| Pricing Guide (Avg. cost per person) | ¥600 - ¥1000 |
| Opening Hours | Depends on store though generally most stores open at 10:00 until 00:30 |
| Closed | - |
| Contact | http://luckypierrot.jp/shop/hokutoinari/ |
| Notes | 17 stores around Hakodate, burger and souvenir restaurant, English menu available, no smoking |
| Location / Getting There | For store locations please see the end of article |
If you ask anyone what the most famous restaurant in Hakodate is, you more than likely to hear “Lucky Pierrot” as the answer. You can find Lucky Pierrot restaurants only in Hakodate and nowhere else in Japan. The Lucky Pierrot company was founded in 1987, and there are seventeen restaurants in the Hakodate municipality. Serving 1.8 million customers per year, its Chinese Chicken Burger was named as Japan’s “best local hamburger” by the Nikkei. Lucky Pierrot serves not only as a burger restaurant, but it’s also a place to pick up some local souvenirs!
Besides their famous Chinese Chicken Burger, their next best seller is the Lucky Egg Burger, plus a Pork Cutlet Burger, and a good old fashioned Lucky Cheeseburger. With so many burgers to choose from, it may take a while to go through the whole menu! Apart from burgers, they have curries, rice bowl meals, rice and omelette dishes, plus a dozen side dishes! There is definitely something for everyone. Each Lucky Pierrot restaurant has a facade. They are each decked out in an eclectic array of objects and furniture, creating a fantastic wonderland in which to dine in. While in Hakodate, be sure to make at least one visit to a Lucky Pierrot and check it off your list.
| Marina Suehiro | 0138-27-5000 10:00 - 0:00 Access: Near Kanemori red brick warehouse group. From JR Hakodate Station, 5 minutes by car, or a 20 minute -walk 14-17 Suehiro-chou, Hakodate-shi, Hokkaido |
| Nanae Tōgeshita General Head Shop | 0138-66-6566 10:00 - 0:00 From JR Shin Hakodate-Hokuto Station, 7 minutes by car, or a 30 minute walk 337-11 Tōgeshita, Nanae, Kameda District, Hokkaido 041-1102 |
| Bay Area Head Shop | 0138-26-2099 10:00 - 23:00 Near the Kanemori Red Brick Warehouses From JR Hakodate Station, 5 minutes by car, or a 20 minute walk 23-18 Suehiro-cho, Hakodate 040-0053 |
| Front of Goryokaku Park | 0138-55-4424 10:00 - 0:00 From Goryokaku Park & Tower, a 1 minute walk 30-14 Goryoukaku-chou, Hakodate, Hokkaido |
| Front of Hakodate Station | 0138-26-8801 8:00 - 23:00 From JR Hakodate Station, a 5 minute walk. From Hakodate Asa-ichi, a 1 minute walk Hotel New Ote 2F, 8-8 Wakamatu-chou, Hakodate, Hokkaido |
| Tokura Shop | 0138-59-5888 10:00 - 0:30 Eastern side of town. From Hakodate University, an 8 minute walk. 30-1 Tokuracho, Hakodate, Hokkaido 042-0953 |
| Shōwa Shop | 0138-44-6600 10:00 - 0:30 Along Route 5 (runs through Hakodate). From Goryōkaku Station, an 11 minute walk 2 Chome-12-17 Showa, Hakodate, Hokkaido 041-0812 |
| Akaigawa Shop | 01374-5-3323 10:00 - 0:30 From Akaigawa station, an 8 minute walk west 125 Aza-Akaigawa, Mori-chou, Kayabe-gun |
| Esashi Shop | 0139-52-5553 10:00 - 23:00 Western coast of Hakodate. From Shigejiro Hot Springs, a 6 minute drive 1252-1 Miwa, Assabu, Hiyama District, Hokkaido 043-1117 |
| Hondori Shop | 0138-53-8080 10:00 - 0:30 South eastern area of Hakodate city. From Goryōkaku park, a 7 minute drive 4 Chome-17-32 Hondori, Hakodate, Hokkaido 041-0851 |
| Hokuto-inari | 0138-73-1515 10:00 - 0:30 On the western bay across from Hakodate city. From Kamiiso station, a 5 minute walk 1 Chome-6-4 Inari, Hokuto, Hokkaido 049-0161 |
| Mihara Shop | 0138-46-8988 10:00 - 0:30 North area of Hakodate. From Goryokakucho Park, a 10 minute drive 2 Chome-14-3 Mihara, Hakodate, Hokkaido 041-0806 |
| Minato Front of Hokkaido University | 0138-42-6550 10:00 - 0:30 Across from Hokkaido University of Marine Studies. From Nanaehama station, a 17 minute walk 3 Chome-18-28 Minatocho, Hakodate, Hokkaido 041-0821 |
| Matsukage Shop | 0138-32-1777 10:00 - 23:00 Central Hakodate city. From Goryōkaku Park, a 5 minute drive, or a 13 minute walk 22-6 Matsukagecho, Hakodate, Hokkaido 040-0003 |
