“I’m not leaving Japan without having ramen,” declared my pal Kenneth.
I felt for him because like him, I also make it a point to empty at least one bowl of this famous noodle soup whenever I’m in Japan. It was our last night in Sapporo and we won’t have that opportunity again. Thus, even when it meant walking across the city on slippery ice and waiting for almost an hour in -6 temperature, we still ended up queuing for a humongous serving of delicious ramen.
We were in Sapporo upon the invitation of Philippine Airlines, which had recently launched a new route: direct, nonstop flight to Sapporo from Manila. This move brings Filipinos closer to Hokkaido, Japan’s most remote prefecture, and its eclectic culinary tradition.
Sapporo’s gastronomic delights are oddly fascinating. According to our guide, 150 years ago, there were only seven people living in Sapporo. Hence, much of what the city has to bring to the dining table is relatively new and heavily influenced by neighboring territories. If you’re visiting Sapporo soon, here are some restaurants that I was able to try that you might want to squeeze into your itinerary.
Vad behandlas i den här guiden?
Ramen Shingen
Sapporo Ramen Kyowakoku
Sapporo Beer Garden
Soup Curry Cocoro
Sapporo central Wholesale Market (Jogai Ichiba)
Umie
Ishiya chocolate Factory
Wakasaimo
How to get to Sapporo
More tips on YouTube ⬇️⬇️⬇️Related Posts:
Ramen Shingen
Almost every major city in Japan has its own take on preparing ramen. here in Sapporo, their signature is miso ramen, a type that uses miso paste, made by fermenting soy beans. The miso paste is blended with fish or chicken dashi. Sometimes, chili paste is added to deliver a spicy punch that is very welcome in cold winter nights.
On our recent trip, I was able to try Ramen Shingen, serving the best low-cost ramen in the city, if our guide was to be believed. I also asked the opinion of some of the locals we’ve met throughout the trip and they all recommended Shingen. and if the queue outside is any indication, it may really be one of the most popular ramen bars in Sapporo. considering that we were there just before midnight and in freezing weather, the place was packed with locals. In fact, after falling in line outside, we stepped inside and, whoa, there was still a line. Haha. There were only 12 seats, so you should really expect to wait.
Ramen Shingen serves three types of ramen broth: shio (salt), shoyu (soy sauce), and miso (soy paste). Their specialty is miso, of course. After you choose your broth, you can choose whether you like it rich or mild. You also get to choose a size: full or half. Be aware that the full size is ginormous. The usual bowl you’re probably used to is just half-size. All these types are named after old Japanese provinces.
Vins and I decided to order the spicy miso (Echigo) and rich shoyu (Mito) varieties and share, so I got to taste both. Both have chewy, curly noodles — which is just how I like ’em — and topped with chashu (roast pork) and kakuni. Their shoyu ramen came highly recommended by our guide, but it isn’t their best. Their spicy miso ramen, however, is immaculate. The richness and flavor strength were perfect. even the piquancy was undetectable at first, giving a tangy punch only when it reached my throat, which was a pleasant surprise. despite the giant serving, we were able to slurp every last strand of the noodles and every last drop of its broth.
Prices regardless of type:
Full-size ramen: ¥760
Half-size ramen: ¥540
Full-size ramen with chashu: ¥950
How to get there: From Sapporo subway Station, take the subway Nanboku Line to Susukino. transfer to tramway to Higashi Honganji Mae Station. It’s only a short walk from there.
Hours open: 11:30am to 1am, daily
Sapporo Ramen Kyowakoku
Sapporo Ramen Kyowakoku (aka Ramen Republic) is not a single shop but a complex of multiple ramen bars marketed as one. It’s very much like Ramen stadium in Fukuoka, Ramen Koji in Kyoto, or Ramen museum in Yokohama, if you’re familiar with them. like the other three, it also fosters an Old Japan atmosphere. The idea is, each bar offers a different style of ramen and you can choose one or try more in just one place.
I visited this on my first time in Sapporo, so I was much more thrilled. Normally, I would just pick whichever had the longest line, but our guide strongly recommended a bar called Shirakaba Sansou. like Ramen Shingen, they serve miso, shoyu, and shio versions, but miso ramen is their specialty, which is available in full-size and half-size. There’s also a spicy miso option if you’re craving some heat.
When it was served, it looked more photogenic and complicated than Shingen’s. It still has similar wavy noodles, but it is adorned with nori, bamboo shoots, ajitama (egg), chashu (pork), garlic oil, and a generous sprinkling of black pepper. I have to say that I wasn’t a big fan of miso ramen before coming to Sapporo, but this made mea believer. The broth is so rich that the miso is the obvious star of this bowl, and it works perfectly with the rest of the ingredients. I’m also a bit partial to anything with a strong garlic flavor, so I totally enjoyed it. for what it’s worth, Shirakaba Sansou may not always be on best lists, but it remains one of the best bowls of ramen that I had in my life.
