One of the best things about travelling to a new place is having the opportunity to try delicious local foods that you may not have encountered before. The island of Hokkaido in the north of Japan, is a treasure trove of fresh seafood, dairy and vegetables and the perfect place to indulge yourself for a few days!
We spent four months travelling around Hokkaido in our camper van during the summer of 2020 and managed to try many of the delicious local dishes and foods. Trying local specialities is one of our favourite things about travelling in Japan and Hokkaido did not disappoint!
In this blog post, we will introduce our favourite 13 dishes that we tried during our time in Hokkaido.
Our Favourite Foods in Hokkaido
1. Otaru Sushi
Otaru, a popular city with tourists has a long history as a fishing port and over the years more and more sushi restaurants have opened with there now being over 100 restaurants in operation today. In the 1980s a 200m long street was named “sushi street” in order to promote the city as a sushi destination!
We felt overwhelmed with the choice of sushi restaurants and one of our viewers on YouTube who is from Otaru contacted us and recommended a famous supermarket called “Nagasakiya Otaru Shop” which sells high quality hand-made sushi for an affordable price.
The sushi was incredibly delicious and we were surprised at how great value it was. Visiting the “Nagasakiya Otaru Shop” is a good option for travellers who want to enjoy delicious sushi but would like to save money
Check out the video below where we try Otaru sushi.
2. Rishiri Kombu
90% of Japan’s kombu is harvested in Hokkaido and Rishiri island, located on the north-west side of Hokkaido is well known all over Japan for its excellent quality kombu. The reason the kombu tastes so good is because of the mineral-rich sea ice which drifts over from Siberia.
The kombu is dried in the sun and is sweeter, saltier and harder than other types of Japanese kombu. It’s commonly used for making broths and for dishes served at tea ceremonies.
While camping on Rishiri island, we met a man who gave us some of his own Rishiri kombu to try! We cooked tofu and udon noodles in the kombu broth and it was absolutely delicious.
Check out the video below where we try Rishiri kombu on Rishiri Island.
3. Yubari Melon
Yubari melon has a reputation for being expensive and in 2017, two Yubari melons sold at auction for ¥7,000,000! Like Champagne and Kobe beef, the melons can only be called “Yubari melons” if they have been produced in the Yubari region of Hokkaido. The reason why they can fetch such a high price tag is apparently for their sweetness.
Now, even though some of these melons have been sold for such high prices, it is possible for a normal person to afford a Yubari melon! During the peak melon season, we saw whole melons for sale for ¥880 in local supermarkets.
The melons are deliciously sweet and if you want to add some extra sweetness, why not visit the “Popura Farm Cafe” near Furano and try Yubari melon with a topping of ice cream!
Check out the video below where we try Yubari melon for ourselves!
4. Hanasaki Crab
Hanasaki crab caught off the coast of Nemuro in eastern Hokkaido looks similar to king crab but is smaller and known for it’s sweet meat and delicious eggs found in the female crabs.
The shell of Hanasaki crab is around 15cm in width and there are many local shops in Nemuro selling fresh Hanasaki crab for affordable prices. Hanasaki crab can also be found at other fish markets around Hokkaido.
We visited the shop called “Crab Shoya” near Nemuro train station and enjoyed a whole crab for only ¥1500! It was the most delicious crab we have ever eaten and highly recommend you to try Hanasaki crab while visiting Hokkaido.
Check out the video below where we visit the shop “Crab Shoya” and try Hanasaki crab.
5. Obihiro Sweets
The city of Obihiro is known for being a sweets kingdom since the surrounding area produces high quality wheat, dairy and sugar. There are many sweets shops in the city of Obihiro which use these local ingredients and if you are sweet lovers like us, you should definitely pay Obihiro a visit!
Here are the shops we visited while in Obihiro:
Rokkatei Main Shop: this sweet shop can be found in various parts of Japan but the original shop is from Obihiro. The famous sweet here is the “butter sandwich” which is two soft biscuits with a delicious butter and raisin mix sandwiched between! This shop also serves a sweet called “saku saku pie” which is exclusive to this store!
Ryugetsu Sweetpia Garden: this shop is famous for its “Sanpouroku” which is a baumkuchen style of cake named after the cutting of logs which happened during the development of Hokkaido.
It’s possible to enjoy factory tours at this location and at 9am every morning, they sell off the cut-offs for a cheap price. The day we visited there was a huge line so we recommend you to go at least 30-45 minutes early if you want to buy the cut-offs!
Cranberry Pastry Shop: this shop located in central Obihiro is known for its “sweet potato cake”. Each cake is priced by its weight and we chose the smallest one available. The cake was extremely delicious and had a layer of custard on the bottom.
