Sapporo

Before its establishment, the area occupied by Sapporo (Ishikari Plain, around Ishikari, Hokkaido) was home to indigenous Ainu settlements. In 1866, at the end of the Edo period, construction began on a canal through the area, encouraging several early settlers to establish Sapporo village. In 1868, the officially recognized year celebrated as the "birth" of Sapporo, the new Meiji government concluded that the existing administrative center of Hokkaido, which at the time was the port of Hakodate, was in an unsuitable location for defense and further development of the island. As a result, it was determined that a new capital on the Ishikari Plain should be established. The plain itself provided an unusually large expanse of flat, well-drained land, which is relatively uncommon in the otherwise mountainous geography of Hokkaido. …

Sapporo is located in the southwest part of Ishikari Plain and the alluvial fan of the Toyohira River, a tributary of the Ishikari River. It is part of Ishikari Subprefecture. Roadways in the urban district are laid out in a grid pattern. The western and southern parts of Sapporo are occupied by several mountains, including Mount Teine, Maruyama, and Mount Moiwa, as well as many rivers, including the Ishikari River, Toyohira River, and Sōsei River. Sapporo has an elevation of 29 m (95 ft 2 in). Sapporo has many parks, including Ōdōri Park in the heart of the city, which hosts several annual events and festivals. Moerenuma Park is also one of the largest parks in Sapporo, and was constructed under the plan of Isamu Noguchi, a Japanese-American artist and landscape architect. …

The Hokkaido Museum of Modern Art represents Hokkaido artists like Eien Iwahashi, Kinjiro Kida, Nissho Kanda, Tamako Kataoka, and especially glass objects of École de Paris The Hongō Shin Memorial Museum of Sculpture hosts a collection of over 1,800 works by the artist Hongō Shin. The Sapporo Art Park contains Art museum featuring outdoor installations & a sculpture garden, and the old house of Takeo Arishima. The Moerenuma Park including the Glass Pyramid, designed by Isamu Noguchi The Migishi Kotaro Museum of Art The Miyanomori Art Museum The Sapporo Odori 500-m Underground Walkway Gallery Member of UNESCO Creative Cities Network as a Creative City of Media Arts since 2013 Sapporo International Art Festival (2014/2017/2024) The city is home to Sapporo Brewery, white chocolate biscuits known as 'shiroi koibito' (白い恋人), and also as the birthplace of miso ramen. …