Fall Gourmet: Top Choices

Hokkaido's cuisine is famous throughout Japan and across Asia. Come with us on a Gourmet Tour to sample the best seafood, beef, lamb, Genghis Khan, soup curry, ramen, soft cream, dessert houses, cafes and many, many other great eats. Incredible in every season, gourmet Hokkaido really shines in the fall, a time when Hanasaki crab, top-end fruit, the burgeoning wine industry, huge Akkeshi oysters and other delectable seafood take center stage. 

We visit a wide variety of gourmet locations - local restaurants, famous establishments, homestead farms and wholesale markets, to name a few - all according to your taste and budget. Of course, the fall season has plentiful harvests, when fruit picking - apples, pears, plums, grapes and chestnuts - is available across Hokkaido.

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Hanasaki Crabs

Hanasaki Crab, the meatiest of all crabs, is in season in the fall, when market prices are lowest and the Sea of Okhotsk port towns bring in their hauls. Have them boiled or grilled to your liking, either directly at seafood markets, opulent hotel dinners, local restaurants, or in the most authentic environment: seasonal festivals. 

​Our Favorite Spots

• Nemuro Crab Festival
• Hakodate Morning Market
• Sankaku Seafood Market in Otaru

Oysters & Assorted Seafood

If you're a lover of shellfish, Hokkaido has the gourmet you've been seeking! The Tsugaru Straight and Sea of Okhotsk produce some of the world's finest oysters, scallops and clams, all for very reasonable prices. Japan's strict health codes also ensure that everything you eat will be super fresh, and completely healthy.   

​Our Favorite Shellfish Spots

• Gotsubo Oyster Shack (Sapporo)
• Lungo Carnival (Sapporo)
• Akkeshi Kaki Festival
• Kushiro's Washo Market

Crab Sashimi Platter

For those searching for a rare and exclusive gourmet experience, a crab sashimi platter brings out the best of Japan's gourmet. The first step is to find a willing sushi master, only a select few of which are adept enough to create the dish. It takes years to master the myriad of surgical cuts that are needed to create a palatable and safe crab sashimi platter; a dish that will be the highlight of your Japan gourmet experience. 

​Our Favorite Spots

• Otaru's Sakaimachi Street
• Sankaku Market
• Sapporo Wholesale Market

Fruit Picking

Wagyu Beef

Sake Brewery Tours

Fall is synonymous with harvest time, and Hokkaido is full of orchards that grow some of Japan's best apples, pears, grapes, plums and chestnuts in the season of plenty. Let's visit an orchard for all-you-can-eat fruit picking, and purchase a box-worth directly from the farmers themselves. 

​Our Favorite Orchards

• Sasaki Orchard (Jozankei)
• Mashike Orchard
• Sobetsu Fruit Village (Lake Toya)​

It's a bit of well-guarded secret that most of Japan's wagyu beef comes from Hokkaido, especially from Hokkaido's bread-basket, the Tokachi Plains. Splurge on melt-in-your-mouth marbled beef that is near perfection in taste and texture. But beware: you may never experience steak in the same way again! 

​Our Favorite Wagyu Spots

• Out of Africa (Windsor Hotel, Lake Toya)
• Steak Maruyama Susukino (Sapporo)
• Grilled Beef Suzuya (Obihiro)
• Kumagera (Furano)

Sake from Hokkaido is famous for its high quality, which is derived from the excellent rice grown on the island and the pure spring water sources used in fermentation. Visit a sake brewery to learn about the ancient brewing techniques and to enjoy free samples. Some breweries are housed in historic buildings dating from Hokkaido's frontier era. 

​Our Favorite Breweries

• Kunimare Sake Brewery (Mashike)  
• Otokoyama Sake Brewery (Asahikawa)
• Tanaka Sake Brewery (Otaru)

Genghis Khan Lamb BBQ

Genghis Khan is a dish unique to Hokkaido and an absolute classic! Most restaurants offer all-you-can-eat menus and a variety of meat (beef, pork, lamb). Spring onions, pumpkin and sprouts are added as garnish. You can choose family-run restaurants or famous institutions like Sapporo Beer Garden. Whatever your choice, you better bring your appetite.

