| 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) | ¥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.
| 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.
| Opening Hours | 9:00 - 21:30 Sapporo Station Esta 10:00 - 21:00 Maruyama Class 9:00 - 21:00 Sapporo Aurora Town 10:00 - 20:00 Higashi Sapporo 10:00 - 21:00 Shin Sapporo 10:00 - 20:00 Pole Town |
| Closed | - |
| Contact | 011-890-2560 Sapporo Esta, 011-688-6261 Maruyama Class 011-212-1511 Sapporo Aurora Town, 011-832-04011 Higashi Sapporo 011-252-9231 Pole Town |
| Notes | Coffee & foreign food supermarket |
| Location / Getting There | 6 locations in Sapporo, see map below. 1 location in Asahikawa |
Take your choice of coffee
Whether you are a Japanese national, an expat missing those ingredients from home, or a tourist looking for a tasty treat, Jupiter has a great selection of food items that you won’t be able to find in any other Japanese supermarket. Jupiter sells foreign ingredients that come from all over the world. Anywhere from Thai curries to Mexican dips, these imports come mainly from China, Thailand, Europe, Australia, and the US to name a few. Jupiter can add that extra special zest to your cooking! All the stores not only sell food items, they have a good selection of wines and alcohol.
You can find a huge selection of top wines from Australia, France, Chile, and Italy. Plus, you can also check out their foreign beer section! And, of course, to accompany your wine, simply peruse their bountiful cheese section. Snacks, sweets & chocolates, sauces, pastas, noodles, tea & coffee are just some of the goods on sale. In Sapporo, the easiest stores to access are the locations next to Sapporo station at Esta, under Bic Camera (which has the most stock), and the location at Maruyama Class shopping centre, which is a five minute walk from Maruyama subway station. For the Asahikawa location see below. Enjoy your shopping!
| 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!