Daifukutei Yayoi Dori: this “daifuku” shop was recommended to us by one of our YouTube viewers and it did not disappoint! The shop sold seasonal variations and we tried chestnut daifuku and pumpkin dango. We highly recommend this shop since both sweets we tried were absolutely incredible!
Check out the video we made in the sweets kingdom Obihiro!
6. Hokkaido Salmon
Hokkaido is known for its delicious salmon and in August every year the salmon fishing season starts. While travelling around during the salmon season, it’s common to see many fishermen during dawn and dusk near the river mouths hoping to catch a fresh wild salmon.
If fishing isn’t your thing, then it’s possible to buy salmon for a reasonable price in most supermarkets and restaurants. We made the famous Hokkaido dish called ‘’Salmon Chan Chan Yaki’’ with a salmon that we caught and we’d highly recommend you to try this dish if you can!
Check out the video below where we make “salmon chan chan yaki’’ with a salmon we caught.
7. Genghis Khan Lamb BBQ
Genghis Khan, a dish named after the famous Mongolian historical figure, is a popular lamb BBQ dish in Hokkaido which is cooked on a grill plate with vegetables or noodles and then eaten with a delicious sauce.
The reason why the dish was named after Genghis Khan is said to be because the grill plate used for cooking the lamb is rounded like a Mongolian soldier’s hat. It’s also said that lamb was traditionally seen as a Mongolian meat and even to this day, it’s not commonly eaten in the rest of Japan.
8. Hokkaido Soft Serve Ice Cream
Hokkaido is the biggest milk producer of any area of Japan and therefore is home to many dairy-based products with one of the most famous being soft serve ice cream. All over Hokkaido, you can find delicious soft serve ice cream for sale!
We love to try many different flavours of soft serve ice cream so we are always happy when we come across a new flavour!
Check out the video below where we visit the famous ice cream shop “Otaru Milk Plant” in Otaru city.
9. Sapporo Ramen
No visit to Sapporo would be complete without trying the rich miso-based Sapporo ramen. This ramen recipe was invented in Hokkaido in the 1950s and is said to be perfect for its harsh snowy winters.
We visited the ramen shops “Sumire Sapporo Susukino Shop” and “Ramen Shingen”, with “Ramen Shingen” being the better of the two in our opinion since it’s broth was richer and tastier.
We made a video about the two Sapporo ramen shops which you can check out below.
10. Hakodate Yakitori Bento
Hasegawa Store is a convenience store chain in 14 locations throughout Hakodate and is famous for its yakitori bento although the meat is pork and not chicken as the name suggests!
The yakitori is served very quickly and the dish we ordered came with rice and a delicious sauce on top. It’s also possible to order some vegetable sticks too if you are feeling healthy!
Check out the video below where we visit Hasegawa Store in Hakodate.
11. Kushiro Seafood Bowl
The Kushiro Washo Market located in Kushiro city is one of Hakkaido’s three famous markets and is famous for its personalised seafood bowl known as “Kattedon”.
Near the market entrance, it’s possible to purchase a bowl of plain or vinegered rice before exploring the market and buying freshly prepared seafood from the market vendors. There is so much choice of seafood so you can choose exactly what you like and what you can afford!
Check out the video we made at the Kushiro Washo Market.
12. Kuro hamo-don (black pike conger eel on rice)
This is a famous dish which is available on the Shiretoko Peninsula at Rausu roadside station. It was one of my favourite dishes during my whole time in Hokkaido so if you visit the Shiretoko Peninsula, this is definitely a dish you cannot miss!
Check out the video below where we try ‘’Kuro hamo-don” on the Shiretoko Peninsula.
13. Sea Urchin
Hokkaido is known to have the best sea urchin in the whole of Japan and the sea urchin available on Rishiri island is said to be some of the best quality since it feeds on Rishiri kelp which is a delicacy in itself!
Sea urchin has a rich and buttery flavour and is usually served on rice. It’s not a cheap dish but it’s definitely worth trying when in Hokkaido since it’s such a delicacy! On Rishiri island it is also possible to visit a sea urchin center and catch your very own sea urchin before cracking it open and eating it!
Check out the video below where we try Hokkaido sea urchin!
Our Overall Verdict Of The Foods In Hokkaido
Hokkaido really is a food paradise and there is something for everyone to try whether you are a sweet lover, meat lover or seafood lover!
We had the best four months in Hokkaido travelling around in our camper van and enjoying the best food that Hokkaido had to offer!
We hope this blog post will give you some ideas about the delicious foods available in Hokkaido and you can have an opportunity to try them for yourself when you visit!
