1. JR Tower Hotel Nikko

A luxury hotel right at Sapporo Station’s south entrance, the JR Tower Hotel Nikko is a 4.5 star hotel that occupies several of the upper floors of the 173-metre high, 38-storey Sapporo JR Tower.

It is an excellent choice for accommodation not only for its extremely convenient location but also for its wide range of facilities, including a hot spring bath, a bathhouse, free WiFi and wired internet, an on-site restaurant, and a massage and sauna service.

It has well-equipped rooms available for single travellers, couples, and families, and costs start from 26,000 yen per room a night.

For availability and reservations, visit JR Tower Hotel Nikko’s official website.

2. La’gent Sapporo Odori

Only a 5-minute walk from Odori Station, the La’gent Sapporo Odori Hokkaido is a top-rated hotel with modern facilities and amenities for its guests.

With a hot spring bath, a restaurant, a bar, and several single, double, suite, Japanese-style, and Western-style rooms, the hotel is perfect for at least a night’s stay, whether you are travelling alone or with a group of friends or family.

Room prices start around 15,000 yen, and you can check the availability on La’gent Stay Sapporo Odori’s official website.

3. UNIZO Inn

A 3-star hotel in central Sapporo, UNIZO Inn provides easy access to many of the city’s most popular tourist attractions, including Odori Park, Sapporo Clock Tower, Sapporo TV Tower, and the Former Hokkaido Government Office.

All of its rooms are equipped with private bathrooms, refrigerator, television, heating and cooling, and WiFi, among others, and rates range from around 8,000 yen for a single room to 20,000 yen for a twin room.

The hotel also has an on-site restaurant, massage service, 24-hour front desk, and tourist assistance service.

Bookings can be made through UNIZO Inn’s official website.

4. Sapporo Park Hotel

Made up of 216 rooms, some with overlooking views of Nakajima Park, the Sapporo Park Hotel is a short walk away from Nakajima Koen Subway Station, three stops from Sapporo Station.

It offers reasonably priced single rooms and twin rooms, from 10,000 yen to 20,000 yen per night, for the budget conscious; and executive and suite rooms with private spa baths, from 40,000 to 200,000 yen per night, for those who want to splurge.

Tourist assistance, luggage service, currency exchange, and various health and wellness services are also offered by the hotel.

Visit Sapporo Park Hotel’s official website for reservations and other inquiries.

5. Mercure Hotel

Highly-rated by guests because of its central location, in the heart of the lively and vibrant Susukino district, Mercure Hotel is a modern and stylish lodging option that is close to a lot of the best sites and attractions in the city, including Odori Park, Nijo Fish Market, Sapporo Clock Tower, and Sapporo TV Tower, which are all just 10 to 15 minutes away on foot.

Great for couples, families, and groups travelling together, the hotel consists of several types of rooms equipped with air conditioning and heating, private bathrooms and toilets, and entertainment facilities. It also boasts of warm and friendly staff that speak Japanese, English, Korean, Chinese, and French.

A night typically costs from 15,000 yen to 25,000 yen.

Check Mercure Hotel Sapporo’s official website for availability and rates.

6. Richmond Hotel Sapporo Ekimae

Richmond Hotel Sapporo Ekimae is a centrally-located hotel with top-of-the-line accommodation, health and wellness, business, and dining facilities.

It offers three types of rooms — single, double, and Hollywood twin — which are all furnished with flat screen televisions with satellite and pay-per-view channels, private bathrooms and toilets, refrigerators and electric kettles, and free WiFi.

The entire property is also persons-with-disabilities-friendly, with wheelchair access, grab rails in toilets, Braille signages, and others.

A one-night stay costs between 10,000 yen and 20,000 yen.

You can book a room through Richmond Hotel Sapporo Ekimae’s official website.

7. Hotel UNWIND Sapporo

Hotel UNWIND Sapporo is a hotel that features the charm and homey atmosphere of a rural cottage, that staying there makes you forget that you are in one of the largest metropolises in Japan.

