Minami-ku, Sapporo
Encyclopedia
is one of the 10 wards in Sapporo, Hokkaidō
Hokkaido
, formerly known as Ezo, Yezo, Yeso, or Yesso, is Japan's second largest island; it is also the largest and northernmost of Japan's 47 prefectural-level subdivisions. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaido from Honshu, although the two islands are connected by the underwater railway Seikan Tunnel...

, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

. Minami-ku is directly translated as "south ward". Having the area of 657.23 km² in total, Minami-ku occupies 60 percent of the area of Sapporo.

Overview

According to the jūminhyō
Juminhyo
A is a registry of current residential addresses maintained by local governments in Japan. Japanese law requires each citizen to report his or her current address to the local authorities who compile the information for tax, national health insurance and census purposes.The jūminhyō is different...

 (registry) in 2008, 149,139 people were living in Minami-ku. The total area of the ward is 657.23 km², which is the largest in Sapporo. 17 mountains including Mount Yoichi (1488.1 metres, the highest mountain in Sapporo) are included in the ward, along with part of the Shikotsu-Tōya National Park
Shikotsu-Toya National Park
is a national park in the central part of the island of Hokkaidō, Japan. Named after the volcanic caldera lakes of Lake Shikotsu and Lake Tōya, it has a total area of 993.02 square kilometers...

.

Sapporo's five wards: Chūō-ku
Chūō-ku, Sapporo
is one of the ten wards in Sapporo city, Japan. Chūō-ku means "central ward" in Japanese. As its name suggests, city administration and entertainment facilities are centred in this ward.- History :...

, Toyohira-ku
Toyohira-ku, Sapporo
is one of the 10 wards in Sapporo, Hokkaidō, Japan. The ward was established in 1972, when the Sapporo Olympics was held in Sapporo. Four other wards in Sapporo are bounded on Toyohira-ku.- Overview :...

, Kiyota-ku
Kiyota-ku, Sapporo
is one of the 10 wards in Sapporo, Hokkaidō, Japan. It is translated as "pure" or "clean" for "清", and " field" for "田". The ward was split from Toyohira-ku on November 4, 1997.- Overview :...

, Nishi-ku
Nishi-ku, Sapporo
Nishi is a ward of Sapporo composed of residential neighborhoods mostly arranged in grid patterns, with some areas of farmland and forested mountainous terrain mostly near its western and southern edges. It is located the west part of Sapporo city and the second largest of Sapporo's 10 wards...

, Teine-ku
Teine-ku, Sapporo
is one of the 10 wards in Sapporo, Hokkaidō, Japan. The ward is located in northwest of Sapporo, which is neighboured to three other wards in Sapporo and two cities...

, have boundaries with Minami-ku, and four cities (Chitose
Chitose, Hokkaido
-Economy:China Airlines operates its Sapporo office on the third floor of the airport building.The airline Hokkaido Air System was at one time headquartered at the New Chitose Airport in Chitose...

, Otaru
Otaru, Hokkaido
is a city and port in Shiribeshi, Hokkaido, Japan, northwest of Sapporo. The city faces the Ishikari Bay, and has long served as the main port of the bay. With its many historical buildings, Otaru is a popular tourist destination...

, Date
Date, Hokkaido
is a city located in Iburi, Hokkaidō, Japan.Date was established around 1869 and became a city on April 1, 1972.Date lies at the conjunction of National Highway Route 37 and Route 453....

, Eniwa
Eniwa, Hokkaido
-External links:...

) , two towns (Yoichi
Yoichi, Hokkaido
is a town located in the Yoichi District, Shiribeshi, Hokkaidō, Japan.-Demographics:As of 2008, the population of Yoichi is estimated to be 21,908 with a density of 162.21 persons per km². The total area of Yoichi is 140.60 km². The climate is mild , with temperatures ranging from -6°C to...

, Kyōgoku
Kyogoku, Hokkaido
is a town located in Abuta District, Shiribeshi, Hokkaidō, Japan, at the foot of Mount Yōtei. The town borders the south ward of Sapporo, but car traffic from Kyogoku must drive over an hour through the Nakayama Toge mountain pass due to the terrain of the area.Tourists visit the town to drink...

