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Kitami yakiniku

Hokkaido's Yakiniku City: Enjoy Sagari and Horumon in Kitami

Kitami has the highest number of yakiniku restaurants per capita in Hokkaido. Gather around a traditional charcoal shichirin grill and enjoy beef sagari and pork horumon with local nama-dare.

Located in eastern Hokkaido, Kitami is widely known as the “City of Yakiniku.” Its yakiniku culture traces back to street stalls that emerged around 1950, and today more than 70 yakiniku restaurants can be found across the city.

Kitami-style yakiniku centers on flavorful beef sagari and fresh pork horumon (offal). The meat is grilled over a hot charcoal shichirin and dipped in nama-dare, a distinctive local sauce made with onions, apples, and other ingredients. Gathering around the grill and enjoying yakiniku while chatting with friends and family is a food tradition that has long been part of life in Kitami.

If you visit Kitami in winter, don't miss the Kitami Gankan no Yakiniku Festival, held outdoors in the depths of winter. With temperatures around –10°C (14°F), more than 1,000 shichirin grills are set up at the venue. Enjoy sizzling yakiniku surrounded by the warmth of charcoal, along with sweet Kitami onions whose flavor becomes richer when grilled. Experience the distinctive yakiniku culture shaped by Kitami's cold winter climate.