The Best of Hokkaido

Near Kushiro’s railway station, this flopping-fresh fish market is the place to stop for a delicious sushi or sashimi lunch. Vendors hawk everything from sea urchins, tuna belly (otoro) and enormous Hokkaido crabs to whelk and whale meat. A...

Part of the Sapporo Beer Museum, this pleasant beer garden is worth carving out some time for. As well as being able to taste the famous brew in a beer-hall setting, you can cook your own lunch—usually lamb or vegetables or...

Some of Japan's best whiskey—and the Japanese take this drink almost as seriously as the Scots do—comes from Yoichi Nikka Whisky Distillery, just outside Otaru. The distillery was built in 1934, after Taketsuru Masataka came back to...

Located in the hot-spring resort area of Akankohan near Kushiro, the small village of Ainu Kotan is home to Hokkaido’s indigenous people, the Ainu. The store-lined main street here is touristy but nonetheless ideal for one-stop shopping for...