You can easily ask for help at places with staff stationed to offer foreign language assistance, whether it’s about Sapporo sightseeing information or just a quick question
A scenic restaurant stands in the farming district known as “Okanomachi” (Town of Hills), located approximately three hours from Sapporo by car in the town of Biei. The property encompasses the restaurant, hotel, and boulangerie, where visitors can enjoy bread and a meal made using wheat and vegetables grown in Biei.
Useful information for foreign tourists who are sightseeing in Sapporo. At restaurants in Japan, after you are seated, a person from the establishment will bring you cold water (“ohiya” in Japanese) to drink and an “oshibori,” a moistened hand towel used to wipe your hands. When paying for your meal, bring the check from your table to the cash register.
When you are running late or have to cancel a reservation that you have made at a restaurant or bar, make sure to call the establishment and let them know. At self-service restaurants, throw away used paper cups and other garbage into the garbage bin (after separating waste by type).
Kindaitei, opened in 1880, is a salmon specialty restaurant located in the city of Ishikari, 40-minutes from central Sapporo by car. Using the traditional recipes preserved since its founding, the restaurant prepares salmon course meals in every manner, including the traditional Ainu dish, “rui-be.” Ishikari-nabe, a famous regional specialty created by Kindaitei, has many fans and appears as a last course in the meal.
The Chitose Salmon Aquarium is an aquarium with an “underwater observation room” where visitors can peer into the world below the surface of the Chitose River. From September to October, there are so many salmon migrating upstream that they completely cover the window into the river. The dynamic process of fish collecting that takes place using the fish wheel set up behind the building is also worth seeing. It is a great stop-over on the way to the New Chitose Airport.
There are many wineries in Hokkaido, a region where wine grapes are cultivated. The Hokkaido Wine Center in Otaru explores the possibilities found in Hokkaido’s wines, foods, and tourism, and is working towards the establishment of a new food culture and the promotion of wine tourism. We spoke to the founder of the center, Masahisa Abe.
The number of wineries is on the rise in the wine grape growing region of Hokkaido. The Hokkaido Wine Center based in the tourist destination of Otaru is a hub for wine lovers where you can find professionals who know everything there is to know about Hokkaido wine. They will teach you how to enjoy the local wines as you participate in a tasting.
A souvenir shop located on the second floor of the New Chitose Airport that sells Hokkaido wine, cheese, and processed agricultural products. The shop deals only with products that are both made from local ingredients and produced locally in Hokkaido. Consider stopping by while you are in the airport for free samples of food products, and other souvenirs that can only be obtained at this shop.
"Yoichi Wine Making Factory" was the first to start producing wine in Yoichi, one of Hokkaido’s leading fruit-producing regions. "Yoichi Winery", which opened on the site in 2011, is a place where you can purchase their wine, go on tours of the factory and enjoy a meal at the restaurant.
Founded in Sapporo and now with branch stores in Tokyo and Sendai, Miyakoshiya Coffee offers casual house-roasted coffee and is open until mid-night. A mere 2 minute walk from the Subway Tozai Line Maruyama Station, this cozy coffee shop is definitely worth a try.
Mt. Sankaku in Sapporo is perfect for beginners of mountain climbing. Walking from the foothills all the way through the wood and arriving on top of the mountain, you can command a breathtaking view of the townscape of Sapporo. It takes around ten minutes to go from the Subway Nishi 28-chome Station to the bus stop that is nearest to the Yamanote Trailhead. Why not try some mountain climbing during your travel?
