is one of the ten wards in

Sapporo is a Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, designated city in Hokkaido, Japan. Located in the southwest of Hokkaido, it lies within the alluvial fan of the Toyohira River, a tributary of the Ishikari River. Sapporo is the capital ...

Hokkaido is the list of islands of Japan by area, second-largest island of Japan 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 fr ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. 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 Cities of Japan, 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 cit ...

. 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 1924 Winter Olympics, Winter Olympics in ...

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 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...

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 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 by its official abbreviation: . It operates intercity and local rail services in Hokkaido, Japan. The company introduced Kitaca, a smart ...

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 Sa ...

(Air Do) is headquartered in Chūō-ku.

Yomiuri Shimbun The is a Japanese newspaper published in Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka, Fukuoka, Fukuoka, and other major Japanese cities. It is one of the five major newspapers in Japan; the other four are ''The Asahi Shimbun'', the ''Chunichi Shimbun'', the ''Ma ...

has a branch office in the ward.

Japan Airlines Japan Airlines (JAL) is the flag carrier airline of Japan. JAL is headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. Its main hubs are Tokyo's Narita International Airport, Narita and Haneda Airport, Haneda airports, as well as secondary hubs in Osaka's Kansai ...

, 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 * 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 (; ) 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 by its official abbreviation: . It operates intercity and local rail services in Hokkaido, Japan. The company introduced Kitaca, a smart c ...

Hakodate Main Line The is a railway line connecting the cities of Hakodate, Hokkaido, Hakodate and Asahikawa, Hokkaido, Asahikawa via Sapporo in Hokkaido, Japan. It is one of the trunk lines that is operated by the Hokkaido Railway Company (JR Hokkaido). The Sawa ...

, Sasshō Line: Sōen Station, Naebo Station * Sapporo Municipal Subway ** Namboku Line:

- 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 * Susukino * Tanukikōji Shopping Arcade * Hokkaido Shrine * Hōheikan * Hongō Shin Memorial Museum of Sculpture

References

External links

Chūō-ku ward office
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chuo-ku, Sapporo Wards of Sapporo