Sapporo Local Quiz Practice: Questions and Explanations

Correct answer10 wards

Sapporo is made up of ten wards: Chuo, Kita, Higashi, Shiroishi, Atsubetsu, Toyohira, Kiyota, Minami, Nishi, and Teine. When the city became a government-designated city in 1972 it started with just seven wards, and later splits driven by population growth expanded the map to today's ten. Each ward has its own character, ranging from subway-station downtown blocks to farmland stretching toward the outskirts.

Source:区（行政区）の概要／札幌市

Correct answerTrue

At the 2018 Night View Summit in Sapporo, a survey of certified night-view experts ranked Sapporo second among Japan's 'new three great night-view cities.' Part of the appeal is the setting itself: viewpoints on Mt. Moiwa and Mt. Okurayama let visitors take in the lit-up streets and, beyond them, the direction of Ishikari Bay in a single sweeping view.

Source:日本を代表する新たな夜景が決定。『日本新三大夜景都市』を発表！

Correct answer17 shops

Original Sapporo Ramen Yokocho in Susukino, tracing back to 1951, is home to 17 ramen shops today. Tucked into the heart of Susukino, Sapporo's entertainment district, the alley draws locals as well as tourists looking for a quick, casual bowl, preserving the retro atmosphere of an old-style ramen alley.

Source:元祖さっぽろラーメン横丁｜北海道観光｜ぐうたび北海道

Correct answerA remark the founder made while watching falling snow

The name comes from a moment when the founder, watching snow fall on his way back from cross-country skiing, murmured that 'white lovers' were falling from the sky. Released in 1976, the confection is known for a white-chocolate blend engineered to melt smoothly in the mouth, and it has long stood as one of Hokkaido's classic souvenirs.

Source:白い恋人のネーミング秘話

Correct answerA covered arcade running from 1-chome to 7-chome

Tanukikoji is a covered arcade stretching about 900 meters from 1-chome to 7-chome, lined with roughly 200 shops. Its roots trace back to around 1869, when shops and eateries began clustering here soon after the Development Commission was established, with the name 'Tanukikoji' taking hold around 1873, making it one of Hokkaido's oldest shopping streets.

Source:札幌狸小路商店街を知る

Correct answerOdori Station

Odori is the only station served by all three subway lines — Namboku, Tozai, and Toho. Sitting between Odori Park and Susukino, it connects underground to Sapporo Station through the mall and the Chi-Ka-Ho walkway, making it one of the busiest transfer points in the whole subway network.

Source:大通駅

Correct answerThree venues: Odori, Tsudome, and Susukino

The Sapporo Snow Festival takes place across three venues: Odori, Tsudome, and Susukino. Odori is lined with large and small snow sculptures, Susukino centers on ice carvings, and Tsudome offers hands-on snow-play activities, so each venue gives visitors a different way to enjoy the festival.

Source:さっぽろ雪まつりについて

Correct answerFalse

A YOSAKOI Soran team can have up to 150 members, not 500. Beyond the headcount, each team designs its own music arrangement and costumes, so even within a single festival the performances look strikingly different from team to team, which is part of what keeps spectators coming back.

Source:YOSAKOIソーラン祭り 基礎知識

Correct answerA 'Sanctuary for Lovers'

The summit observatory on Mt. Moiwa is designated a 'Sanctuary for Lovers,' and padlocks left by couples line the railing around its 'Bell of Happiness.' Reached by a ropeway and a connecting mini cable car, the summit is also known as a night-view spot overlooking the city below, offering a very different mood after dark.

Source:もーりすカー

Correct answerFalse

From the Okurayama Ski Jump observation deck, Odori Park stretches out straight ahead, with the city and the Ishikari Plain visible beyond it. The site also houses the Sapporo Olympic Museum, which traces the history of the 1972 Winter Games, alongside a lift that carries visitors to the summit each summer.

