| Pricing Guide (Avg. cost per person) | ¥1000 |
| Opening Hours | 10:00 - 20:00 (last order 19:30) |
| Closed | - |
| Contact | 011-206-0631 |
| Notes | Coffee shop, wifi, English menu, seating 70, no smoking, wheelchair access |
| Location / Getting There | Located in central Sapporo in the Le Trois shopping centre. It is across from Odori Park and is a quick walk from Odori subway station, only 3 minutes. 1 Chome-13 Odorinishi, Chuo Ward, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-0042 |
Located in the Le Trois shopping centre on the 3rd floor, Kurami Coffee is a popular coffee shop. It is a large space with nice views overlooking Odori Park across the road. Kurami has free wifi which is definitely handy for those traveling. The staff here are also very good. With a lot of seating, this is a popular spot for shoppers in the Le Trois building. Here, in the spacious surroundings you can enjoy a nice coffee or tea and have a bite to eat for lunch or a quick dinner.
Kurami is part of a chain of restaurants and cafes that can be found throughout all of Japan. All these restaurants/cafes are all run with an Italian style menu. Kurami is no exception The menu has a selection of sandwiches, a couple of salads, and a few pastas from which to choose from. The price here too is very reasonable and you can have a coffee and a sandwich for around ¥1000. Le Trois has other restaurants on higher floors up for bigger meals, but if you are looking for a nice spot to enjoy a coffee with friends, Kurami is a nice choice.
| Opening Hours | 9:00 - 12:00 13:00 - 16:00 |
| Closed | Weekends and public holidays |
| Contact | 011-261-7502 http://www.moj.go.jp/isa/about/region/sapporo/index.html |
| Notes | Free parking |
| Location / Getting There | Located in central Sapporo by Odori Park on west 11. It is an easy walk from Nishi juitchome Station subway station (Tozai Line). Take exit 1 and walk diagonally across the park, past the fountain. The immigration bureau is on the 7th floor. 12 Chome Odorinishi, Chuo Ward, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-0042 |
For all foreigners living in Japan, you will inevitably come to the immigration bureau at some point. The main immigration bureau is in Sapporo but there are also immigration offices in Asahikawa, the New Chitose Airport, Tomakomai, and Kushiro. For visas it is juts a matter of checking off what’s needed and can take a few trips back and forth. It can either be an easy or difficult experience. In Sapporo, upon entering the building, you will need to sign in, get a badge and go through the security gate. Immigration is on the 7th floor. The staff here generally speak little English which can make things a little more difficult. There is a small help desk on the left hand side of the door and is manned by two old Japanese guys. They too, speak very little English but will help you with forms. All the visa forms here are here; student, work, spousal, permanent residence, and specialist visas.
The immigration bureau can get busy so be prepared to wait. They do close for lunch as well so early mornings are usually best to get there. Once you have all your forms ready take a ticket and wait (don’t forget to bring your passport and alien registration card). One convenient thing about the immigration building is that it is a short walk from the central city hall (if you live in the area) so any extra forms you may need, are a quick walk away. When picking up a new visa you need to pay for it. There is a convenience store on the B1 basement floor and it is here you will buy a stamp equivalent to your visa cost (usually from ¥3000 to ¥6000). Take the stamp back to the 7th floor and you are done. For more information on types of visas, click here.
| Pricing Guide (Avg. cost per person) | ¥1000 |
| Opening Hours | 11:00 - 23:00 |
| Closed | - |
| Contact | 011-3822-6772 |
| Notes | Chinese restaurant, Japanese menu only |
| Location / Getting There | Located in central Hakodate. It is only a 4 minute walk south east from Hakodate station. It can be found near many of the hotels along route 278. 19-1 Wakamatsucho, Hakodate, Hokkaido 040-0063 |
Hakodate is a popular destination for many sightseers. Dotted between the hotels, you can find Hakodate Menya Yumin. This is a Chinese restaurant and has a solid menu of noodles, rice dishes and meat dishes to name a few. The menu only comes in Japanese but that isn’t a big problem as the dishes are all pictured so its easy to find what you want. This restaurants main dish is a bowl of steaming ramen. These Chinese noodles with pork will satisfy any hungry guest.
Hakodate Menya Yumin was established in 1946 and seems to be a well known restaurant among the locals. The entrance is adorned with signatures from well known people. Being only a short walk from Hakodate station is an added bonus. Apart from the ramen on the menu, they have a lot of other well known Chinese dishes to choose. These include sweet and sour pork, fried rice, spicy tofu, gyoza (steam-fried dumplings), and garlic shrimp. At Yumin, they also serve beer, whiskeys, and soft drinks.
| Pricing Guide (Avg. cost per person) | ¥400 - ¥1000 |
| Opening Hours | Monday to Friday 11:00 - 15:00 (LO 14:30) Lunch Monday to Friday 17:00 - 22:00 (LO 21: 30) Dinner Weekends 11:00 - 22: 00 (LO 21: 30) |
| Closed | - |
| Contact | 090-5983-8746 |
| Notes | Restaurant, seating 8, no smoking |
| Location / Getting There | Located in central Sapporo in the Tanuki Koji Shopping Arcade on the 5th block. It's a 4 minute walk from Susukino subway station or a 5 minute walk from Odori subway station. 5-chome, Minami 2- jo Nishi, Chuo-ku, Sapporo-shi, Hokkaido (5-chome, Tanukikoji ) Sapporo Plaza 2.5 Building 1F 〒060-0062 |
Dai Tonpaku, which literally translates to ‘Big White Pig’, is a small restaurant in the food arcade ‘Hug’. Hug can be found on the fifth block of the Tanuki Koji shopping street. It is one of about half a dozen restaurants in Hug. Dai Tonpaku is a small restaurant with only seating for six people, though the meals can be had in the extra seating just outside the restaurant in ‘Hug’. Though the space is small the lunches and set meals are quite big, as well as being quite cheap. The food here has a mainly Chinese flair, that can be washed down with some good Japanese beer.
