Hi, all!

I'm going to Hokkaido in two weeks with a friend, and I was wondering if anyone knew of any specialty stores selling used movies, posters, chirashi, etc in Sapporo.

All advice appreciated, thank you very much :^)

My wife and I are planning to move to Sapporo for about a year starting in February 2027. We're Brazilians in our 20s, no kids, and we'll both be working remotely for our company back home.

We're hoping to find something around 50/60 m², ideally 20 minutes of central Sapporo. Our total monthly budget for the two of us would be around ¥400k, including rent, utilities, groceries, going out, etc.

Do you guys think that's enough to have a pretty comfortable year in Sapporo?

We'd really prefer a furnished apartment, especially since we're only staying for a year. How realistic is it to find a furnished 50–60 m² place with a one-year contract?

And if furnished apartments are too expensive or hard to find, how much should we roughly expect to spend furnishing an empty apartment? Things like a bed, sofa, desk/chairs, fridge, washing machine, microwave, etc.

I'm honestly pretty lost when it comes to furniture prices in Japan lol.

Also, if there are any neighborhoods you'd recommend that are around 15–25 minutes from downtown and have good access to supermarkets, restaurants and subway/train lines, I'd love to hear them.

Sorry for so many questions!

Thanks!

Edit 1: if that helps, our bank statement is around 920k yen monthly

Edit 2: I've been practicing Japanese for some time now, and I should be able to have conversational japanese until Feb/27.

About to come back to Hokkaido again for a trip. Last time I came I tried a bunch of soft serves but none were as impressive as Kinotoya which literally ruined soft serves for me everywhere else. I literally stopped eating soft serves. This time coming back I am committed to getting Kinotoya every day I am in Sapporo / when I depart/arrive at New Chitose Airport. Outside of Kinotoya though, are there any other soft serves that particularly stood out to you? I will be doing a road trip to Noboribetsu and Kutchan, so will be making stops on the way to visit any milk farms with soft serves as well!

I’ve been living in Japan for almost six years, and I’ve probably been to a hair salon only about five times. Almost every visit has been a new trauma😅
I have thin, slightly wavy, pretty porous hair, and it tangles a lot. Every time I go to a salon, it starts with shampooing and drying, which basically turns into torture because they absolutely cannot brush my hair properly. They just keep pulling and ripping through the tangles. Meanwhile, I use a Tangle Teezer at home, and it takes me maybe two minutes to brush my hair completely pain-free.
It also took me a while to realize that I absolutely have to tell the stylist that I don’t want my hair thinned out (軽く). It makes my hair messy and frizzy. Once, even though I specifically told the stylist I didn’t want my hair thinned out, they ignored me anyway. So ever since then, I explain why I don’t want it thinned out every single time.

Anyway, does anyone have recommendations for a stylist who knows how to work with non-Asian hair types? Someone who understands both how to brush it properly and how to cut/style it?
I do speak Japanese, so language isn’t an issue.

サンキュー

Hello!

Re-posting from r/Hokkaido for additional coverage!

My wife and I have just arrived in Hokkaido for the second half of our honeymoon.
We just the first half in Osaka and Kyoto spending time in a variety of places such as city centers, food markets, landmarks (arashiyama, shrines etc), Japan Universal and Wazuka tea farm.

While we did have a great experience being the first time in Japan, we definitely felt we fell for some tourist traps.

Unfortunately for the both of us, we had planned to do the bulk of our research shortly before the trip, our respective workplaces have had record busy seasons and we were not able to (we booked last minute because wedding planning was a bit crazy haha).

For Hokkaido, we are staying:
- 2 nights Sapporo
- 3 Nights Furano
- 2 Nights Niseko

It should be noted we are big time foodies so trying the local fare is a high priority

We also want to avoid not just tourist traps but touristy areas all together if possible. It would be much preferred if places could be recommended in neighbourhoods where locals hang out vs tourist areas

We would really appreciate if anyone can recommend where the locals get the following things:

Food
- ice cream, milk, yogurt, cheese etc, we know the dairy scene is huge
- coffee & matcha + bakeries
- Jingisukan
- Soup curry
- Sapporo Miso Ramen (Rich and Thick Broth)
- Hakodate Shio Ramen (Light and clear Broth)
- Asahikawa Shoyu Ramen (in between)
- All Seafood, donburi, uni (sea urchin), inure (salmon roe), and Ika (squid)

Night Life
- bars, speak easies (where to try really good sake would be a bonus)
- karaoke
- any other recommended shows you might know of being in town
- any other night life activity you would recommend
- music bars

Land Marks
- any landmarks you can think of to provide a unique experience
- hiking we're planning a mix of Mt Yotei and Daisetuzan. Any tips for these places would be nice

Any and all help is much appreciated!

Anyone can recommend shops that may sell them?

Are there any nice breakfast place recommendations in and around Sapporo station/Odori Park? I'm traveling with two toddlers (4yo and 2yo) and we intend to start our day at 9:30am.

Hi. I just moved to Chitose and gonna celebrate my bday in September. Do you know any stays or restaurants around/nearby sapporo where I and my partner can celebrate?

Or any ideas on how to celebrate my bday in Hokkaido? Thank you.

Hi lovely people! I am visiting Sapporo/Hokkaido in 2 weeks. I'm super excited! I would just like to ask for your recos on the following:

1. Stationery Stores

2. Must-try Cafes/Good local chains

3. Other fun side quests you may have for me! - I am a chill vibe artsy kinda girl haha.

Thank you so much!