Its spacious, earth-toned rooms give off a warm and comfortable vibe, and come with soft beds, private bathrooms, minibars, flat screen televisions, mini fridges, sofas, and desks.

Room rates start from around 40,000 yen, and can accommodate couples, families, and groups.

You can learn more about the hotel or make a reservation through Hotel UNWIND Sapporo’s official website.

8. JR Inn Sapporo-eki Minami-guchi

A fairly new hotel, which opened for business in late 2016, the JR Inn Sapporo-eki Minami-guchi is a modern-style, 10-storey hotel just a 7-minute walk from JR Sapporo Station.

From 11,000 yen to 24,000 yen a night, you can enjoy a good night’s sleep in one of their clean and stylish single and twin rooms, equipped with private bathrooms, air conditioning and heating, refrigerators, flat screen televisions, and more.

The site also has a library that has a vast collection of manga and books, a public bath, parking, and laundry services.

More information is available on the JR Inn Sapporo’s official website.

9. Cross Hotel Sapporo

The high-rise Cross Hotel Sapporo is a modern hotel situated in down Sapporo, only five minutes on foot from Sapporo Station.

All of its 181 rooms offer sufficient space for guests and their luggage, and have air conditioning and heating systems, well-maintained private bathrooms, soft beds, refrigerators and electric kettles, and flat screen televisions. A night’s stay costs from 25,000 yen to 55,000 yen.

It has a number of health, wellness, relaxation options, such as a large, gender-separated public outdoor bath and indoor bath, Jacuzzi, hot tub, and massage facilities. It also has a bar and a restaurant on site.

For inquiries, reservations, and others, visit Cross Hotel Sapporo’s official website.

10. Hotel WBF Sapporo Chuo

A newly renovated hotel just a couple of minutes on foot from Odori Subway Station, the Hotel WBF Sapporo Chuo consists of 80 differently-styled rooms that can accommodate solo travelers, couples, and even families of six. Its double, twin, cabin, and suite rooms are equipped with private bathrooms with towels and toiletries, 32-inch LCD televisions, free WiFi and wired LAN, and refrigerators. Room rates vary from 15,000 yen to 40,000 yen per night.

It is a few minutes’ walk from many of Sapporo’s main points of interests, such as Sapporo TV Tower, Ramen Yokocho, Nijo Fish Market, and Odori Park.

Visit Hotel WBF Sapporo Chuo’s official website for reservations and other information on the hotel.

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1. Ramen Shingen Minami-6joten

Ramen Shingen Minami 6joten is a traditional Japanese restaurant that serves rich and flavourful ramen, including the local favourite, Sapporo miso ramen. Because of how highly-rated its noodle dishes are, it is one of the most popular ramen places in Sapporo and is frequently packed. It is very common to see a line of a dozen or more people outside, waiting to be seated at its L-shaped counter, which can only accommodate 12 or 13 people at a time. A ramen bowl costs less than 1,000 yen.

It is open daily from 1130 to 2500.

• Address: 8-8-2, Minami 6 Jonishi, Chuo-ku, Sapporo
• Contact number: +81 11 530 5002

2. Hyosetsu no Mon

Founded in 1964, Hyotetsu no Mon is the oldest traditional crab restaurant in Sapporo. It serves a wide variety of crab dishes made with hair crab, snow, crab, red king crab, and blue crab. It offers Japanese-style private dining rooms that can hold two to ten people, and large private spaces for up to 70 people.

Its menu includes full course meals comprised of grilled crabs, shrimps, sashimi, salmon, and other seafoods; and a wide selection of drinks, including sake, beer, soft drinks, whiskey and wine.

Business hours is from 1100 to 2300.

• Address: Minami 5-jo Nishi 2-chome, Chuo-ku, Sapporo
• Contact number: +81 11 521 3046
• Website: http://www.hyousetsu.co.jp/

3. Soup Curry & Dining Suage+

Sapporo can be really cold and chilly outside the summer months, so enjoying some hot curry soup to warm you up is highly recommended. The Soup Curry & Dining Suage+ is one of the city’s most famous soup curry restaurants because of its great quality soup curry, often served with pork and rice, in varying levels of spiciness. A bowl costs around 1,000 to 1,200 yen.

