City Guide: Sapporo

Sapporo, capital of the mountainous northern Japanese island of Hokkaido, is famous for its beer, skiing and annual Sapporo Snow Festival featuring enormous ice sculptures. The Sapporo Beer Museum traces the city’s brewing history and has tastings and a beer garden. Ski hills and jumps from the 1972 Winter Olympics are scattered within the city limits, and Niseko, a renowned ski resort, is a train ride away.

Uni Murakami Hakodate 函館うにむらかみ

To experience the best tasting sea urchin one must travel to northern Japan where the waters are icy cold and mineral rich.

This place really opened my eyes to the different levels of quality one can expect of uni. The uni that I am used to seeing in Manila is often a bowl of slimy sludge. Although the local uni we get in the Philippines is some of the sweetest, most of the time it is served as small broken pieces.

Here at Murakami the uni is served fresh, whole, and firm.

Enjoyed in its simplest form, and eaten raw over hot Japanese rice, this is a popular choice for breakfast in Sapporo.

Unlike anywhere else, they also serve uni au gratin, sea urchin baked in its shell.

Although sea urchin is common all over Japan, what sets Murakami apart from the rest is that this place does not only catch the sea urchin, but also farms it, allowing them to serve sea urchin in every way imaginable. The uni is firm, creamy, sweet, and not at all mushy.

Shirako 白子

Shirako (or milt) is, bluntly put, cod fish sperm and I urge anyone who get the chance to visit Hokkaido in the winter to try this special seasonal delicacy.

Although the name doesn’t sound too appealing, I promise you this strange delicacy is worth the try. It’s smooth and creamy with a light, fine texture. The flavor of Shirako is a lot similar to cream cheese and foie gras. It is usually available from December through February.

Sakanaya no Daidokoro 魚屋の台所

Hokkaido is the largest source of fresh seafood in Japan. This seafood restaurant on the second floor of the Nijo Market serves the freshest catch. You can expect the best live seafood in season, as fresh as it gets and straight to your plate.

Kushidori izakaya/yakitori (串鳥)

Hands down the best yakitori and Izakaya I’ve ever had was here in Sapporo. We were so lucky to have come across this restaurant by a strike of luck. We came into Sapporo on a late flight and we were already tired and hungry, so we took our chances and walked into the first open restaurant that we saw. And it turned out to be one of our best meals that trip.

The grilled chicken skewers here are perfectly cooked and juicy. Hands down the best yakitori I’ve ever had.