) , and a village (Akaigawa
Akaigawa, Hokkaido
is a village located in Yoichi District, Shiribeshi, Hokkaidō, Japan.As of 2008, the village has an estimated population of 1,264. The total area is 280.11 km².-External links:*...

) also have boundaries.

History

Originally, the area where currently Minami-ku is located has been famous for the hot springs in Jōzankei area and mines in Ishiyama area, and many pioneers and their families have settled from the outside of Hokkaidō. In 1918, the Jōzankei Railroad was opened for traffic from Shiroishi area to current Minami-ku area. In 1946, after the end of World War II, American army took over farms in Makomanai area, and built the military camps called "Camp Crowford".

The restoration of the Camp Crowford began in 1955, and camps of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force were started to build. In 1972, Sapporo Winter Olympics
1972 Winter Olympics
The 1972 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XI Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated from February 3 to February 13, 1972 in Sapporo, Hokkaidō, Japan...

 was held in Sapporo, and a number of sports competitions were held in Makomanai area, including biathlon
Biathlon at the 1972 Winter Olympics
-20 km:-4 x 7.5 km relay:-References:*...

, cross-country skiing
Cross-country skiing at the 1972 Winter Olympics
-15 km:February 7, 1972-30 km:February 4, 1972Vedenin was the first Soviet male athlete to win an Olympic cross-country skiing gold medal.-50 km:February 10, 1972-4 x 10 km relay:February 13, 1972-5 km:February 9, 1972-10 km:February 6, 1972...

, figure skating
Figure skating at the 1972 Winter Olympics
Figure skating was contested at the 1972 Winter Olympic Games . The competition took place at the Makomanai Indoor Skating Rink.Results of both the men's and ladies' singles events were dominated by placements in the compulsory figures, which at this time were nominally worth 50% of the total...

, ice hockey
Ice hockey at the 1972 Winter Olympics
At the 1972 Winter Olympics held in Sapporo, Japan, one ice hockey event was held: men's ice hockey. Games were held at the Makomanai Ice Arena and at the Tsukisamu Indoor Skating Rink.-Team USA:...

, and the cross-country skiing portion of the nordic combined
Nordic combined at the 1972 Winter Olympics
-Men's event:-References:*...

 events. In the same year, Sapporo was listed as one of the cities designated by government ordinance
City designated by government ordinance (Japan)
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 an order of the cabinet of Japan under Article 252, Section 19 of the Local Autonomy Law.-Overview:...

, and Minami-ku was established. The camp of the Self-Defense Force has been one of the venues of the Sapporo Snow Festival
Sapporo Snow Festival
The is a famous festival held annually in Sapporo, Japan over seven days in February. Currently, Odori Park, Susukino, and Tsudome are the main sites of the festival. The 2012 Yuki-matsuri dates are February 6 to 12.-Overview:...

, however, it was abolished and moved to the Sapporo Satoland
Sapporo Satoland
is an amusement park located in Higashi-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaidō, Japan. Having an agricultural theme, Sapporo Satolando was opened in 1995. The official name of the Satoland is .- History :...

 site located in Higashi-ku
Higashi-ku, Sapporo
is one of the 10 wards in Sapporo, Hokkaidō, Japan. It is directly translated as "east ward", and is neighboured to Kita-ku, Chūō-ku, Shiroishi-ku, Ebetsu, Tōbetsu.- Overview :...

, in 2005.

Points of interest

  • Jozankei hot springs resort - a number of hotels and resorts with hot springs.
  • Makomanai Park - a park including the Makomanai Ice Arena
    Makomanai Ice Arena
    is an indoor ice hockey arena in Minami-ku, Sapporo, Japan. It was built in December, 1970, and holds 11,500 people and has an area of 10,133 m² in total...

    , Makomanai Open Stadium
    Makomanai Open Stadium
    The Makomanai Open Stadium is a football stadium in Sapporo, Japan. During the 1972 Winter Olympics, it hosted the opening and closing ceremonies and the speed skating events. The stadium holds 30,000 people.-External links:*...

    , and Sapporo Salmon Museum.
  • Sapporo Art Park - a park with many public arts.
  • Monami Park - a park including a mine of the Sapporo Nanseki (soft stone).

External links

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