A treasure trove of cuisine - 5 must-eat Sapporo local specialties

Jingisukan (Grilled mutton dish)

Jingisukan is a dish in which lamb meat, marinated in a special sauce, is grilled along with vegetables from Hokkaido.

It is grilled on a special metal skillet with a unique dome-shaped structure, which allows the juices from the lamb meat to absorb into the surrounding ingredients without going to waste. It’s a hearty meal, and one that’s a perfect match-up of meat and vegetables.

Kaisen-don (Seafood rice bowl)

This seafood rice bowl has been topped almost to the point of absurdity with seafood caught in Hokkaido. The tuna, salmon, squid, and other fresh seafood are melt-in-the-mouth delicious.

There’s a ton of variety as well, because there are just so many possible ingredients. We recommend the sea urchin/salmon roe rice bowl, topped with tons of sea urchin and salmon roe. The combination of the little bursts of salmon roe and the rich sea urchin is something you can only get here.

Sapporo Ramen

Sapporo ramen is a local specialty packed full of the charms of the northern province. The miso-based soup is topped with butter and corn from Hokkaido.

Once you eat steaming hot miso ramen in the cold city, you’ll never look back - and indeed, many tourists are devotees of the Sapporo ramen. It’s rich, yet not too heavy, with an umami flavor that feels strangely natural. It’s a must-eat for ramen lovers.

Crab Dishes

You can’t go to Hokkaido Prefecture without eating some crab dishes.

The meat of crabs caught in Hokkaido is firm and plump, and is thought to be one of the most delicious of all crabs in Japan.

Crab is cooked in many different ways - salt-roasted, salt-boiled, in miso soup, in hot pots, and more - so you can enjoy it in all kinds of ways. We recommend you try it out for a taste of what the northern province has to offer.

Soup Curry

Some of you may have thought, “Hokkaido is famous for curry?” But yes, soup curry is one of the famous local specialties of Sapporo.

The soup, which is full of spices and slightly spicy, will warm your body from the inside out.

Most soup curry stores stew the chunks of vegetables and chicken right in the curry, and it’s the Sapporo way to eat it with rice and soup. The Sapporo soup curry strikes the perfect balance between the chunks of vegetables and the soft chicken - giving it a flavor uniquely its own.

There are many unique soup curry stores in the central area of the city. Why not go to them all and see what the differences are?

Enjoy Sapporo through the lens of local Hokkaido cuisine

Sapporo, as the central area of Hokkaido, is home to extraordinary local cuisine from throughout the prefecture.

The ones we introduced today are just the tip of the iceberg. Just take a walk around the city, and you’ll be sure to find more delicious things - try it out!

Pricing information and schedule may not be up to date and are subject to change without notice. Please check before your trip.