Sapporo Eating and Shopping

Often referred to as the ‘ice capital' of Japan, the beautiful city of Sapporo is one of the most visited settlements in the J. It stands as the capital of Sapporo, and has grown each year over the past few decades to become an important tourist destination for the country.

There are plenty of Sapporo hotels located throughout the downtown and outer area of the city. It is possible to reach the city of Sapporo by train, but there have been several disruptions to the railway service between Honshu and Hokkaido as a result of the earthquake that struck Japan's east coast in March 2011. However, flying into the city is probably the best option, as many cities from Japan provide flight routes to the Hokkaido capital.

There are lots of different options for when it comes to attractions and activities in Sapporo. However, it is also famous for its wonderful cuisine and shopping areas.

Eating:
Sapporo, like most other parts of Japan, has a separate cuisine than most other areas of the country. Nevertheless, visitors can still find some of the same things. But, why would a traveller want to eat the same thing they can find somewhere else? There are lots of different foods visitors should try when staying in Sapporo.

Sapporo is famous for its hairy crab, which is commonly referred to as kegani, which is easily found in here. However, there are some restaurants that are more famous for this dish than others.

It is widely accepted that Sapporo is where miso ramen, which is a kind of noodle soup with miso sauce flavouring. It is one of the most delicious meals one can find here. In addition to the ramen, soup curries are extremely popular. They can be located in restaurants all over Sapporo, not to mention Hokkaido, and are actually quite affordable.

Being close by the sea, Sapporo is also famous for its seafood. Crabs, lobsters, sea urchins, and squid are among the main delicacies in Sapporo, and are certainly worth trying at least once.

There are many western restaurants to be found and traditional Japanese restaurants that boast menus from other parts of the country.

Shopping:
When visiting Sapporo, visitors don't have to spend their whole time eating, no matter how delicious the above food sounds. Shopping is a great way to spend an afternoon, or sometimes a day, and there are a number of different places tourists and locals can find that contains excellent shopping opportunities.

One of the best places to shop is in the Tanuki Koji Shopping Arcade, which is home to more than 200 different shops and stores. It is situated not far from the Susukino Train Station, making it very easy to access on any day of the week.

Close to Sapporo Train Station stands another huge shopping mall called Paseo Shopping Centre. Similar to the Tanuki Koji Arcade, this mall is home to a wide variety of stores; altogether numbering more than 200.

One of the best underground shopping malls is Aurora Town, which is only a few minutes from the Odori Train Station, and therefore is easily reachable. It contains more than 100 chain stores and private stores, but most of these are high-end and expensive.

Finally, there are many other areas for tourists to shop and enjoy. Parco is one of the best shopping malls in Japan, and can be found just down the street from the Sapporo Train Station. In addition to this, the Arc City Mall and APIA also provide wonderful shopping towns for tourists.

About the Author

Lek Boonlert is an editor and content reviewer at DirectRooms and is responsible for all Sapporo Hotels content.