The menu, which is only in Japanese, has a special set menu as well as its standard menu. Each day of the week has a special main dish. This main dish comes with a side of rice, a soup and a small pickled dish. These affordable dishes include a stir fired pork, a mapo tofu, and fried chicken. You can enjoy the food here for lunch and dinner. To accompany your meal, you can savor some bottled Japanese beer. They have Kirin, Sapporo, and Asahi beers. There is also a bottled lemon Chu-hai to check out as well. If you are in the area, the Hug restaurant area is a nice spot to grab some lunch or dinner.
| Cost per night | ¥3000 - ¥6000 per room |
| Check-in | 15:00 |
| Check-out | 10:00 |
| Contact | 013-824-381 https://www.unizo-hotel.co.jp |
| Restaurant | Yes. One restaurant & cafe 7:00 - 10:30 (last order 10:00) Breakfast 11:30 - 14:30 (last order 14:00) Lunch 17:00 - 1:00 (last order 00:30) Dinner |
| Wi-fi | Yes |
| Parking | Yes for ¥600 per night |
| Notes | Amenities in room, coin-operated laundry, vending machines, AED, smoking and non smoking rooms |
| Location | Located in central Hakodate it's a 5 minute walk south east from Hakodate station. 18-19 Wakamatsu-cho, Hakodate City, Hokkaido Prefecture, 040-0063 |
Unizo Inn Express is part of the Unizo Hotel chain throughout Japan. It is perfect for those traveling on a budget and offers comfortable and affordable rooms. The rooms come in standard single, semi-double, and twin bed rooms. The rooms are small but offer everything you need. All the rooms come with full amenities. The hotel being in central Hakodate, makes it close to many of the attractions and is a good starting out point. For those with cars, there is a small parking area at the hotel. This parking is not free unfortunately, and has an hourly rate (though the maximum rate is ¥800 for 12 hours).
The hotel has a restaurant. The restaurant is called Jingisukan Ram-Waka and is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The breakfast is a western and Japanese style buffet. The ingredients for all their dishes uses local ingredients from Hokkaido. There are many restaurants around the area and a few places to grab a drink. This area has many hotels in it but if you are looking for a basic place to stay, then Unizo Inn Express is a very affordable option. Plus, being in Japan, even the cheaper hotels are clean and well presented.
| Pricing Guide (Avg. cost per person) | ¥400 - ¥1000 |
| Opening Hours | 7:30 - 20:00 All 3 locations Odori Hokkaido Shinbun location (closes at 19:00 on weekdays) |
| Closed | - |
| Contact | 011-1596-7037 Odori Hokkaido Shinbun location 011-1206-0501 Odori Aurora town 011-1211-1567 Sapporo west |
| Notes | Coffee shop, food available, no smoking, credit card accepted |
| Location / Getting There | Odori Hokkaido Shinbun and the Aurora Town locations are right by Odori subway station. They are both a 2 minute walk from the station, one being on the ground floor across from Odori Park. The other is underground in the Aurora town shopping walkway. 〒060-0042 Hokkaido, Sapporo, Chuo Ward, Odorinishi, 3 Chome-6 Hokkaido Shimbun Headquarters Building 1F & 〒060-0042 Hokkaido, Sapporo, Chuo Ward, Odorinishi, 3 Chome, Sapporo Underground Town Aurora Town A-45 The Sapporo west store is along Ishiyama Road and near Sapporo City Hall and right by the Sapporo Prince Hotel, and is a 3 minute walk from Nishi Juitchome subway station 〒060-0062 Hokkaido, Sapporo, Chuo Ward, Minami 2 Jonishi, 11 Chome−328-8 １Ｆ |
Cafe de Crie has a chain of coffee shops all over Japan. In Hokkaido, they have three locations, all in Sapporo. These coffee shops have a good menu and nice, comfortable settings. These coffee shops are very affordable and you can find a good range of coffees and teas. As with other cafes, they have sandwiches, toasted snacks, cakes and cookies, but unlike other places they also have a couple of small pasta dishes to enjoy. The food here is really good value, and pretty good!
Two of the locations are right next to Odori Park, and just around the corner from the Sapporo Clock Tower. This makes Cafe de Crie a nice and convenient place to grab a coffee and a small lunch during the day. They have wifi as well which is a bonus, plus some of the seating areas have power sockets for your laptops and phones and that is not too common in other cafes. If you enjoy the coffee here, you can take some home with you. Cafe de Crie has its own brand of coffee and tea to take home, or to give as a present. These products are sold in store.
