Nishi-ku, Sapporo

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Nishi (西区; -ku, lit. "west ward") 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.

The administrative offices of Nishi-ku are located in the Kotoni neighbourhood. Primary public transportation services are the Sapporo city subway, Japan Railway, and bus services including JR Hokkaidō Bus and Hokkaidō Chūō Bus. The last four stations of the Tozai subway line's western end are located here, two of which were added in 1999. Japan Highway's Sapporo-Otaru expressway section passes through Nishi-ku, with two interchanges (Nishi and Shinkawa) serving the ward.

Sapporo Municipal Teine Memorial Museum (手稲記念館), Kotoni Tonden Historical Archives (琴似屯田歴史館資料室), and Mitobe Memorial Museum (三戸部記念館) are sites of historical interest whose focus is on the era of Japanese 'pioneers' in Hokkaidō.

Consadole Sapporo's practice field is also located in Nishi-ku, and is a popular site for the team's fans. Major parks in Nishi-ku are Noshi Koen and Miyagaoka Koen. Numerous other parks may be found, many located along the banks of the river Kotoni-Hassamu-gawa and its tributaries. Hiking trails abound. One of the most popular begins from near the Heiwa-no-taki waterfall and leads to the summit of Sapporo's highest mountain, Mt. Teine, located in Teine-ku, the city's northwesternmost ward.

Miyanomori's Hokkaidōjingu temple is the largest in Hokkaidō and takes in the largest number of people on the island during Oshougatsu.

In the less built-up neighbourhoods of Nishino, Heiwa, Fukui, and Kobetsuzawa, it is not unusual for wildlife, such as red foxes (Vulpes vulpes schrencki) and Asiatic brown bears (Ursus arctos yesoensis) or their spoor, to be observed.

[edit] Statistics

Area:74.93 square km Population: 206,427 (6/1/2005) Households: 92,037 (6/1/2005) Nishi-ku Ward Office: 2 Jo 7 Chome, Kotoni Nishi-ku, Sapporo-shi 063-8612

Phone: +81 11 641 2400