Hey yall! I’m a new JET that has moved to Hokkaido, I’m going to be here for the next two or so years and am planning on taking frequent weekend trips to Sapporo. I was just wondering if there were any real cheap capsule hotels that I could stay at over my times there, all the ones I’ve been seeing cost my months rent for 3 nights lol. I don’t need anything fancy at ALL, literally just a bed and a place put my backpack. Also free/ cheap parking lots that I can put my car as I will be using public transport while within the city. Thank you! (I am a girl so I wouldn’t be able to stay at a men only capsule hotel lol)

I went for a bike ride along the banks of the Toyohira River yesterday. I uploaded some photos in another post, so some of you may have seen them.

While riding, I passed several foreign cyclists. They all made gestures—like a slight wave or a nod—so I took that as a greeting and returned the gesture in kind.

Of course, there are Japanese cyclists who do this too, but not everyone does. Personally, it seemed to me that foreign cyclists almost invariably made those kinds of gestures. It made me happy and really added to the enjoyment of the rest of my ride.

I wonder, is this a cultural difference?

It made me think that the culture of etiquette and mutual respect among cyclists might be different from what we see in Japan.

If anyone knows anything about this, I’d love to hear your thoughts.

I'm planning another night in Susukino and I'd love to hear everyone's recommendations.

It can be anything:

• Great restaurants or late-night food
• Izakayas
• Cocktail bars
• Craft beer spots
• Karaoke
• Arcades
• Unique experiences
• Massage or spa
• Adult entertainment

I'm looking for places that locals or frequent visitors genuinely enjoy, not just tourist recommendations.

What are your favorite spots, and why?

Bonus question:

If you only had one night in Susukino, where would you go first?

Itinerary review / advice

8 nights Hokkaido self-drive in August (one-way Sapporo to Hakodate) - itinerary + one question: extra day in Niseko or Sapporo?

Road trip to Hakkaido this August, renting a car in Sapporo with a drop at Hakodate. Covering some days of Obon week, so hotels are mostly locked already. Would love a check on pacing and routing, plus where to spend extra night .

Day 1 - Arrive & Night in Sapporo.

Day 2 - Nijo Market early, pick up the car ~09:30, expressway to Furano. Afternoon on the Furano side: Kanno Farm and Farm Tomita for late lavender. Then Blue Pond and Shirahige Falls around 17:30-18:15 when the tour buses are gone, sunset drive to Furano. Night at the Winery Hotel Hitonata

Day 3 - Biei hills: Shikisai-no-oka and a Patchwork Road loop. Then north via Asahikawa-Takasu IC (thinking a quick Asahikawa ramen bowl en route) and on to Otaru by ~15:30. Canal and Sakaimachi stroll, night in Otaru.

Day 4 - Otaru > Shakotan peninsula: Cape Kamui hike and Shimamui Coast, then Nikka Yoichi distillery self-tour and road to Niseko: Two nights at Park Hyatt.

Day 5 - Niseko leisure day: Hangetsu Lake, Fukidashi Park, maybe the Annupuri gondola. Lunch at Hokkaidian Homestead

Question here if to spend one more night in Niseko and stay at boutique hotel in town to enjoy the food and walks?

Day 6 - Lake Toya. Still deciding between a lakefront onsen hotel with the nightly fireworks visible from the rooftop (I love fireworks) or a lakeside glamping site on the quiet north shore

Day 7- Morning canoe on the caldera or Mt. Usu ropeway, then south with a stop at Onuma Park. Night at Hakodate.

Day 8 - Hakodate Morning Market, Motomachi slopes and churches on foot, Goryokaku in the afternoon, Mt. Hakodate ropeway at dusk. Deciding whether to stay a second night in Motomachi or move to a classic ryokan in Yunokawa Onsen for the farewell kaiseki

Day 9 or 10 - Drop the car at Hakodate, fly or Shinkansen to tokyo.

Questions:

1. Does the pacing look sane or too much packed?
2. For one extra night we have, where would you spend it: a third night in Niseko or a proper Sapporo night at the start (we currently only sleep there on arrival and don’t really see the city)? Or somewhere else on this route entirely?
3. Anything on the Shakotan or Onuma legs we are missing that you would recommend?
4. Any hotel feedback from we have chosen appreciated as well?

Thanks in advance.

Hi! I’m 21 and I’m from Spain. I’ve just moved to Hokkaido and I’m currently living in Shiraoi, so I’d love to meet some people around Tomakomai or nearby!
I’m looking for people around my age (20–25) to hang out with, grab a coffee, go for food, explore Hokkaido, go shopping, or just chill and make some new friends.
I’m also learning Japanese, so I’d love to meet Japanese people as well as other foreigners!
If you’re around the area and looking for friends too, feel free to message me! 💕

I want to improve my language proficiency and I am currently looking into private tutors with flexible hours as I work full time.
Not looking for JLPT but more of a BJT, daily Japanese conversation and writing.
My current level is around N2, but after starting work I stopped writing on paper and that affected my language skills immensely.

Hi! Im staying in Sapporo for a while, and am planning to do a tour going around Hokkaido. Id like to purchase a bike here, but I am running into the problem of size.

I am 185 cm (6,1) and most bikes are too small. I'm having trouble navigating mercari, jmt, yahoo auctions etc. some results do turn up, but they're either not in Sapporo or already sold.

Anyone have any pointers?

Thanks so much!