| Opening Hours | 10:00 - 21:00 |
| Closed | - |
| Contact | 011-251-7600 |
| Notes | Shopping complex in an underground passageway lined with boutiques, restaurants & cafes. |
| Location / Getting There | Pole Town is located in central Sapporo. It runs underground between Odori subway station & Susukino subway station 4 Chome Odorinishi, Chuo Ward, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-0042 |
Pole Town is an underground walkway that runs from Odori park to the nightlife district in Susukino. The entrance can be found at the exit of Susukino subway station and the exit of Odori subway station. It is also part of a larger underground shopping complex including Aurora Town and the Chikaho Underground Walkway. This network of shopping walkways are fantastic especially during the cold winter months. You can avoid the winter chill and walk all the way from the Susukino entertainment district all the way to Sapporo station. The distance runs just under two kilometres.
Pole Town is home to eighty boutiques, restaurants and stores. This includes over a dozen restaurants including the Italian dining restaurant, Pronto, a gyudon restaurant, and a pork katsu restaurant. There are also a couple of bakeries. Walking past Kinotoya Bake will bring some delicious smells, as will Krispy Kreme Donuts. There is a discount store, 3 Coins, plus flower shops, clothing boutiques, an ATM, and souvenir stores. At the Odori end of Pole Town there is a large TV known as ‘Hiroshi’. This spot is a popular meeting spot at the exit of the subway station.
| Admission | Annual Pass – 1000 yen Adults – 600 yen Children (under 15) – free Group (30 or more) – 540 yen |
| Opening Hours | 9:00 – 16:00 |
| Closed | December 29, 30, 31 |
| Contact | - |
| Notes | - |
| Location / Getting There | Japan, 〒064-0959 Hokkaido Prefecture, Sapporo, Chuo Ward, Miyagaoka, ３−１ On the south-west side of Maruyama Park |
For those who like zoos, there are two main zoos in Hokkaido. One being in Asahikawa, the other being in Maruyama Park in Sapporo. Maruyama Zoo opened its doors to the nation in 1951 on May 5th for children’s day. It is the home to 177 varieties of mammals, birds and reptiles and is currently raising and exhibiting 991 types of living creatures. The zoo is not huge by any standards so it is easy to get around and see everything in a couple of hours. Previously, the zoos enclosures had been criticized for being too small and although work still needs to be done, effort and progress has been made to build larger and more “naturalistic” spaces for the various animals. Work is constantly being done and the enclosures are being upgraded.
The zoos main selling point is the polar bear enclosure. As the polar bear is on the brink of extinction in the wild, zoos may be the only place to see these magnificent animals. Maruyama zoo is a place where you can get up close to see them. Currently residing are a male and a female “Lara”with her two cubs. Breeding polar bears in captivity is quite difficult, but even in the wild numbers have been dwindling due to a deteriorating natural environment. Since the year 2000 only two places in Japan have successfully birthed baby polar bears, Oga Aquarium and Maruyama Zoo. Of these Maruyama Zoo is the only place to have twins! If you want to get even closer to the animals there is a petting zoo for the young kids. Fortunately, this is not the Hokkaido brown bear or the tigers, but mostly farm animals. The petting zoo is home to sheep, chickens, geese and a plethora of other small cute animals. The zoo has various events during the day, with a zoo keeper feeding the animals and talking about them (in Japanese).
If you cant speak Japanese its still a good time to see the animals having a feed. Afterwards, if you are getting a little peckish yourself, then there are a few restaurants, snack shops and even a convenience store on the grounds. Overall, for a cheap day out, the price is very affordable to see and learn about some animals you’ve never seen close up before.
| Pricing Guide (Avg. cost per person) | ¥500 - ¥1500 |
| Opening Hours | 08:00 - 21:00 Sapporo, Odori location 10:00 - 16:00 KitaHiroshima Hall 09:00 - 20:00 New Chitose Airport (last food order 19:00) |
| Closed | - |
| Contact | 011-231-1487 Sapporo, Odori 080-9458-1486 KitaHiroshima Hall 0123-25-8111 New Chitose Airport |
| Notes | Cafe and dining, 3 locations in Hokkaido, extensive dessert menu |
| Location / Getting There | Sapporo location can be found under Odori Park on the B2 floor of Nishi 4 building, and is right next to the exit at Odori Subway station at the entrance of Chikaho Underground Walkway. 4-6-1, Odori Nishi, Chuo-ku, Sapporo-shi, Hokkaido Sapporo Odori Nishi 4 Building B2F Kita-Hiroshima cafe is a 14 minute walk from Kita-Hiroshima station, next to Hiroshima shrine. 4-2-1, Central, Kitahiroshima-shi, Hokkaido Kitahiroshima City Hall 5th floor |
There are three Ishiya Cafe’s in Hokkaido. There is a small cafe in Kita-Hiroshima (which is a thirty minute drive from Sapporo), another Ishiya can be found at the New Chitose Airport. The last Ishiya Cafe and main store is right in the heart of Hokkaido. This cafe is on the basement floor, and right in front of the Odori Subway station. The Ishiya Cafe brand has a variety of meals to have for lunch. They are equally skilled at offering some heavenly desserts to go with a hot cup of tea or coffee (something to enjoy before a flight at the airport perhaps).