The restaurant is open from 1130 to 2230 daily.

• Address: 7 Chome 1-1 Maruyama Nishimachi, Chuo-ku, Sapporo
• Contact number: +81 11 624 6766
• Website: http://www.suage.info/#

4. Gotsubo

To feast on some fresh and appetizing shellfish, Gotsubo is the place that you are looking for. The restaurant is small, can only seat five at a time, so lines of people waiting to place their orders or eating while standing outside are quite common, especially during peak hours.

Among its specialties are scallops, clams, and oysters, which cost around 105 yen per piece and are served either fresh, grilled, or boiled, and come with lemon and other special sauces to enhance the flavours.

It is open every day from 1800 until 2400.

• Address: 4 Minami 6-jo Nishi, Chuo-ku, Sapporo
• Contact number: +81 11 551 7220
• Website: Gotsubo

5. Ebisoba Ichigen Sohonten

Another ramen restaurant to visit while in Sapporo is the Ebisoba Ichigen Sohonten, which is popular for its delicious ramen in thick soup base that comes in salt, soy, or miso flavour, and served with soft boiled eggs, shrimps, onions, pork, dumplings, and other toppings. It also offers side menus, like rice and rice balls, and beverages, like beer, orange juice, soft drinks, and oolong tea.

The restaurant has a 16-seater counter, and a bowl costs 780 yen.

It is open Mondays through Sundays, from 1100 to 2500.

• Address: 9-1024-10 Minami 7 Jonishi Chuo-ku, Sapporo
• Contact Number: +81 11 513 0098
• Website: http://www.ebisoba.com/

6. Toriton Kaitensushi Sapporo Toyohira

For some of the best sushi in Sapporo, drop by Toriton Kaitensushi Sapporo Toyohira, a mid-sized but very busy conveyor-belt sushi restaurant with a wide variety of sushi to offer, such as uni gunkan-maki (sea urchin), ikura (salmon roe), shellfish, fresh salmon, and saury fish. It also serves different kinds of ramen and soup.

Sushi costs around 120 yen to 530 yen per plate.

To avoid the crowds, it is best to go there around 2 to 5 in the afternoon.

• Address: 4-6 Toyohira, Toyohira-ku, Sapporo
• Contact number: +81 11 817 7788
• Website: http://toriton-kita1.jp/english

The restaurant has several other branches across Sapporo — in Maruyama, Kiyota, Hiragishi, Atsubetsu, Sakaemachi, Fushiko, and Kita 8 Kosei.

7. Tokachi Butadon Ippin Sapporo

The moment you enter Tokachi Butadon Ippin Sapporo, your nose is welcomed by the strong but delicious aroma of grilled pork cooked over charcoal. Typically served in a rice bowl topped with different herbs and spices, and miso soup on the side, a donburi or rice bowl set costs around 800 yen to 1,000 yen. Salads, tofu, mocha, pickled vegetables, desserts, and drinks, such as draft beer, tea, and juices, are also available.

It is open for business every day, from 1100 to 2300, and offers an English menu.

• Address: 6^th floor Stellar Place Center, 2-5 Kita Gojonishi, Chuo-ku, Sapporo
• Contact Number: +81 11 741 8555
• Website: http://www.butadon-ippin.com/

8. Hanamaru Sushi

Thanks to Sapporo being close to the sea, it has an abundance of sushi restaurants, such as Hanamaru Sushi, which serve only fresh and high quality sushi.

Different kinds of sushi are served on small plates and delivered around the dining area on a conveyor belt. Because the restaurant is often packed, with waiting times up to an hour, it is advised to book a reservation in advance.

Sushi plates cost from around 140 yen to 500 yen.

