bashi ** Tōzai Line: Nishi-Nijūhatchōme - Maruyama-Kōen - Nishi-Jūhatchōme - Nishi-Jūitchōme - Ōdōri - Bus Center-Mae **

Tōhō Line The is a rubber-tyred metro line in Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan, operated by Sapporo City Transportation Bureau. It is part of the Sapporo Municipal Subway system. It runs from Sakaemachi Station in Higashi-ku to Fukuzumi Station in Toyohira- ...

: Sapporo - Ōdōri - Hōsui-Susukino *

Sapporo Streetcar The is a tram network located in Sapporo, Hokkaidō, Japan. It is operated by the Sapporo City Transportation Bureau. The system is sometimes referred to by residents as simply the . The first section of the network opened in 1909 as the ; i ...

** Ichijō Line ** Yamahana Line ** Yamahana-Nishi Line

Road

* Route 5 * Route 12 * Route 36

Points of interest

Sapporo Clock Tower is a wooden structure and tourist attraction, located at North 1 West 2, Chūō-ku, Sapporo, the largest city on the island of Hokkaidō, Japan. As of 2021, this tower is the oldest clock tower in Japan. The building is of American design and i ...

Former Hokkaidō government office building A former is an object, such as a template, gauge or cutting die, which is used to form something such as a boat's hull. Typically, a former gives shape to a structure that may have complex curvature. A former may become an integral part of th ...

Odori Park is a park located in the heart of Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan. means "large street" in Japanese. It stretches east to west through Nishi 1 chōme, Ōdōri to Nishi 12 chōme, Ōdōri ("Nishi" means west, and "chōme" is a block in Japanese), and d ...

Maruyama Baseball Stadium Sapporo Maruyama Baseball Stadium (札幌市円山球場), is a baseball stadium in Sapporo, Hokkaidō, Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest P ...

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 ...

* Tanukikōji Shopping Arcade * Hokkaido Shrine *

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