Prices:
Full-size ramen: ¥800
Half-size ramen: ¥550
Ramen with roast pork: ¥980
Ramen with roast pork, ajitama, etc: ¥1150
How to get there: Ramen Kyowakoku is housed in ESTA, a shopping mall next to JR Sapporo Station, so it is easily accessible on foot there.
Hours open: 11:00am to 10pm, daily
Sapporo Beer Garden
Drinkers come to this part of Sapporo for the Beer Museum, where you can learn barrels about the Japanese beer culture! but foodies check out for a different kind of battle, one with Genghis Khan.
Genghis Khan (Jingisukan) is a popular native Hokkaido dish composed of mutton and vegetables grilled on a metal dome. It was named after the medieval emperor because in Japan mutton is a meat typically associated with Mongolia. best consumed with overflowing beer!
Here are the rates for Genghis Khan (lamb and fresh vegetables):
Allt du kan äta
Adults (13+ yo): ¥2900 (¥3132 with tax)
Students（7-12 yo): ¥1450 (¥1566 with tax)
All-You-Can-Eat + All-You-Can-Drink
Adults (13+ yo): ¥3900 (¥4212 with tax)
Students (7-12 yo): ¥1950 (¥2106 with tax)
Not really the cheapest option out there, but considering that it’s unlimited, it gives terrific value for money!
If you’ve worked up an appetite after a day of sightseeing, you might want to avail of their premium À-La-Carte Buffet. Not only will you get to try the Genghis Khan, you also get to dig into snow crabs, red king crabs, and other dishes that Hokkaido is famous for. For beer lovers, you get access to 6 types of beer too!
✅ RESERVE A TABLE HERE!
How to get there: From Sapporo subway station, take subway Toho Line to Higashikuyakushomae Station. It’s only a 15-minute walk from there.
Hours Open: 11:30am-10pm, daily.
Tip: Make this your last stop of the day. Otherwise, prepare a change of clothes because the smell of smoke will stick with you for the rest of the day.
Soup Curry Cocoro
Curry originated in the Indian subcontinent (Pakistan and India), but it is highly sought after in Japan. It was the British that brought curry to Japanese shores in the late 19th century. since then, the Japanese have taken liberties with the ingredients and preparation of it. Their version of curry is made from less spices and has a more subtle taste, but the umami flavor is still there. It has become a nationwide phenomenon, a popular dish all over the country.
Soup Curry Cocoro
In Japan, curry is usually a saucy concoction served on top of rice. but not in Hokkaido. In this part of Japan, curry takes the form of a thick soup served in a bowl. It’s thick, yes, but its flavor is on the lighter side. (Does that make any sense? Haha.) Locals traditionally take a spoonful of rice and then sort of dips it in the soup before eating, an unorthodox fashion for tourists from outside the prefecture.
One of the most successful chain of restaurants serving Hokkaido-style soup curry is Cocoro. It has half a dozen branches all over Japan, but its main restaurant is in Sapporo, which is prominently included in the 2017 Michelin Guide.
Their signature dish is chicken curry, which is composed of a big slice of tender, juicy chicken soaked in a liberal amount of soup curry, served with potatoes, carrots, bell peppers, hard-boiled egg, and of course, rice on the side. because of the Michelin feature, I was expecting a more sophisticated take on the dish, but what I had was a more homey and more grounded bowl that is full of soul. It reminded me so much of the dishes that my mom and brother prepare at home. It’s more like a comfort food for me, which isn’t a bad thing.
Prices:
Chicken curry: ¥900
Vegetable curry: ¥910
Seafood curry: ¥1100
How to get there: At Sapporo subway Station, take the Nanboku Line to Kitajuhachijo Station. From there walk four blocks to Soup Curry Cocoro.
Hours open: 11:30am – 10pm, daily.
Sapporo central Wholesale Market (Jogai Ichiba)
Hokkaido is one of Japan’s biggest supplier of seafood, especially crabs. thanks to its surrounding waters: the Sea of Japan to the west, the Sea of Okhotsk to the north, and the Pacific ocean to the east. and as the island’s biggest city, Sapporo gets a good share of the catch. much of it ends up at the Sapporo central Wholesale Market, built in 1959. Made up of 60 individual stores, it offers a wide array of delectable seafood products, from fresh crabs to smoked fish to salmon roe. many stores offer free taste too, so you won’t make mistakes.
The adjacent road is also flanked with seafood restaurants. Sushi is the bestseller here. like in many destinations in Japan, the best sushi bars in Sapporo are also typically extremely expensive. bUT Du hittar billigare alternativ här utanför marknaden.
