Sama is a soup curry restaurant located in Sapporo’s Kita Ward, tucked away on the ground floor of a quiet building near residential streets rather than in a busy tourist area. The setting feels local and relaxed, the kind of place you’d stumble upon while deliberately searching for something specific rather than walking in by…

Being able to try all sorts of sushi restaurants while in Japan was the main point of this trip. One of the sushi restaurants we went to was Damairu Sushizen. Damairu Sushizen is a well-established sushi restaurant in Sapporo that focuses on quality ingredients and traditional execution rather than theatrics. It feels refined but not…

One thing that quickly stood out to me while exploring Sapporo was how strong the bakery scene is. Beyond the standout bakeries like Boul’Ange, there are plenty of reliable, everyday bakeries that locals clearly rely on. These aren’t destination bakeries in the sense of being overly experimental or trendy, but they consistently deliver solid bread…

Boul’Ange was easily one of my favourite bakeries that I came across in Sapporo. After trying a wide range of bakeries during this trip—from casual chains to neighbourhood bakeries—Boul’Ange stood out immediately for its consistency, execution, and overall quality. This is the kind of bakery where you can tell, from the first bite, that they…

Bostonbake is a casual, neighbourhood-style bakery chain you’ll see around Sapporo and other parts of Hokkaido. It’s not a boutique patisserie or a trendy café-style bakery. Instead, it feels practical, approachable, and very Japanese in how it balances variety with affordability. The shelves are packed with everything from sweet pastries and buns to savoury sandwiches…

This post is part of my Japan Food Series—a special set of reviews that’s quite different from the Ottawa restaurant content I normally post. This post is focused on the specialty stores in Sapporo. Continuing my Japan Food Series, I wanted to highlight a few more specialty shops and stores I visited in Sapporo that…

This post is part of my Japan Food Series—a special set of reviews that’s quite different from the Ottawa restaurant content I normally post. This post is focused on the specialty stores in Sapporo. While Japan’s convenience stores like Lawson, FamilyMart, and Seicomart are already impressive, Sapporo also has plenty of smaller specialty shops and…

Seicomart is a name you’ll hear often when you’re in Hokkaido. Unlike Lawson, FamilyMart, or 7-Eleven—which can be found across Japan—Seicomart is mainly located in the Hokkaido region, and it’s actually one of Japan’s oldest convenience store chains. It’s so common in Hokkaido that locals often describe it as part of daily life. Even though…

One of the most enjoyable parts of travelling in Japan is exploring stores like Lawson. These convenience stores (konbini) are everywhere and carry an incredible variety of snacks, drinks, and ready-to-eat meals. They’re nothing like what we have in Ottawa—Lawson elevates even the simplest foods, making them fun to explore. While my site usually focuses…