Hokkaidō北海道

Hokkaidō, ほっかいどう. The name ends in 道 (dō), circuit.

Hokkaidō is Japan's largest and northernmost prefecture and covers about a fifth of the country's land. Its government has 14 subprefectural bureaus, branch offices for areas far from Sapporo.

Only Hokkaidō uses 道. The word is left over from its time as a frontier territory. It is already part of the name, so 北海道県 is never written.

Open Hokkaidō on the map

Facts

Japanese name

北海道

Reading

Hokkaidō / ほっかいどう

Region

Hokkaidō 北海道

Capital

Sapporo 札幌市

Population

5,224,614 (2020 census)

Area

83,424 km²

Density

63 people per km²

Municipalities

179: 35 cities, 129 towns, and 15 villages

Designated cities

Sapporo City

Districts (郡)

61

Codes

JIS 01, ISO 3166-2 JP-01

Website

www.pref.hokkaido.lg.jp

Tree

Ezo spruce and Sakhalin spruce エゾマツ、アカエゾマツ

Flower

rugosa rose ハマナス

Bird

red-crowned crane タンチョウ

The tree, flower, and bird are the prefectural symbols, chosen by ordinance. Every prefecture has all three.

The most populous municipalities

2020 census. Share is the municipality's part of the prefecture's population. The other 169 are listed below.

How an address here begins

The prefecture name is written first, then the municipality name, then the name of one of Sapporo's 10 wards. The guide explains the rest of the address, and the map finds any address you paste into it.

Neighbouring prefectures

Hokkaidō shares no land border with another prefecture.

Questions about Hokkaidō

What is the capital of Hokkaidō?

Sapporo (札幌市). The prefectural office is there. It is also the largest municipality in the prefecture. It is a designated city, divided into wards.

What does 道 mean in 北海道?

道 (dō) means circuit. Only Hokkaidō uses it. The word is left over from Hokkaidō's time as a frontier territory, and it is already part of the name, so 北海道県 is never written. Under the law Hokkaidō is a prefecture like the other 46.

How many municipalities are in Hokkaidō?

179: 35 cities, 129 towns, and 15 villages. Each is a local government with its own mayor and assembly. One of them is a designated city, divided into wards: Sapporo City (10 wards). The wards are offices of the city, not governments. The towns and villages are grouped into 61 districts (郡), names used in addresses, not governments.

What is the population of Hokkaidō?

5,224,614 at the 2020 census, on 83,424 km², which is 63 people per km². Hokkaidō is the 8th most populous of the 47 prefectures and the largest by area.

Which prefectures border Hokkaidō?

None. Hokkaidō is an island and shares no land border with another prefecture. Aomori is the nearest, across the Tsugaru Strait, and the Seikan Tunnel joins the two.

What region is Hokkaidō in?

Hokkaidō is a region of its own, the only one with a single prefecture in it. A region is a customary grouping of prefectures, not a government.

How is Hokkaidō written in Japanese?

北海道, read Hokkaidō and written ほっかいどう in hiragana. The last character, 道, is the word for prefecture, and the name is often used without it in English.

How does an address in Hokkaidō begin?

With the prefecture name, then the municipality name: 北海道札幌市… (Hokkaidō, Sapporo-shi, …). In Sapporo the ward name is written after the city name, since it is a designated city. After that are written the named area, the chōme, the block, and the building number.

What is the largest city in Hokkaidō?

Sapporo City (札幌市), with 1,973,395 people at the 2020 census. It is also the capital. The three most populous municipalities are Sapporo City (札幌市, 1,973,395), Asahikawa City (旭川市, 329,306), and Hakodate City (函館市, 251,084).

What are the symbols of Hokkaidō?

The prefectural tree is the Ezo spruce and Sakhalin spruce (エゾマツ、アカエゾマツ), the flower the rugosa rose (ハマナス), and the bird the red-crowned crane (タンチョウ). Hokkaidō chose them by ordinance, as every prefecture has.