Eating (and Drinking) My Way Through Sapporo

Hokkaido is a place best known for its beautiful nature, but that does not mean that urban exploration also is not on the table. While a far cry from the megacity of Tokyo, Sapporo is still a bustling city of roughly 2 million with plenty to offer for a day or two. 

Most of the attractions are centered around Odori Park, so it’s best to stay close to there, and my room at the Royal Park Canvas Sapporo Odori Park definitely fit the bill. In fact, the view from my window was of the Sapporo TV Tower, not more than a few hundred feet away! Speaking of views, you cannot really do much better than the TV Tower itself, so that is a great way to take in the city from the best vantage point. 

Sapporo is most famous for its culinary delights, with three of my favorite things really shining through: seafood, ramen, and beer! Fresh fish seems to be nearly everywhere, but I wandered over to the fish market to have my first sashimi experience in Japan. Around here there are tons of busy restaurants, all specializing in local seafood. While not cheap (especially if you are going for the sea urchin!), it’s likely less expensive than sushi in your hometown, and almost certainly better. 

As for the ramen, there are countless places to get a steamy bowl of noodles, but I decided to get mine at the famous Ramen Alley. This alley is a narrow street, with around 17 ramen restaurants located in the entertainment district of Susukino. The alley will be packed with people, and you will almost certainly be standing in line for a while, but it’s a unique way to take in the dish in a city famous for its ramen. 

Living in Montana, our access to great beer is much better than what we can find for sushi and ramen (sorry, local restaurants). However, few places make a crisp lager as refreshing as Japan, and Sapporo is the epi-center of Japan’s brewery culture. Odori Park is packed with beer gardens that come alive in the night with barbeque, and a giant bottle of beer is seemingly on the menu pretty much everywhere you go. While I still have a fondness for many western craft beers, the lighter brews in Sapporo definitely go down easier with all the delicious food I also stuffed in my face.