| Hitomi Shop | 0138-53-7477 10:00 - 0:30 Central Hakodate city. From Hakodate Racecourse, a 19 minute walk. From Chiyogadai station, a 15 minute walk 24-15 Hitomicho, Hakodate, Hokkaido 040-0005 |
| Honchō Shop | 0138-56-4469 10:00 - 23:00 From Goryokaku Koen Mae station, a 3 minute walk. Near Goryokaku park. 4-18 Honcho, Hakodate, Hokkaido 040-0011 |
| Jyujigai Ginza Shop | 0138-23-2300 10:00 - 21:00 From Jyugigai station, a 1 minute walk. From the Mt. Hakodate ropeway, an 8 minute walk 8-11 Suehiro-chou, Hakodate |
| Admission | Free |
| Opening Hours | - |
| Closed | - |
| Contact | 011-3633-2246 |
| Notes | Shinto shrine, sightseeing spot, no parking (though can park across the street), photography spot |
| Location / Getting There | Located at the southern end of the town of Kimobetsu. The temple is just past Kimobetsu River on the left (coming from Sapporo), and just past Aspeila Shopping Market. 323 Kimobetsu, Abuta District, Hokkaido 044-0201 |
In 1891, there was a drought in the late spring. On July 3rd Ōtsuki Mamoru and Hitoshi Otokichi travelled to Mt. Shiribetsu and attended a fasting prayer rain ritual for three days. On the evening of the 5th of July it started to rain. The plants and trees revived and the landscape flourished again. To give thanks, a small shrine was constructed as a thank you. This shrine was at the present location. In February 1945, the current shrine was established. In August 1952 the shrine burned down but was reconstructed. In September 2000, renovations were done to the large roof and work was done on the main gold foil metal fittings.
The land area of Kimobetsu Shrine is large with the shrine itself sitting at the top. What makes this shrine such a great place to visit is its views of Mt. Yotei and especially Mt. Shiribetsu (the mountain that was the scene of the fasting prayer over a hundred years ago). Mt. Shiribetsu is right across from the shrine and is definitely impressive. Kimobetsu Shrine is great to visit during late autumn. At this time the trees are changing colors and there is snow on the mountains. Alternatively, April is also a good month to visit after the snow has melted and the trees are blooming again. The shrine and surrounding buildings is a pleasant spot to walk around in the peace and quiet of the countryside. Don’t forget to bring your camera!
| Pricing Guide (Avg. cost per person) | ¥750 - ¥1000 |
| Opening Hours | 8:30 - 17:30 |
| Closed | - |
| Contact | 0136-33-2671 |
| Notes | Seating 96, no smoking |
| Location / Getting There | Nakayama Pass is located on route 230 and is directly between Sapporo & Niseko. It is about a one hour drive from both. 345 Kawakami, Kimobetsu-cho, Abuta District, Kimobetsu, 044-0223 Hokkaido |
On the drive from Sapporo to Hirafu, Rusutsu and Toya, there is a rest stop at the top of Nakayama Pass. The rest stop is a good stop to take a break, buy a souvenir, grab a quick local snack, or enjoy the magnificent view looking out at Mt. Yotei. On the ground floor in the main building here you can pick up some small take away food. This includes ageimo (potato deep fried in batter), fried chicken, imomochi (sticky potato cake) and ice-creams. If you are looking for something more substantial, there is a great restaurant on the next floor up. Cheap and delicious, this restaurant has large glass windows with fantastic views.
The restaurant is affordable and the food here is really really good! If you want something more filling it is worth it. There is a huge range of lunches available. You can find ramen, soba noodles, tempura, a butadon (pork on rice), and some good black curries. The menu is displayed with large photos on the wall, too easy. With plenty of seating, you can find a seat anytime. Apart from the restaurant, there is a small photo gallery on the next floor up, with panoramic views of the mountain. Local photographers have some beautiful work of the surrounding landscape. Take a seat, have a coffee and take it all in.
