| Admission | ¥500 |
| Opening Hours | 10:00 - 20:00 |
| Dates | January 27 - February 25 |
| Closed | - |
| Contact | 0123-23-8288 |
| Notes | Parking available, cold so wear warm clothes |
| Location / Getting There | The lake is a 1 hour 15 minute drive from Sapporo or an hour drive from Chitose. Alternatively, for ¥1050 there are buses from New Chitose Airport to Lake Shikotsu. Click here for more information on the bus timetable. |
Put on your warm coats and hats when heading to the Lake Shikotsu Ice Festival as it is a cold one! This amazing festival lies on the shores of Lake Shikotsu. This lake boasts some of the cleanest waters in Japan and it is these very waters that are key to the Ice Festival here. The main feature of the festival are giant ice mounds that rise four metres into the air. These are formed by water (from the lake) sprayed up into the air like a fountain. The water freezes over making these interesting sculptures which are illuminated at night.
This monolithic sculptures of ice are fantastic to walk around at night which is the best time to go and visit. It gets dark in winter from 4:00pm so this is a good time to get down there. There are small restaurants and a museum hall there to stay warm after walking around the festival. There are ice steps leading to an observation deck overlooking the festival. There is also an ice hut plus large open spaces encircled with ice. This festival isn only ¥500 to enter so it is worth it. Getting to the lake itself is more difficult as you need your own transport. There are buses to and from the lake which can be accessed at the New Chitose Airport.
| Pricing Guide (Avg. cost per person) | ¥1500 |
| Opening Hours | 11:00 - 21:00 |
| Closed | Wednesdays |
| Contact | 090-2558-8882 |
| Notes | Cafe, seating 20, arts & crafts store, small parking available, car needed, no smoking |
| Location | This restaurant can be found at the The Nordic Winds Tobetsu road station which is about a 35 minutte drive east from Sapporo. It is in the Tobetsu region, along route 337. 7474411 Tobetsubutou, Tobetsu, Ishikari District, Hokkaido 061-3773 |
Perch is a great homely coffee shop in Sapporo. It has been set up in one of the houses in area and serves not only as a cafe, but as a bar and also as an arts and crafts store! On the first floor there are comfortable chairs plus tables for larger groups, and a kitchen area where the friendly owner cooks up some nice lunches and homemade desserts. For lunch or dinners they have pastas, smoked sausages, and a delicious keema curry. There is also a selection of spirits and wines if you are looking for something stronger than coffee.
The desserts here are fantastic. The caramel pudding is homemade, as well as the cheesecake. Both are equally delicious and are the perfect accompaniment to a nice cup of coffee or tea. As well as the dining area, there is a tatami room as well that has some nice handmade crafts for sale. A nice little Japanese touch to the place. On the 2nd floor you can find some more items, handmade dolls and cups and saucers, plus Japanese memorabilia to purchase. Perch is a nice cafe/bar and is very affordable making it a good place for a quiet lunch or dinner or it even serves as a party venue for large groups if need be!
| Admission | – |
| Opening Hours | 10:00 - 21:00 Supermarket & stores 11:00 - 00:00 Restaurants & bars 09:00 - 0:100 Cinema (depending on screen times) |
| Closed | – |
| Contact | – |
| Notes | Department store, restaurants, casino, movie theatre, supermarket, bars, hotel |
| Location / Getting There | Located in central Susukino, Sapporo. The shopping complex is found directly above Susukino subway station. It is on the main crossroads in Susukino. Japan, 064-0804 Hokkaido, Sapporo, Chuo Ward, Minami 4 Jonishi, 4 Chome−1 |
Cocono Susukino was built on the remnants of the old Lafilier building with construction being completed in December 2023. This department store sits on the main crossroads that pass through Susukino. Cocono faces the famous ‘Nikka Sign’ and the MacDonalds across the road. It is an impressive building and was designed as new “playground where people can enjoy themselves through a wide variety of experiences, from exciting to restful”. So, what can be found here? There is a supermarket with direct access to Susukino subway station. On the next several floors there are shops, restaurants, bars, a casino area, plus a movie theatre and a hotel. Cocono is a step up from older designs and the space is used well, with an outside viewing area, plus it has seating areas throughout and stylish concept bars and restaurants.