The interior of the cafe’s have been designed to create an English style atmosphere. You can enjoy a nice hot drink in comfortable surroundings. The savory food on the lunch menu includes mainly Italian style dishes. Try some of their pastas or sandwich rolls! The desserts at the cafe include huge hot cakes drizzled with goodness, parfaits, and ‘Shiroi Koibito’ ice creams. Ishiya also has a sweets store based on the ground floor of the Nishi 4 Building in Sapporo. This sweets store is conveniently directly above the Ishiya Cafe in Odori.
| Admission | Free |
| Opening Hours | - |
| Closed | - |
| Contact | 011-611-0261 http://www.hokkaidojingu.or.jp/ |
| Notes | Sightseeing spot, wedding venue |
| Location / Getting There | The shrine is located at the top of Maruyama Park. It is a 8 minute walk from Maruyama Subway station. 474 Miyagaoka, Chuo Ward, Sapporo, Hokkaido 064-0959 |
Hokkaido Shrine was constructed in 1871 to hold the deities, Ōkunitama, Okuninushi, and Sukunahikona, and also the soul of the Meiji Emporer. It is the main Shrine of Hokkaido and a popular spot for tourists and locals alike. It is located in Maruyama Park (Maruyama Koen) on the West side of Sapporo. The shrine is well worth a look in all seasons, especially Spring. It is surrounded by 1,500 cherry blossom trees which usually bloom early to mid May. During this time thousands of locals have their Hanami (flower viewing parties) and the temple is a great backdrop.
In early Summer the Sapporo Festival is held which sees portable shrines carried around the city and stalls set up near the Shrine. New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day is also a popular time where families will go to pray.At the shrine you are free to walk around in the courtyard where you can take photos, purchase fortune tokens, and see the occasional traditional Japanese wedding. Don’t be surprised to see a monk blessing a car out the front either as some new car owners pay for this ceremony. The shrine is located in Maruyama Park (Maruyama Koen) which is located on the west side of Sapporo. The main way to get there is to take the subway from Odori Subway Station and take the Tozai Line (Orange line) to Maruyama Koen which is 3 stops away. After exiting it’s a 15 minute walk west through Maruyama Park. Keep heading up the path which is lined with huge Elm and Cider trees. Along the way you will see various smaller shrines.
| Pricing Guide (Avg. cost per person) | ¥170 per cheese tart, ¥1080 6 cheese tarts ¥350 per custard apple pie ¥380 ice cream |
| Opening Hours | 09:00 - 22:00 Sapporo station 10:00 - 20:00 Pole town |
| Closed | - |
| Contact | 011-804-7770 Sapporo station 0120-246-161 Pole town |
| Notes | Cheese cake & confectionary store |
| Location / Getting There | 1st location is at Sapporo station. 〒060-0806 Hokkaido, Sapporo, Kita Ward, Kita 6 Jonishi, 3 Chome, JR Sapporo Station Satsueki East 2nd location is in Pole Town. It is a 3 minute walk from Odori subway station and Susukino subway station. 〒060-0062 Hokkaido, Sapporo, Chuo Ward, Minami 2 Jonishi, 3 Chome, Sapporo Underground Town Pole Town |
Kinotoya Bake is part of the Kinotoya company. This delicious store is located in the popular shopping center called Pole Town. There is also a store at Sapporo Station. This store is easily accessed and you can definitely smell the mouth watering aromas as you walk past. This store has three items on offer. Their baked cheese tarts (which is the most popular item here), freshly baked custard apple pies, and a soft ice creams. The tarts and apple pies are the perfect match with a tea or coffee. As Hokkaido is famous for its dairy and baked goods, this store is often busy with customers.
The tarts and pies here are baked fresh, and you can see these mouth watering treats being made through the glass screen at the front of the store. The smell is fantastic. The baked cheese tarts use milk, wheat, eggs, and fresh cream cheese from Hokkaido and is the most popular item. You can buy these individually or as a set of six to take home! They last up to three days in the fridge. (The freshly baked custard apple pies can last up to two days). And for those hot days outside, they have milk ice creams served in a cone. With Kinotoya Bake being so near Odori park, you can take your treats up outside and enjoy them on the benches.
| Pricing Guide (Avg. cost per person) | ¥600 - ¥1000 |
| Opening Hours | Depending on store |
| Closed | - |
| Contact | https://www.lotteria.jp/ |
| Notes | English menu available, fast food burger restaurant |
| Location / Getting There | There are thirty Lotteria stores throughout Hokkaido. Restaurants can be found in Sapporo, Hakodate, Asahikawa, Tomakomai, Obihiro, Kushiro, and Obihiro. |
Lotteria is one of the big four fast food restaurants throughout the country. The other three being McDonalds, Kentucky Fried Chicken, and Mos Burger. The company ‘Lotte’ was founded in 1948 by a Korean national, Shin Kyuk-Ho. After stowing on a ship to Japan the company has grown from selling chewing gum to becoming a major multinational corporation. The first Lotteria restaurant opened in 1972 in Tokyo, Japan. The most popular items on their menu include hamburgers, cheeseburgers, and teriyaki burgers. Lotteria’s biggest claim to fame is the invention the shrimp burger in 1977. This burger has since been copied by McDonalds and Mos burger in Japan.
Other items on the menu include sandwiches, french fries, and desserts such as crepes, apple pie, and frozen cake sticks. The burgers here are pretty good, though not the cheapest compared to the other fast food restaurants. But if you want a quick and easy meal whether you are on the fly or out shopping, Lotteria is an option for you. Since its first store in Tokyo, the chain spread to Yokohama, and Ueno. In 1979, the Lotteria brand was established in South Korea, and then spread to South East Asia such as China, Myanmar, Taiwan, and Vietnam. For further locations around Hokkaido, see below.
