If you love seafood and have a bit of time for a nice drive, head out to the Salmon Factory. It takes about 40 minutes to get there but there is plenty of parking once you arrive. The whole first floor is dedicated to the seafood market. They have lots and lots of frozen produce. They have lots of salmon products. You can buy some really quality and large cuts of salmon. Obviously, the price increases as the size of the cuts does. The store is actually call ‘Sato Suisan’ and many of their products are sent out to their stores across Hokkaido. To areas such as Hakodate and the New Chitose Airport to name a couple. After a little bit of shopping we recommend having lunch at the seafood restaurant on the next floor up. The restaurant is called ‘Old River’ and has a very extensive menu. Old River has plenty of seating but the best seats are the window seats and these overlook Ishikari River. If you want the window seats you can ask for them but the wait will be a little longer. But no matter where you are sitting, you can enjoy a great lunch here for about ¥1500.

Salmon Factory is a good place to visit if you are looking for seafood, some souvenirs as a gift or just for a special lunch. If you want to make a day of it, then after some lunch and some shopping, you should head out to Aso Beach which is about another 15 to 20 minute drive further north. This is a great spot, especially in the summer.