| Admission | – |
| Opening Hours | 10:30am - 8:00pm |
| Closed | – |
| Contact | 0120-866-201 |
| Notes | - |
| Location / Getting There | Sapporo-shi, Chūō-ku, Minami 1 Jōnishi, 3 Chome, 南1条西3丁目LA GALLERIA 2 minute walk from Odori Station |
Let’s go shopping! H&M has a few stores dotted around Japan and it wasn’t until 2013 that it opened its doors to the Sapporo public. H&M has been and is a popular retail store for many Japanese and overseas travelers alike. H&M Sapporo is located in the heart of the city. It’s a short walk from Odori station which makes it convenient to get to. It takes up 4 floors and covers apparel for men, women and children.
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Peruse at your leisure
H&M clothing is a popular brand, especially with the younger crowd as its prices are quite affordable. The biggest draw card though, for the H&M store is its SALES. Every time an eager shopping enters its doors there always seems to be a sale on. Prices for many items can drop as far as ¥300 for an item. Don’t be surprised to see a winter coat or summer dress have its price slashed from around ¥5000 to ¥500! And, after your shopping spree, there are a dozen coffee shops close by to sit back, rest your feet, and relax.
For all your electronic needs
| Admission | – |
| Opening Hours | 9:30 – 22:00 |
| Closed | – |
| Contact | – |
| Notes | Foreign Language Ability: Good. English ability from some staff. Thai, Chinese, English, & Russian announcements. |
| Location / Getting There | 5-1-22, North 6 jyo nishi, North Ward. (Next to Sapporo station) |
Founded in 1960 Yodobashi Camera is an electronics chain that has 21 stores across Japan. Yodobashi camera is one of the two main electronics stores in Sapporo. The store is made up of 3 floors. Yodobashi Camera covers all household appliances, smart phones, computers, travel, entertainment, and much more. You can not only find the latest Japanese products, but also products including figurines, digital single lens reflex cameras, cosmetics, watches made in Japan, and designer bags. They also have a Tax-Free service. English-speaking staff are available to help you enjoy your shopping experience.
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1st floor Smart phones, SIM cards, MAC & WINDOWS computers, monitors, hard drives, memory cards, routers, printers, printing ink, printing paper, laminators, keyboards, computer bags, cables.
2nd floor TVs, cameras, tripods, SD cards, photography equipment, watches, power plugs, transformers, overseas adaptors, sound equipment, earphones, IPODS, suitcases, travel goods.
3rd floor Refrigerators, washing machines, vacuum cleaners, bathroom appliances, video games, DVD's, playstations, lights, kitchen appliances, microwaves, rice cookers.
Points of interest.
On the 1st floor, on the left of the entrance, is the mobile phone section. Here you will be able to buy a smart phone with any of the 3 major phone companies, which are AU, DOCOMO, or SOFTBANK. You will need your passport, and other forms of ID. For the traveller, SIM CARDS are available, ranging from a week to a month. The cost will set you back anywhere from 3000 to 5000 yen. At the back section they have hard drives, memory sticks and anything you need for your PC.
Points of interest.
On the 2nd floor, if you are looking for power converters and socket converters for your overseas appliances this is where you will find them. You will also be able to buy converters for your Japanese electronic goods for any region in the world. In the camera section you can find SD cards, so you can keep on clicking away as you travel around Hokkaido.
Points of interest.
On the 3rd floor. This is the area where you can fix any broken items. They also have the tax free counter in this area. Be sure to bring your passport.
| Admission | – |
| Opening Hours | 10am – 8pm 7 days a week. |
| Closed | – |
| Contact | – |
| Notes | Weekends can be very busy Membership required to enter store & food court |
| Location / Getting There | 9-3-1 Utsukushigaoka Ichijo, Kiyota-ku, Sapporo City, Hokkaido |
The well known U.S warehouse retail branch first opened up its first branch in Japan in 1999 and now has 24 locations nationwide. Hokkaido’s first and currently only Costco hit the scene in 2008 and has been very popular, especially among restauranteurs and expats looking for a little taste of home. Costco has it all. It is basically a warehouse size supermarket selling food in bulk at cheap rates. Consumers generally frequent Costco for its range of produce. It has a large vegetable and fruit section. Its meat section contains large cuts of steaks. Most Japanese supermarkets meat sections don’t stock thick steaks so Costco is a welcome establishment to the city of Sapporo. Roasted chickens are also made hourly and are well worth the 800 yen. You name it, Costco has it…..in BULK! Pork, sausages, frozen foods, dairy, blocks of cheese, seafood, huge pizzas, sushi, pallets of coffee, cereals, condiments, chocolates, pastas, sauces, juices, wines from all over, beer, spirits and more! Simply pile it all into the giant shopping trolleys!