The restaurant’s opening hours begin at 1100 until 2300, Mondays through Sundays, and it has multiple locations in Sapporo:

• Susukino Location Address: Sapporo M-SQUAEW 2F, 2-4, Nishi 2, Minami 4, Chuoh-ku, Sapporo
  Contact number：+ 81 11 520 0870
• PASEO Location Address: PASEO WEST B1F, 1-7, Nishi 2, Kita 6, Kita-ku, Sapporo
  TEL：+81 11 213 5870
• Clock Tower Location Address: Sapporo Tokeidai Building 1F, 2-1, Kita 1, Chuo-ku, Sapporo
  Contact Number：+81 11 231 0870
• Website: http://www.sushi-hanamaru.com/la_en/index.html

9. Sapporo Beer Garden Genghis Khan

Did you know that you can try lamb meat dishes in Sapporo? Sapporo Beer Garden specializes in grilled healthy lamb meat, known as Genghis Khan. It is served with vegetables on the side and the Genghis Khan sauce, which is a unique mix of lemon, apple, salt, pepper, and other herbs and spices that give the dish a strong and delightful flavour. It is best enjoyed with a pint of ice cold Sapporo Beer.

• Address: 9-2-10 Kita7jo, Higashi-ku Sapporo
• Contact number: +81 12 015 0550
• Website: https://www.sapporo-bier-garten.jp/global/english.html

10. Kushidori Sapporo Kitaguchi

Kushidori is a yakitori restaurant that has several branches not only in Sapporo, but also in other parts of Japan. It is a favourite among locals and foreigners because of its reasonably priced menu that offers a wide selection of grilled meat (chicken, pork, and beef) and innards, including tebasaki (grilled chicken wing), buta aspara maki (grilled asparagus wrapped in pork), tori kawa (chicken skin grilled to crisps), grilled ox tongue and diaphragm, grilled pork liver and intestines, and cheese tsukene (grilled chicken stuffed with melted cheese.

Yakitori costs 150 yen per stick.

The restaurant has 128 seats, and is open for lunch from 1100 to 1400, and dinner from 1630 to 2430.

• Address: 4-8-3 Nishi Kita 7-jo, Kita-ku, Sapporo
• Contact Number: +81 11 758 2989
• Website: https://kushidori.com/

The post Top 10 Sapporo Restaurants appeared first on Japaniverse Travel Guide.

If you are thinking of including Sapporo to your next trip’s itinerary, the following are 10 best spots that you should not miss:

1. Odori Park

Nestled in the heart of Sapporo, Odori Park is a wide and spacious park that extends about one kilometer from east to west, dividing the city into north and south.

Every Sapporo Snow Festival, it serves as the primary event site, where you can find some of the best ice statues and snow sculptures that come in all shapes and sizes. In the summer, it hosts the YOSAKOI, the Summer Festival, and the Beer Garden events. It also offers great viewing spots during the cherry blossoms and the autumn leaves seasons.

It is located right next to the Odori Subway Station, or a 10-minute walk away from JR Sapporo Station.

2. Sapporo TV Tower

Standing at the eastern end of Odori Park, Sapporo TV Tower is a 147.2-metre high tower that houses an observatory (about 90 metres high up the ground) that provides a 360-degree view of the metropolis.

Built by Japanese architect Tachu Naito and inaugurated in 1957, the tower has a total of five storeys and features four large digital clocks on each of its four sides. The base is home to a number of shops and a tourist information center, the second floor to the administration office and a hall, and the third to a restaurant and a souvenir store. It also has a basement that links to an underground shopping arcade, called the Aurora Town, and is connected to a couple of other underground passages that lead to Susukino Station and Sapporo Station.

For information on ticket prices, opening hours, and more, visit Sapporo TV Tower’s official website.

3. Sapporo Clock Tower

A historic and cultural icon in central Sapporo, the Clock Tower is an old, wooden building constructed in 1878, with a large clock that was bought from Boston, Massachusetts and installed in 1881.

