5 Foods you HAVE to try in Hokkaido

Hokkaido A.K.A. Beautiful land of delicious treats, food so fresh it makes your mouth-water, and an abundance of A-MAZING cafes, restaurants, food-stalls, markets, you-name-it-we-got-it-food-providers.

A foodie’s living, walking, dream.

Now, I could talk about Hokkaido food all day… Because, you know?  I live here, I love it, and I’m pretty much always hungry.

BUT, I want to imagine that you only have a select period of time in which to come, eat, travel and experience the highlights.  It’s difficult, but I guarantee that if you eat right, you’ll want to come back to visit again and again.

I actually guarantee it.

Now, today I don’t have the space to get too specific.  Each of these foods could actually be their own blog post, and this list is in no way comprehensive.

I do recommend more specific food experiences like the fresh butter sweetcorn from Odori Park vendors in the summer, the var

iety of fruit-picking (and eating) that you can join easily throughout summer and autumn, and the local dairy farms that mean you can try fresh cheese and milk on hand.  But they are topics for another day (feel free to contact me if you can’t wait and want the information NOW though!)

For now, here is my rundown of 5 foods that you literally MUST try when you’re in Hokkaido, and make sure to tick off the list. Maybe even more than once..

Oh. My. Word.

There are too many varieties to count.  Standard soft cream. Soft cream on fruit. Farm-made-ice-cream. Parfait-to-die-for. I could go on and on…. and on.

I also realised in the course of writing this blog, that I have SO many ice-cream pictures. No joke. It must be one of the most photographed items on my iPhone.

I could also recommend at least 20 places or more to go to have a great ice-cream experience…

But, below are just a few suggestions to get you started.

Next up is one of my personal favourites food-wise.

Hokkaido soup curry.

I am guaranteed to eat this at least once every few weeks, and my husband also makes a pretty mean version himself. The best or most highly recommended restaurants in Sapporo are a much-debated topic, and you are going to find a whole lot of varieties, spice levels and ingredients on a trip around the city.

This is really far too big a category to include, but I’m just going to go for it anyway.

Hokkaido seafood, in its many and varied forms, is one of the things to try.

Now, I know that for some, eating sashimi or sushi (the raw varieties of fish) is a big jump up from the norm, and can be a bit intimidating. However, I really recommend giving it a go whilst on your Japan adventure.

If you’ve never been to a fresh seafood or sushi restaurant in Japan before, it is always nice to go with someone who can introduce you to the way of ordering, whether to add wasabi, and other-such general advice. (Note: we’re happy to take you if you’re traveling with us!) For me, I’m actually pretty allergic to certain kinds of shellfish (get out the violins, for I live in Japan…), so it was definitely helpful to have someone who understood the menu at the start!

In Hokkaido there are a few places I recommend, depending on your budget, bravery and location.

And then there’s ramen.

Now, ramen is famous throughout Japan, but it varies in type, noodle-style, soup-style and toppings depending on where in the country you are.

Hokkaido is the home of miso ramen. Usually combining a pork base, rich-miso flavour, (sometimes local butter and corn thrown in too), and thick noodles.

It’s the perfect winter-season comfort food, set to keep you full for hours of braving the snowy outdoor conditions, and wherever you look in Sapporo, you are going to find a number of ramen options available.

Finally, just to round things up nicely, I want to talk about Hokkaido BBQ lamb, or genghis khan as it’s known in Japanese.

To clarify, we love this dish, and the general atmosphere of BBQing together with others, so much that we had this as the main reception food at our wedding. (Our wedding was an outside, hundreds-of-people-gathering, all-you-can-eat-BBQ, dancing affair).

You basically have a raised hot plate in the middle of your table, and then order a variety of lamb and vegetables that you BBQ yourself. You choose from seasoned or unseasoned meat, and you then enjoy with your friends or group. It’s a really social and fun meal!

Again, there are a lot of great places to try in the city.

Okay, and that’s my rundown of some of my favourite local places, delicacies and spots to make sure you try!

One of the best things for us at Travel Hokkaido is introducing local places to eat, and new things to try for you and your group. We’re provide transport, but we also love Hokkaido, love food, and love taking you to try great places.

Feel free to get in touch or comment with questions, feedback on your experiences, and if you have any other recommendations, I’d love to hear them!

Big foodie love!