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Not only is food on the menu, but Costco has medicines, toiletries, an electronics section, appliances, hardware goods, outdoor furniture, cheap clothing, school supplies, summer gear, sporting gear, cleaning goods, the works. Why buy a couple of rolls of toilet paper when you can stock up with 2 dozen! If you are a first time shopper you will need to get your yearly membership card. There are two kinds of membership at Costco. There is Gold Star Membership at 4000 yen and there is Business Membership at 3500 yen which is available to all licensed businesses. To get the yearly membership you need to be 18 years or older. Once you are a member you may use your membership card anywhere in the world at any location and you may also bring up to two guests. ID is needed to get membership, and it may also be gotten online through the Costco website.
Getting to Costco is a bit tricky if you don’t have your own transportation. Using public transport, take the Toho subway line (blue line) to Fukuzumi station and then from across the road at bus stop no. 8 take the Route Fuku 97 or 96 bus and get off at Sanrizuka Elementary School. From there its a 3 minute walk. As you will most probably buying large quantities of groceries it is highly recommended you get your own wheels. Its a 40 minute drive from the centre of town along route 36. Costco will be on the right hand side.
| Admission | – |
| Opening Hours | 10AM - 7PM |
| Closed | Mondays |
| Contact | shugakuso.com +81 11-726-1235 |
| Notes | - |
| Location / Getting There | N12, Chuo Ku. Japan, 〒001-0012 Hokkaido Prefecture, Sapporo, 北区北１２条西３丁目２−１５ |
Entering paradise
Just walking through the doors of the Shugakusou (秀岳荘) in N12, Chuo Ku, Sapporo makes you feel you’re headed for adventure. For Hokkaido outdoor enthusiasts this store is the one-stop supplier, its floors replete with everything needed to explore paradise Earth. Be it a day hike or month-long alpine mission, this compact, densely stocked home store (Hokudai-ten, 北大店) is the best spot on the island to sherpa up. It is a gearhead’s nirvana.
Enter into a thicket of hiking poles, headlamps and gas camp stoves. A long glass display counter to the left displays the newest gizmos for tracking outdoor metrics and location. GPS systems and watches segue into more primitive multi-tools, knives and axes. Beyond that tower stacks of literature, from magazines to guidebooks to topographic maps. Cups and pans, Dutch-ovens and thermoses, freeze-dried dinners and back-packing coffee grinders – it’s all there. No less than 100 bags hang along the back wall, from 70 + liter expedition monsters all the way down to svelte trail running belts.
All the major outdoor brands are carried here.
Leave camping and ascend to the second floor for a full selection of mountaineering gear. Boulder crushing alpine boots to toe crushing climbing shoes stock the shelves. Gaze and be reminded that winter here is a protracted, freezing affair. As one who’s been to countless outfitters, the collection of snow boots and ice studs here rivals much bigger stores. For those who really embrace the cold, Shugakusou carries snowshoes and snow shovels, ice axes and crampons. Rock-climbing supplies are available year round, while a corner of the floor is devoted to skiers from November to April. If only they covered snowboarders as well…
The entire store is festooned with the trappings of world exploration. Take a moment to look at the many maps, paintings and framed photographs adorning the walls. Pat the sea-lion head as you climb the stairs to floor three. Next stop – clothing.
Anyone who’s hiked around Hokkaido knows the locals dress well on the mountain. One could easily drop $500 here – indeed many shoppers spend much more. Most major outdoor brands are featured, ensuring that nature lovers will pitch their tents and shred pow in style. If there’s any place to rationalize spending stupid money on clothes, it’s here. Hypothermia? Sunstroke? Can’t risk it. We all know matching proper attire to the occasion is crucial. So if dropping $140 bucks on a pair of lined pants makes you balk, just tell yourself it could mean the difference between life and death.
Boom! Goodbye guilt.
Top floor!
It’s bad, but I’ve got to default to a cake metaphor now, because the fourth floor can only be described as icing. Bouldering crash pads and jidohanbaiki (自動販売機, vending machine) drinks are the only items for sale up here are. The rest is a space of utility and sport. Bathrooms and the office designate the former, while a no nonsense bouldering room indicates the latter. Set by real climbers, the problems bolted onto the walls of this modest gym range from first timer fun to badass rock ninja. Shugakusou’s commitment to providing a quality training room for climbers has had me coming here for years.
And that’s the crux of it – commitment. For 40 years the company has been committed to providing the best outdoor gear the world has to offer. The staff are knowledgeable and enthusiastic, both in the store and on the trail. Even if you’re not shopping, drop in and get a feel for Hokkaido outdoor culture and history. One of the only real outfitters in a city of upscale shops, it’s the rough in the diamond.
Two other Shugakusou stores exist, one in Shiroishi, Sapporo (白石店) and Asahikawa (旭川店). Link to their homepage for details regarding business hours and merchandise.