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| B2 floor | Supermarket |
| B1 floor | Flower store, Starbucks, wine, smoke store, cafe & food |
| 1st floor | shopping, cosmetics, coffee shop |
| 2nd floor | Lifestyle and fashion clothing stores |
| 3rd floor | Thai restaurant, British pub, tempura restaurant, cheese bar, soup curry, teppan spaghetti, chocolate & coffee |
| 4th floor | Meat & cavier, teppanyaki restaurant, wine dining bar, oyster bar, casino, western style restaurant, Korean restaurant |
| 5th - 7th floor | Cinema |
| 7th - 18th floor | Sapporo Stream Hotel |
| Pricing Guide (Avg. cost per person) | ¥600 - ¥1000 |
| Opening Hours | Depending on store. Open for lunch at late night generally |
| Closed | - |
| Contact | https://www.sukiya.jp/ |
| Notes | Gyudon fast food chain, cheap prices, multiple locations throughout Hokkaido, take away available, drive thru, parking available |
| Location | Multiple locations throughout Hokkaido, there are at least two or three Sukiya restaurants in every major city in Hokkaido. Check our map link. |
Sukiya is a huge chain of restaurants throughout Hokkaido. They are the equivalent to a fast food chain. But instead of hamburgers and french fries you can enjoy a beef bowl with salads and miso soup. The food here is good and cheap! the beef bowl known as ‘gyudon’ consists of thins strips of beef on a steamed plain rice in a bowl. In Japan, if you are looking for a cheap place to have a quick lunch or dinner, you probably won’t find anywhere cheaper than Sukiya. Due to the cheap price and food quality, there are around fifty restaurants throughout Hokkaido. Just look for the red and yellow Sukiya sign!
Ordering here is efficient and easy. There is a touch pad that has English, Korean, and Chinese so there is no problem if you don’t speak Japanese. Simply go through the menu on the touch screen and press on what you want to order. The dishes ordered will be out to you in about five minutes. There is table seating for small groups plus counter seating as well. Lunch sets are particularly good as you can get a salad and a miso soup with it. If you want a cheap and quick meal while on your travels, or on your lunch break, look no further than Sukiya.
| Cost per night | ¥5000 - ¥7500 |
| Check-in | 15:00 ~ 23:00 Cafe open from 09:30 ~ 18:00 |
| Check-out | 10:00 |
| Contact | https://helio-hostel.jp/ |
| Restaurant | No restaurant Coffee shop & work space on ground floor |
| Wi-fi | Yes |
| Parking | No |
| Notes | Hostel bunk beds, women only rooms available, coffee shop, work space |
| Location | Located in central Sapporo. Only a 3 minute walk from Odori subway station or Susukino subway station. 5 Chome-26-4 Minami 2 Jonishi, Chuo Ward, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-0062 |
Helio Hostel is a good option for solo travelers on a budget. The bunk beds are quite large and provide everything you need for this type of accommodation. There are shower facilities plus towels supplied. There is a thin curtain to pull across to give you some privacy. The staff are very friendly and will assist you, though they are not available after 23:00. They have male, mixed, and female dormitories. This hostel is very convenient as it is right in the middle of town so it’s easy to access all the sightseeing, shopping, and the nightlife. There is an office space on the second floor with a coffee shop on the ground floor.
The coffee shop is fantastic and perfect for those who need a quiet spot do some work, study, or relax. There is plenty of seating with small tables and comfortable chairs or counter seating. Each has a power point which is not common in Japan so you can charge whatever device you are using. Equally convenient is the wi-fi here. There are tonnes of books and magazines in the lounge area lining the walls which are free to read at your leisure. The coffee here is ok, the Hokkaido latte is the best coffee they have here and is very good. They do not sell food here unfortunately. Overall, this is a clean and modern hostel in central Sapporo with a great cafe on the ground floor.
| Dates | October 27 - November 5 |
| Opening times | 12:00-20:00 weekdays 10:00-20:00 Saturdays 10:00-18:00 Sundays |
| Contact | https://sapporo-yakiimoterrace.com/ |
| Location / Getting There | The festival is held in Nakajima Park and is right near the park entrance in Sapporo. Simply take the subway to Nakajima Koen subway station. Alternatively, you can simply walk to the park if you are staying in Sapporo. 1 Nakajimakoen, Chuo Ward, Sapporo, Hokkaido 064-0931 |
This is a new brand new festival that started in 2023. The festival is focused on the humble sweet potato, and runs for a week from the end of October to the beginning of November in Nakajima Park. The park at this time of year is particularly beautiful with the autumn leaves. It does get chilly around this time of year. What’s better than a crispy, piping hot potato with a soft center to warm up. There is also hot coffee or a glass of wine to be had. A great pairing. There is a surprisingly large variety of sweet potatos that can be found here. You are looking anywhere from ¥500 to ¥1000 per potato.
Some of the varieties include the ‘Sweet White Potato’ which has a white center or the ‘Musume Beni Potato’ which has an orange center. The white potato is from Kagoshima and has distinct sweetness. Other types of potato are from around Hokkaido. You can find sweet potatoes that have been fried and sprinkled with caramel sugar. Other types have been peeled and fried. There are many to choose from, though be warned, the lines are long especially for the more uncommon sweet potatoes. And of course, they have desserts as well as savory. Sweet Potato Pudding, Sweet Potato Cream Puff’ and a Sweet Potato Parfait can all be enjoyed here. There are tents and seating to sit and eat here, plus of it gets too busy, you can wander through the park and find a nice spot!