Source:大倉山ジャンプ競技場

Correct answerLake Jozan

The reservoir created by the Toyohira Gorge Dam is called Lake Jozan, and the dam is listed among Japan's '100 Best Dam Lakes.' It sits further upstream from the Jozankei Onsen hot-spring town, and during the autumn-foliage season the dam performs scenic water releases, drawing visitors who come to see the colored leaves and the release together.

Source:豊平峡ダム／定山渓観光協会

Correct answerA distinctive dome shape raised in the center

A jingisukan pan has a distinctive dome shape, with meat juices running down grooves to season the vegetables cooking around the rim. The pan's shape has itself become a symbol of the dish, and a home-sized version is a standard piece of kitchen equipment in many Hokkaido households.

Source:ジンギスカン(料理)

Correct answerAs a Hokkaido-only beer marking Sapporo Breweries' 110th anniversary

Sapporo Classic launched in 1985 as a Hokkaido-only beer, described as 'a beer of gratitude to Hokkaido,' marking Sapporo Breweries' 110th anniversary. Its Hokkaido-only status made it something of a novelty at first, and it has since become a local soul beer, a fixture at izakaya and home tables across the island.

Source:History｜サッポロ クラシック

Correct answerThe name 'soup curry' is said to trace to a Shiroishi Ward shop that opened in 1993

A shop that opened in Shiroishi Ward in 1993 is credited with first naming the dish 'soup curry.' Jingisukan mainly uses lamb or mutton, not pork. Soup curry then spread across the city as individual shops competed with their own spice blends and broths, eventually settling in as one of Sapporo's signature local dishes.

Source:人気ご当地グルメに成長した、ローカルの味。札幌スープカレーのルーツとは？

Correct answer1876

The Kaitakushi Brewery, predecessor of Sapporo Breweries, opened in September 1876, led by brewmaster Seibei Nakagawa, who had studied brewing in Germany. Founded as a government enterprise under the Development Commission, this brewery marks the starting point of Hokkaido's beer industry, which continues to this day.

Source:札幌開拓使麦酒醸造所／サッポロビール

Correct answerAbout 3,000 people lined up beforehand, and 135,000 visited on opening day

Daimaru Sapporo opened on March 6, 2003; about 3,000 people had lined up beforehand, and 135,000 visited on opening day alone. Opening around the same time as JR Tower, it marked a turning point that pulled Sapporo's commercial center of gravity away from the long-dominant Odori area and toward Sapporo Station.

Source:大丸札幌店

Correct answerAs a kimono shop opened by the Sosei River

Marui Imai, Hokkaido's first department store, traces back to 1872, when Toshichi Imai from Niigata opened the 'Imai Kimono Shop' by the Sosei River. The shop, which began by selling kimono, gradually expanded into Western clothing and general goods, and locals have long known it affectionately as 'Marui.'

Source:創業154年の老舗百貨店「丸井今井」

Correct answerTanuki soba and tanuki udon

Dakko-Pong, the Tanukikoji shopping street mascot born on May 5, 1997, is said to love tanuki soba and tanuki udon. Its round, huggable shape, reflected in the name 'dakko' (to hug), makes it a signature character that turns up regularly at shopping-street events and on merchandise.

Source:札幌狸小路商店街のマスコットだっこポン

Correct answerThe Sapporo system

Sapporo's subway uses a one-of-a-kind combination of rubber tires and a central guide rail, nicknamed the 'Sapporo system' — the world's fifth such system after Paris, Haifa, Montreal, and Mexico City. It was chosen specifically with Sapporo's snow and ice in mind, and the same basic design has remained in place without major changes since opening.

Source:チカテツ「100知りのススメ」

Correct answerFor a quiet, smooth ride and strong acceleration/climbing performance

Rubber tires give a quiet ride and strong acceleration and hill-climbing performance, which helps on sections like where the Namboku Line rises from underground onto an elevated track. They also grip better than steel wheels on snow and ice, a decisive advantage for keeping service stable through Sapporo's long winters.