Declared a National Important Cultural Property in 1970, it is made up of multiple floors that houses a wide variety of exhibits that tell the story of the tower’s and Sapporo’s past, information on the origins of the clock, and a large ceremony hall.

It is only 10 minutes on foot from JR Sapporo Station.

Check out the Clock Tower’s official website for information on opening hours, tickets, and more.

4. Sapporo Beer Museum

Sapporo Beer is one of Japan’s first and most renowned beers, and what better way to enjoy it to the fullest than to visit the Sapporo Beer Museum?

Founded in 1987, the Sapporo Beer Museum stands on the site of an old brewery from the Meiji Era. It has a vast collection of exhibitions that offer an extensive look at the beginnings and development of beer and brewing in the region through the years, and offers beer tasting sessions to visitors for a small charge. After your visit, you can indulge yourself on some all-you-can-eat barbecue and all-you-can-drink beer at the Sapporo Beer Garden, which is situated right next to the museum.

From JR Sapporo Station, the museum is about 25 minutes on foot.

5. Mount Moiwa

Mount Moiwa is best known for its incredible views of Sapporo, most especially after the sun sets. Visitors may take the Mount Moiwa Ropeway starting from the lower station at the base of the mountain to the upper station, which houses an observation deck, a theatre, a planetarium, and a restaurant.

Every winter, the southeastern slope of Mount Moiwa becomes a ski resort that offers many runs and is easily accessible from central Sapporo.

The Mount Moiwa lower ropeway station is about a short walk or bus ride via the free shuttle bus from the Ropeway Iriguchi streetcar station.

Ropeway operating hours, admission fees, and other information are available on Mount Moiwa Ropeway’s official website.

6. Historical Village of Hokkaido

With a collection of 60 old buildings and houses from around the Hokkaido region, the Historical Village of Hokkaido, or Kaitaku no Mura, is an open air museum that features important aspects of the local lifestyle from the Meiji and Taisho Eras. It provides a peek on what it was like to live in farms, mountains, fishing villages, and small towns back in the day.

To get there, get on a local train at Sapporo Station going to Shinrin Koen Station or Shin-Sapporo Station, and then take a bus.

More information is available on the Historical Village of Hokkaido’s official website.

7. Susukino

With an abundance of restaurants, pachinko parlors, bars, karaoke houses, and shops, Susukino is Sapporo’s red light district and entertainment hub. It is where you can find the famous Ramen Yokocho, a narrow alley lined with small diners that offer Sapporo’s best ramen.

During the Sapporo Snow Festival, Susukino becomes covered with numerous amazing snow statues, and hosts an ice sculpture contest.

It is easily accessible via the Susukino Station, which is just two stops away from Sapporo Station.

8. Maruyama Park

Home to the Hokkaido Shrine, the Maruyama Baseball Stadium, the Maruyama Athletics Stadium, and the Maruyama Zoo, Maruyama Park is a 68.7-hectare park in the western outskirts of Sapporo. It offers many opportunities to enjoy nature, with its thriving virgin forest of maples, magnolia, oak, and various other trees. It is the most visited cherry blossom spot in the city, thanks to its more than 1,500 cherry trees that look gorgeous and magical usually around early May.

The park is a 3-minute walk away from Maruyama-Koen Station.

9. Sapporo Factory

For those who love to shop and dine, drop by Sapporo Factory and check out its more than 150 souvenir shops, boutiques, clothing stores, cafes, and restaurants. The five-storey entertainment complex offers a pleasant and vibrant atmosphere usually from 10 am up until 10 pm, and even has a small brewery where you can enjoy some fine quality beer.

For more information, visit Sapporo Factory’s official website.

10. Moerenuma Park

Moerenuma Park is a spacious green space located in the suburbs of Sapporo. It was designed by Japanese-American Isamu Noguchi, and boasts of a variety of unique and impressive structures, such as a glass pyramid building, a water fountain, playgrounds, and a man-made mountain and beach.

It is a 25-minute bus ride away from the Kanjodori-higashi Subway Station.

Opening hours and other information are found on Moerenuma Park’s official website.

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