Hokkaido Official Tourism Site HOKKAIDO LOVE!

When visiting Hokkaido, eating fresh seafood is a must.

If you go to Hakodate, you can find a number of delicious and affordable conveyor belt sushi restaurants. Restaurant Kantaro is one of our top recommended places to try and is known for their generous size of neta (topping) and a smaller portion of shari (rice).

Founded in Hakodate, this conveyor-belt sushi restaurant is known for its flavor. While the majority of seafood served is sourced from Hakodate and Hokkaido, the rest has been carefully selected from all over Japan. This restaurant has a reputation for pairing larger slices of fish with smaller pieces of rice, ensuring that each mouthful is an opportunity to savor the fish’s flavor. If you are planning a longer stay in the area, be sure to check their recommended menu items as they change daily according to the catch of the day. The pickled mackerel comes highly recommended as its preparation is undertaken with great care. Visit for a taste of delicious, artisan-made sushi!

Jingisukan (or “Genghis Khan”) is a popular dish that originated in Hokkaido. It is usually served with generous amounts of fresh vegetables and meat such as lamb and mutton. You can expect to find restaurants that serve this dish almost anywhere in Hokkaido: the Sapporo Beer Garden serves jingisukan with their best beer; Matsuo Genghis Khan marinates their ingredients with lots of sauce before cooking. On your next visit to Hokkaido, don’t forget to look for a jingisukan restaurant nearby!

Have you ever tried “Soup Curry”? It’s one of Sapporo’s local delicacies — and it’s one of the best meals to have on cold winter days. The dish is famous for its spicy blend and extra-large toppings. There are two ways to eat soup curry: either sip a spoonful of rice into the bowl or pour over a mountain of rice.

There are many restaurants in Sapporo that serve the dish, so it can be challenging to choose which one to try. The variety is endless — switch meats or vegetables based on your preferences!

Two favorite places among locals are Ichimonji Curry and GARAKU, which mixes curry with Japan-made dashi (bonito broth). If you’re in the neighborhood, make sure to pop by!

Hakodate, where you’ll find some of the best restaurants and local foods available in Hokkaido, is also known for having the second largest catch of squid in the country.

Squid fishing officially starts from June, which means you can find the freshest, tastiest squid in restaurants and markets around the city. Enjoy countless squid dishes available for you to try in Hakodate during this time of the year, including sushi and sashimi!

Whether it is the dead of winter or the hottest summer day, softcream is a year-round treat in Hokkaido and comes in a myriad of flavors to try. But why does it taste especially good when in Hokkaido? The secret is in the rich milk used when making the softcream. In Hokkaido, the average fat percentage in milk is 4% compared to 3% in other areas of Japan, and it is this higher fat content that gives it its succulent taste.

When traveling around the prefecture, be sure to find and taste regional and seasonal flavors of softcream. Here are a few locations to start your softcream journey:

– Farm Tomita (vanilla, lavender and melon)

– Trappist Monastery (vanilla)

– Takinoue Park (moss phlox)

– Blue Pond (Japanese soda)

– Le Tao softcream

– Matcha and sakura softcream

– Machimura Farm sunday

– Roadside Rest Area “Misogi-no-sato Kikonai” (salt)