Source:チカテツ「100知りのススメ」

Correct answerAbout 520m

Chi-Ka-Ho is an underground walkway connecting Sapporo and Odori Stations across about 520 meters. It opened in March 2011, giving pedestrians a route between the two station areas that never requires stepping outside, so people can move comfortably between them even in the depths of winter.

Source:札幌駅前通地下歩行空間

Correct answerThe Partnership Snow-Removal Program

The Partnership Snow-Removal Program splits the work of hauling snow away from residential streets among residents (neighborhood associations), contractors, and the city, usable once per winter season. It's built to handle buildup that day-to-day street clearing can't keep up with, freeing up driving space even on narrow residential streets.

Source:パートナーシップ排雪制度／札幌市

Correct answerThe former Sapporo Agricultural College drill hall

The Sapporo Clock Tower's official name is 'the former Sapporo Agricultural College drill hall,' built in 1878. It was originally used for military drills and ceremonies, and the clock itself was not actually installed in the tower until 1881, three years after construction, which is how the building came to be known by its now-familiar nickname.

Source:旧札幌農学校演武場（時計台）

Correct answerSapporo Dome and Sapporo Atsubetsu Park Stadium

Consadole Sapporo's home stadiums are Sapporo Dome (capacity about 38,794) and Sapporo Atsubetsu Park Stadium (capacity about 17,493). The club splits its home matches between the two, favoring Atsubetsu's natural grass when conditions allow and shifting to the artificial turf of Sapporo Dome during wet weather or the snowy season.

Source:北海道コンサドーレ札幌

Correct answerAbout 188.8 ha

Moerenuma Park covers about 188.8 hectares in total — roughly the equivalent of 34 Sapporo Domes. The site, once a landfill, was redesigned under the basic plan of sculptor Isamu Noguchi, and is dotted with geometric features such as a glass pyramid and Play Mountain.

Source:モエレ沼公園 よくある質問

Correct answerA firebreak to stop fires from spreading

Odori Park has its roots in a strip of open land laid out as a firebreak to stop fires from spreading through the city. In the pioneering era, when Sapporo's wooden buildings stood close together, city planners deliberately kept this north-south strip empty as a fire barrier, and only later was it planted with trees and flower beds to become the park seen today.

Source:大通公園

Correct answerThe 1911 Hokkaido Exposition

Nakajima Park was developed in 1911 as the venue for the Hokkaido Exposition. The site, originally marshy ground known as Nakajima Yuenchi, was developed specifically to host the exposition, and after it closed the grounds stayed open to the public as a park, later becoming a cultural hub home to Hoheikan and Concert Hall Kitara.

Source:中島公園

Correct answer1958

Hoheikan (built in 1880) was relocated to its present site in Nakajima Park in May 1958 to be preserved. Originally built as lodging and a public hall for Emperor Meiji's tour of Hokkaido, it once stood elsewhere in Chuo Ward, and rather than being torn down amid aging and urban redevelopment, it was moved to its current site to be preserved.

Source:豊平館豊平館の歴史｜豊平館

Correct answerJapan's first guided rubber-tired subway

The Namboku Line opened in 1971 as Japan's first guided rubber-tired subway system. Combining rubber tires with a central guide rail was, at the time, a new technology used in only a handful of places worldwide, and the same system was later adopted for the Tozai and Toho Lines as well, becoming the standard across Sapporo's entire subway network.

Source:札幌市営地下鉄南北線

Correct answerA movable natural-grass stage that shifts between outdoors and indoors

Sapporo Dome opened in 2001 as Japan's first stadium with a movable natural-grass stage that can shift between an outdoor field and the indoor arena. For soccer matches the natural-grass stage rolls outside, while baseball games and concerts use the indoor artificial-turf floor, letting the multipurpose venue run events year-round.

Source:札幌ドーム

Correct answer1957

The Sapporo TV Tower was completed in 1957 and stands 147.2 meters tall. Standing at the eastern end of Odori Park, it is one of Sapporo's landmark structures, and its observation deck offers a straight-on view of the park stretching west along with the cityscape reaching all the way to Mt. Moiwa.

