Sapporo, capital, Hokkaido dō (territory), Japan, on the Ishikari-gawa (Ishikari River). Laid out in 1871, with wide, tree-lined boulevards intersecting each other at right angles, the city was made the prefectural capital in 1886. It owed its early development to the colonization bureau of the government. It is now a major commercial centre, with Otaru, on the Sea of Japan, as its outport. Chief industries are the manufacture of foodstuffs, sawmilling, printing, and publishing. A centre for national railways, Sapporo uses Chitose Airport for domestic flights. Beneath the Tsugaru-kaikyō (Tsugaru Strait) a submarine tunnel was under construction during the 1980s.
A popular centre for skiing and winter sports, Sapporo was the site of the Winter Olympics in 1972. The annual Snow Festival features giant sculptures carved from packed snow. The city is the seat of Hokkaido University (1876) and Hokkai Gakuen Kitami University. Sapporo also has beautiful botanical gardens. Pop. (2005) 1,880,863; (2010) 1,913,545.