long-haul
Japan: Sapporo
Super-fresh seafood, hot springs and the birthplace of miso ramen, the capital city of Japan’s wild north island has been long overshadowed by Tokyo and Kyoto – until now, as it will co-host the Rugby World Cup in September words ANNA LAWSON
The Sapparo TV Tower in Odori park
u Try local produce and fresh seafood at Hakodate Morning Market
Ride the lift to the top of Sapporo TV tower for a panoramic view
70 BBC Good Food Middle East June 2019
and restaurants selling freshlycaught seafood and locally-grown produce. A stone’s throw from tourist hot-spot the Sapporo TV Tower, which boasts great views over the city, is Odori Bisse (odori-bisse.com), home to shops and restaurants including izakaya-style Aburiya. Izakaya is a casual, sharing style of eating in Japan – think pubmeets-tapas bar, with menus spanning a wide range of small,
usually inexpensive dishes from sushi and sashimi to yakitori (meat skewers) and tempura. You’ll find plenty of izakaya bars and restaurants in the city centre, such as local favourite Hachikyo (hachikyo.com/ja). Once you’ve explored Sapporo, you can easily reach other areas by super-speedy bullet train. Hakodate, the region’s third largest city is three-and-a-half hours away – buy a ticket for about Dhs280. A day or two is enough time to stroll around the quaint old town – try fresh seafood at Hakodate Morning Market, ascend Mount Hakodate or Goryokaku Tower for impressive views and slurp a bowl of the city’s signature shio (salt) ramen. It’s also the perfect base for a day trip to Onuma Quasi National Park, 20km north, a picturesque expanse of lakes, trees and active volcano Mount Komagatake.
Photographs ISTOCK, URBANMYTH/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO, ANNA LAWSON
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okkaido, Japan’s northernmost main island, is home to beautiful national parks, mountains, volcanoes, natural hot springs (onsen) and some of the country’s best ski resorts, making it an obvious destination for both nature lovers and skiers. However, with the region also responsible for a large proportion of Japan’s agricultural activity and its capital city, Sapporo, famed as the birthplace of miso ramen, it should also be on the hit-list for food-lovers travelling to Japan. Those wanting to tick ‘authentic ramen’ off their food bucket list needn’t stray too far on arrival in Sapporo. In Japan, many well-renowned restaurants open around train stations and airports and Sapporo’s New Chitose airport (new-chitose-airport.jp/en) is one of the best examples, hosting a huge number of brilliant restaurants, including an entire area dedicated to ramen. If you’re a seafood lover, there’s no better region to be in. Hokkaido is famed for its varied catch, particularly crab, and the best way to experience it is at Curb Market, one of Sapporo’s largest public markets with nearly 80 stores