| Opening Hours | 8:30 - 17:30 Restaurant & stores |
| Closed | - |
| Contact | 0136-33-2671 https://ageimo.com/ |
| Notes | Rest stop, sightseeing spot, restaurant, take out food, souvenirs, restrooms |
| Location / Getting There | Nakayama Pass is located on route 230 and is directly between Sapporo & Niseko. It is about a one hour drive from both. 345 Kawakami, Kimobetsu-cho, Abuta District, Kimobetsu, 044-0223 Hokkaido |
Nakayama Pass is also known as Nakayama Toge (toge meaning ‘mountain pass’ in Japanese). This mountain pass acts as a rest stop, shopping spot, restaurant, and sightseeing spot. The pass offers striking views of Mt. Yotei. Mt. Yotei being an active stratovolcano located in Shikotsu-Toya National Park. The pass is on the national highway route 230. The pass sees a lot of traffic coming and going as the highway is the link between Sapporo and all the southern districts, mainly Hirafu (Niseko), Lake Toya, Makkari, and Rusutsu. It is also the entrance to the Nakayama Toge ski field.
There is a huge parking area with entrances on both sides. There are a couple of buildings at the pass. It is here you can find a large souvenir store to pick up something on your way through. There are a couple of small take away stores as well. Nakayama Pass is probably best known for its ‘Ageimo’. Ageimo is a potato deep fried in batter (a little dry but popular). These come on a stick and cost ¥350. They also have fried chicken, imomochi (sticky potato cake) and ice-creams. There is also coffee. On the top floor is a small gallery and restaurant with panoramic views over the valley of Kimobetsu.
| Opening Hours | 10:00 - 23:00 |
| Closed | - |
| Contact | 011-1594-7011 011-594-7010 used clothing section https://mandai-sf.jp/ |
| Notes | Second hand store, large parking space available, online shopping available, wheelchair access, car needed |
| Location / Getting There | It is a 30 minute drive from Sapporo, or a 17 minute drive from Jozankei (hot springs). Located on Route 230, Ishiyama dori (road). Across from McDonalds on the way to Jozankei, on the right hand side. 2 Chome-2-8 Inaho 2 Jo, Teine Ward, Sapporo, Hokkaido 006-0032 |
Mandai Sapporo is a huge second hand store. Their claim to this store is that you can ‘buy anything’ here, and they’re certainly not far off. It can be found on the main road (Ishiyama Dori) between Sapporo and the onsen town of Jozankei. It is recognizable by the two giant, classic movie poster murals out the front. One being ‘The Wolf Man’ and the other being ‘Amazing Stories’. With ample parking it in easy place to drop into. Once inside, there is an eclectic array of goods and products in bizarre little nooks and crannies. This store is especially interesting for those interested in Japanese goods, manga, and figurines.
So, what can you buy here? Almost anything. They have all kinds of second hand clothing from shoes all the way up to hats and accessories and everything in between. They have instruments, appliances, sporting gear, especially for winter sports and fishing. They have DVD’s, games for Playstations and Nintendo. You can find some real old school games here too, so good for collectors! Manga figures, manga, playing cards and replica air guns are also here. There is also an adult section with manga, movies and toys (not second hand luckily). The layout is maze like and this place is definitely an interesting spot to peruse.
| Pricing Guide (Avg. cost per person) | ¥1000 |
| Opening Hours | 11:00 - 2:00 |
| Closed | - |
| Contact | 011-1215-0020 |
| Notes | Hamburger restaurant, seating 17, beer served, parking available for 3, open until late |
| Location / Getting There | Located in Sapporo. It is an 8 minute walk from Nakajima park. From Nakajima Koen subway station take exit 1, turn left, walk up the street, and the restaurant is on the right 8 Chome-515 Minami 8 Jonishi, Chuo Ward, Sapporo, Hokkaido 064-0808 |
Route Nine Hamburger is an American style hamburger restaurant located in Sapporo near the city center. This burger joint is a throwback to those old 60’s diners. Counter seating, booths, and a checkered floor. It is full of Americana, which adds to the atmosphere while you are chowing down on one of their burgers. The menu here has fifteen different burgers on it. Most are your typical Western style burgers such as the classic cheeseburger, double burger, or chicken burger. Others have a more Japanese feel to them. There is an ‘ebi’ (shrimp) burger and a teriyaki burger.
All the burgers have a set meal option which is recommended. These meals come with a side of fries or onion rings, and also includes a drink. Drinks range here from juices and soft drinks, (and being open until two in the morning) to beer. Route Nine not only has burgers, but as with your good old burger restaurants, they have hotdogs as well. They also serve up a sirloin steak, fish & chips, buffalo wings, tacos, and loco moco. With reasonably easy access and open until early morning, this is not a bad place for lunch, or a late dinner.