Source:さっぽろテレビ塔

Correct answerA sugar refinery

The Sapporo Beer Museum occupies a building that was originally a sugar refinery. Built of brick in the 1890s, the structure has survived by changing use over the decades, and inside the museum visitors can learn not only about the history of beer brewing but also about how this repurposed building itself came to be preserved.

Source:サッポロビール博物館

Correct answerIsamu Noguchi

Odori Park is home to 'Black Slide Mantra,' a playable slide sculpture created by the sculptor Isamu Noguchi. It is unusual in being an artwork that visitors can actually climb and slide down, embodying the same 'sculpture you can play on' idea that runs through Noguchi's later design for Moerenuma Park elsewhere in Sapporo.

Source:大通公園の彫刻

Correct answerSince around 1955

The Ground Self-Defense Force is said to have helped build the festival's large snow statues continuously since around 1955. Because statues on this scale are hard to finish by hand within the festival's short build window, personnel operate heavy equipment and handle hauling, and this cooperation is part of why Odori's large snow statues can be completed every year.

Source:さっぽろ雪まつり - Wikipedia

Correct answerIt was designated a National Important Cultural Property in 1969 / It uses an American-influenced Neo-Baroque style

The Red Brick building uses an American-influenced Neo-Baroque style and was designated a National Important Cultural Property in 1969; it was never an imperial palace nor newly built. It was built as the main office of the Hokkaido government, successor to the Development Commission, and its interior includes rooms displaying historical materials from Hokkaido's pioneering era.

Source:北海道庁旧本庁舎Former Hokkaido Government Office Building (Red Brick) Renovation Project (Hokkaido Prefecture)

Correct answerEmperor Meiji was later enshrined there as well / It enshrines Okunitama-no-kami and others as guardian deities of Hokkaido's development / It was founded in 1869

Hokkaido Shrine was founded in 1869 to enshrine Okunitama-no-kami and other guardian deities of Hokkaido's development, and Emperor Meiji was later enshrined there too; its annual Sapporo Matsuri festival is held in June, not December. The shrine grounds, adjoining Maruyama Park, are also known for cherry blossoms, and the shrine draws one of the largest New Year crowds anywhere in Hokkaido.

Source:北海道神宮

Correct answerIt was a government enterprise established by the Development Commission / The brand's star emblem derives from the Development Commission's 'North Star' symbol

The Kaitakushi Brewery was a government enterprise set up by the Development Commission, and Sapporo Beer's star emblem derives from the Commission's 'North Star' symbol; it was neither purely private nor set up by a Tokyo company. After the Development Commission was abolished, the brewery's operations were sold off to private hands, eventually growing into today's Sapporo Breweries.

Source:サッポロビール 星のマークサッポロビール

Correct answerIn the story: Okurayama Ski Jump Stadium is established → In the story: The Sapporo Olympics is held as Asia's first Winter Games → In the story: The Sapporo Snow Festival gains international fame

Order: Okurayama Ski Jump Stadium was established (1931) -> the Sapporo Olympics was held as Asia's first Winter Games (1972) -> the Snow Festival gained international fame in the wake of those Games. Preparations for the Olympics also pushed forward the Namboku subway line and the road network, and this wave of investment helped shape the skeleton of the city Sapporo is today.

Source:大倉山ジャンプ競技場札幌オリンピック(1972年)さっぽろ雪まつり

Correct answerAbout 105 m

Odori Park is currently about 105 meters wide. It runs as a long ribbon of green stretching east to west through downtown, and its width makes it easy to host large events such as the Summer Festival and Snow Festival, with each block along the way offering its own fountains, flower beds, or sculptures.

Source:大通公園

Correct answerAbout 1,121 square kilometers

Sapporo covers about 1,121 square kilometers, ranking among the largest cities in Hokkaido by area. Its municipal boundary reaches well beyond the flat downtown core to include the mountainous parts of Minami Ward and the forested area around Jozankei, so a bustling city center and vast natural terrain sit within the same administrative city.

Source:City of Sapporo Overview (City of Sapporo official site)