Kaisen Don (diverse sashimi på ris). Althouhh allmänt populärt över hela Japan är Hokkaidos specialitet skaldjur!
En annan lokal favorit är Kaisendon, en skål med ris toppad med diverse sashimi. Det finns över tio restauranger nära marknaden som betjänar Kaisendon. Platser som Kikusui och Kita No Gurume-Tei är bland de bästa. Men den vi försökte var Tairyo Sushi Wakakoma.
Här är deras priser:
10-delad sushi-uppsättning: ¥ 2808
Skaldjur och kammussla risskål: 3240 ¥
Kaisendon med 13 Special Toppings: 3780 ¥
Hur man kommer dit: Från JR Sapporo Station, ta tåget till JR Soen Station. Alternativt kan du ta tunnelbanan Tozai-linjen från Sapporo Subway Station och gå av vid Nijyu-Yonken Station. Ta utgång 5. Marknaden ligger bara en 10-minuters promenad från antingen Soen eller Nijyu-Yonken Station.
Umie
En annan populär matbehandling på vintern är Nabemono, vanligtvis förkortad till bara Nabe. Ordet Nabe översätter direkt till Cooking Pot, med hänvisning till hur denna japanska fave förbereds och konsumeras. Det är ett paraplytermer som täcker alla typer av heta krukrätter inklusive Shabu-Shabu, Sukiyaki, Chankonabe och Hokkaidos helt egna Ishikari-Nabe, uppkallad efter öns längsta flod. Ishikari-Nabe har en fiskbaserad buljong, vanligtvis Hokkaido Salmon (Hokke), och använder Miso som bas.
Hotpot är i allmänhet inte riktigt ett billigt alternativ, men det kan ge dig värde för pengarna. Nabe är inte bara välsmakande, det erbjuder också en upplevelse eftersom den är bäst delad och njutning med människor du älskar. Nabe -restaurangen vi försökte är Umie, som har 8 grenar över hela Sapporo. De har fyra huvudsakliga hotpot -alternativ, men de billigaste är nötköttsukiyaki -set och skaldjurshot. Varje beställning har ett urval av sidorätter. Om du har mer deg kan du fylla ansiktet med snökrabbor genom att beställa all-you-can-äta krabba-planen.
Här är priserna:
Skaldjurshotning med diverse tempura, sashimi, edamame (sojabönor), inlagda grönsaker, potatissallad, ris och udon nudlar: ¥ 1944 per person.
Nötkött sukiyaki set med grönsaker, diverse sashimi, saltad stekt kyckling, inlagda grönsaker, stekt potatis, edamame, misosoppa och ris: ¥ 1 944 per person
Ishiya chokladfabrik
Om du någonsin har handlat efter matsouvenirer på någon flygplats i Japan har du antagligen stött på det som ser ut som en present som är lindad i mörkt kricka (eller vilken färg som helst). Det, min vän, är Shiroi Koibito, vita chokladfyllda kex som är kända över hela landet.
Här i Sapporo kan du inte bara ha tillgång till massor av dessa dekadenta godisar, du kan också se hur de är gjorda. Shiroi Koibito tillverkas av konfektyrföretaget Ishiya, baserat i Sapporo. Efter att ha tillbringat en timme i den angränsande parken uppkallad efter dessa kex kan du komma in och gå med i en rundtur i fabriken eller bara handla i deras souvenirbutik.
Bortsett från Shiroi Koibito -kex finns det också flera andra kakor och choklad att välja mellan. Vissa är inte tillgängliga på flygplatsen.
Wakasaimo
I många områden i Japan är ett av de mest populära snacks yaki-imo. IMO hänvisar till alla rotgrödor som potatis, yam eller taro. Men yaki-imo hänvisar vanligtvis till sötpotatis (kamote i tagalog). Det är ganska allestädes närvarande i Japan: Jag hade det i Tokyo, Hiroshima, Osaka och Tottori. Dessa sötpotatis är långsamt, vilket resulterar i en slät, mjuk struktur.
Men under den längsta tiden i Hokkaido var det oerhört svårt att odla sötpotatis. Tillbaka på dagen var Yaki-Imo så svår att komma med. Men nödvändigheten är mamman till uppfinningen, säger de. Och eftersom sugen var stark, beslutade någon 1930 att replikera smaken av sötpotatis utan att använda någon sötpotatis. Detta är när Wakasaimo föddes. De skapade läckra kakor som ser ut och smakar ut som yaki-imo med bara vit bönpasta. De tilllade också tång för att efterlikna fibern som sötpotatis är kända för. Sedan rostade de det med ägg och soja sa