How to Fully Enjoy Sushi in Sapporo, Home of Seasonal Hokkaido Seafood

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Any visit to the fresh seafood mecca of Sapporo won’t be complete without trying seasonal sushi from Hokkaido

If you visit Sapporo, you’ve got to try the local sushi at least once. Hokkaido is a treasure trove of seafood thanks to its location in the middle of three oceans with differing currents, including the Sea of Japan, Pacific Ocean and Okhotsk Sea. Sapporo is located smack dab in the middle, making it a mecca of freshly caught seafood. The most popular style in the city is sushi that consists of super fresh seafood placed on top of rice. In contrast to Tokyo’s Edo-mae sushi which is preserved with vinegar or soy sauce, Hokkaido-style sushi offers an amazing fresh-from-the-sea taste and is also known as Ezo-mae sushi.

Head to a sushi restaurant if you want to enjoy the traditional sights and sounds of master sushi chefs preparing each piece by hand. Or, if you want to enjoy sushi with family or in a large group, check out a conveyor belt sushi restaurant where you can select sushi straight from a mini conveyor belt that runs past your table. Sapporo’s conveyor belt sushi restaurants offer super high quality, fresh seafood from the port, all made into delicious sushi right as you order it.bookmark

　　

1 Eat fish with lighter flavors first and then move on to more savory, fatty fish

　

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mild-flavored fish(flounder)

 

heavier ones(scallops)

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savory fish(fatty tuna)You can eat sushi in any order you want, but if you eat sushi in order of flavor depth, from mild-flavored fish such as flounder, sea bream, and silvery skinned fish such as horse mackerel, to heavier ones such as tuna and scallops, and ending with savory fish such as fatty tuna and yellowtail, you can taste the differences in fish much better.
 

2 Don’t overdo it with the soy sauce

 

　　

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You can eat sushi with your hands or chopsticks. If chopsticks aren’t your forte, use the tips of your fingers to pick up your sushi. You can really enjoy the flavor of the fish if you only dip the fish side of the sushi in soy sauce lightly.

　　

3 Illustration of Hokkaido's seasonal calendar * Seasonal calendar may vary by place of production.

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4 Want to try your hand at making sushi?

　　

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For those who want to try making sushi themselves, head on over to Gokai Izakaya Funamoriya Bettei Aburichaya, located at 2-chome in Tanukikoji, for lessons open to the public. You’ll feel just like a master sushi chef after donning an actual chef’s outfit and creating your own sushi while learning the tricks of the trade. After your lesson, you can eat your sushi along with tempura, miso soup, and pickled vegetables. (The lesson lasts about 60 minutes and costs around ¥5,000. Price is flexible based on the number of sushi made.)

ACCESS

B1 Liberty Tower Building, Minami 3-jo Nishi 2-chome 10-1, Chuo-ku, Sapporo

050-5798-6710