​Our Favorite Spots

• Sapporo Beer Garden
• Hokkaido Beer Garden
• Jin JIn Jingisukan

Ramen
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While Japan, Korea and China all vie for the title of The Home of Ramen, Sapporo takes credit for miso ramen. There are hundreds of ramen shops scattered throughout the city, most of which serve ramen in one of three flavored broths: miso, soy or salt.  Ramen lovers will want to visit Ramen Alley, a string of ramen shops in Susukino.  

​Our Favorite Spots

• Ramen Sakurajima (Sapporo)
• Ramen Tetsuya (Asahikawa)
• Meijinbou's Japanese Noodles (Sapporo)

Soup Curry
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Another of Hokkaido's great additions to the culinary scene, soup curry is just as it sounds - a mouth-watering curry broth with substantial vegetable, meat or seafood portions and a side of rice. Choose your own spice level, broth and rice amounts, and toppings such as cheese or coconut cream.     

​Our Favorites Spots

• Soup Curry King (Sapporo)
• Samurai Soup Curry (Sapporo)
• Hiri Hiri Soup Curry (Sapporo)
• Sama Sama Soup Curry (Branches around Hokkaido)

Sushi

Some of the best sushi in Japan comes right from Hokkaido, and you needn't spend a fortune either. The most popular type of sushi restaurant is Kaiten-zushi (conveyor belt). You can also visit a fish market, buy a bowl of rice on site, and point at the sashimi that you fancy. There are also mid-scale restaurants and hotels where a sushi course is part of a larger multi-course meal. 

​Our Favorite Spots

• Hanamaru Kaiten-zushi
• Nanda Seafood Buffet (Sapporo)
• Sushidokoro (Sapporo)
• Toppi Kaiten-zushi (in Otaru)
• Sapporo Central Wholesale Market
• Washou Market (Kushiro)
• Morning Market (Hakodate)

Hokkaido Salmon

​Historically speaking, no food was as important for the indigenous Ainu people of Hokkaido as Salmon, which determined their health and wealth during the proceeding winter months. As more and more rivers are rehabilitated for the fall salmon run in Hokkaido, the demand for wild salmon and ikura (salmon roe) continues to grow. You'll know the difference when you taste the rich and fatty salmon of Hokkaido. 

​Our Favorite Spots

• Kani Goten Seafood Market (Shiraoi)
• Salmon Park Chitose
• Kindaitei (Ishikari)
• Utoro Gyokyo Fujinbu Shokudo (Shari)
  

Fishing & BBQ

We can arrange fishing tours around Hokkaido to give you an opportunity to reel in your own catch. We'll then cook the fish together at a beautiful outdoor setting along with a full BBQ. Fish varieties and fishing locations vary according to the season, including at the Sea of Japan coast, Tsugaru Strait, Sorachi River and Sea of Okhotsk.

Contact us for more information.   

Hokkaido Wine

While Hokkaido's wine industry is young and yet unable to compete with more established mainstays in Europe, Australia or the Americas, a visit to a winery for wine-tasting or sampling various brands at local festivals remains enjoyable, especially in the fall when the harvest is ready and producers love to show their products.   
​Our Favorite Vineyards

• Furano Winery
• Ikeda Wine Castle
• Hakkenzan Winery (Sapporo)

Kaiseki Banquet

Kaiseki is a type of culinary style where diners enjoy a feast of up to 40 different dishes spread across 8 courses. It is most commonly served at high-end hotel and ryokan establishments, and in Hokkaido usually centers on seafood and local vegetables. Taking part in a kaiseki meal is an unforgettable gourmet experience.

Request a kaiseki dinner as part of your Custom-Made Tour.   
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Soft Cream

A staple of Hokkaido's culinary scene all year around, soft cream is downright unmissable during the summer. The high-quality dairy farms are credited with the reason why this treat is loved by all. There are countless flavors such as vanilla, choco, lavender, plum, green tea and even black squid ink; or opt for the 8 layered soft cream so you don't have to choose between flavors at all. 

​Our Favorite Spots

• Yamanaka Dairy Farm (Otaru)
• Kitaichi Glass No. 3 Terrace (8 layer soft cream - Otaru)
• Tomita Farm (lavender flavor - Furano)