| Dates | September 9th - October 1st |
| Opening Hours | 10:00 - 22:30 |
| Contact | 011-281-6400 |
| Location / Getting There | Odori park. Odori-nishi 1-chome to 11-chome, Chuo-ku, Sapporo 1 minute from Odori subway station |
Food & wine
The Sapporo Autumn Fest is one of the newer festivals in Hokkaido, being held for the first time in 2008. It is the last of the big Sapporo festivals for the year. The 4 big festivals in Sapporo come with each season, the winter has the Snow Festival, spring has the Lilac Festival, summer brings the Sapporo Beer Garden , and the changing of the leaves sees the arrival of the Autumn Festival. Autumn is the harvest season, and this festival showcases the best food from around Hokkaido! The Sapporo Autumn Fest runs the length of Odori park and each block has its own unique theme. Discover each, and enjoy the sights and smells of delicious food and drink from all corners of Hokkaido!
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1 Chome venue
At east 1, under the TV tower, is the Oktoberfest venue. Reproducing the ambiance of Sapporo’s sister city, Munich, you can enjoy craft beers, from not only Germany but also from around Hokkaido. Native German cuisine, is also served, with German sausages, snacks made with ingredients from Hokkaido, and other beer food. There is also live traditional German music to get into the authentic Munich atmosphere. This is a great venue for beer lovers!
4 Chome venue
The east 4 block serves as the Sapporo Autumn Fest’s entrance venue, and has a number of stalls that offer cuisines that abundantly use Hokkaido’s seasonal ingredients. Seating surrounding the large fountain at the centre makes for a nice setting to enjoy the various foods on offer here. Meats, and wines as well as seafood are available here.
5 Chome venue
This section is focused on Hokkaido’s delicious ramen noodles, with a large collection of ramen shops. There are also stores selling food from around Hokkaido, using local ingredients. Along with the ramen noodles, steaks and oysters are very popular! This is a nice area to sit at the edge of the fountain pool area and dine on your favorite foods.
6 Chome venue
This block is defined by the huge trees that create a nice canopy in which to wine and dine under. The 6 chome site is made up of stores from popular restaurants throughout Sapporo. This is the perfect opportunity to look around and see the latest dishes in Sapporo, whether it be seafood, meats or gourmet pizzas. There are also a couple of wine shops selling their tasty wares. Sit beneath the changing leaves and raise your glasses!
7 Chome venue
Smack in the middle of this festival is the very popular 7 chome site. Recognizable by the myriad of black tents circling the middle of the block, this site is where the wine flows! Hokkaido’s wineries are set up here so you can sample not only local wines, but also overseas wines which are very popular. In addition to the wine stalls, shochu and whiskey stores are also here. This block also gives you the opportunity to partake of some delicious cheeses, or grilled oysters. A perfect compliment to the wine…or whiskey!
8 Chome venue
Each town in Hokkaido is famous for something, and each municipality has its specific delicacy. People often visit these towns throughout Hokkaido so they can try these special foods. The beauty of the 8 chome site is that all these towns have all set up their food stalls in one block! Take a walk around Hokkaido and try the different foods from these places. There are a total of more than 100 municipalities, treating you to specialties from all over Hokkaido. Each store has a map pinpointing where the town is. This a very popular block showcasing an abundant amount of local cuisine!
10 Chome venue
For the meat eaters in town, the 10 chome site is well worth a look! Here, you can enjoy a huge selection of meats, including venison steaks, as well as crackling pork, chicken and beef. Famous wild game shops have set up their stalls which are enough to satiate any meat lover! Desserts and salads are available to compliment these dishes. There is also a beer stall set up in the middle.
11 Chome venue
Last, but not least at on the 11th block at the end of the Autumn Fest is the world cuisine block! You can walk around and see various chefs from around the world working their magic to bring you an array of delicious cuisines. Foreign wines and beer are also included into the mix. Try some “world travel” through the authentic tastes and talents of every country’s chefs. The smells and sights are a fantastic part of the Autumn Festival. See you there!
| Dates | 1st weekend of September |
| Contact | phone 0134-26-6160 mobile 080-4505-2424 |
| Notes | Free parking available (from 5pm) Fire works start around 7pm Food, live music, & taiko drums |
| Location / Getting There | Access by bus, take the train to Otaru station, then take the Otaru Aquarium bus. A taxi will cost around ￥3000 from Otaru station |
Otaru has many festivals over the year, and the Otaru Shukutsu Festival is one of the last festivals to see fireworks for the summer. The festival starts off at 5pm and attracts many of the locals and there is a lot to see.There is a “mikoshi” (portable shrine), taiko drum performance, live music, plus there are plenty of food stalls and of course, the fireworks which start at 7pm! All of this takes place below a meiji period house/museum, the ‘Otaru Nishin Goten’, which makes a fantastic backdrop for this festival!
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At the start of the festival a portable shrine (mikoshi) is carried in by a large group of participants. These group of shrine bearers get together every year, and are from Sapporo and a few outlying towns. Chanting and singing to the rhythm the shrine is slowly brought into the festival. Once the shrine is in the festival it is placed in front of a dozen Taiko performers hitting the drums in time with the chanting. The drums with the shrine gives this festival a great Japanese atmosphere!
Fireworks over Otaru Nishin Goten
There are many food stalls, and as Shukutsu is a local fishing town there is a lot of grilled seafood to treat your taste buds! Shellfish, sea snails, squid, octopus, and fish are all on the menu. After an evening meal you can settle in and await the fireworks. Many people set up early for a good viewing spot for the fireworks but there is plenty of space! The Shukutsu fireworks are set off along the stone beach along the harbor, just below the Otaru Nishin Goten and lighthouse. At 7:00pm the fireworks begin and light up the sky so make sure you’re there before then! Enjoy!
