Top Shopping Spots in Sapporo! Best Areas To Find Just What You Need

Sapporo is the largest city in Hokkaido and a great place for shopping. The shopping district has many types of facilities from arcades, to shops, and department stores, all frequented by both local residents and tourists. Here you can find all sorts of gifts beginning with confections and a whole array of other items such as cosmetics, pharmaceutical items, electrical appliances, clothes, and household items. Two places that are especially popular with foreign visitors are Sapporo ESTA and the Tanukikoji Shopping Arcade.

Two Shopping Areas in Sapporo
The area in front of Sapporo Station and the Odori area

There are shopping facilities in every part of the city, but the following two areas have the most to offer.

1: In front of Sapporo Station
2: The Odori area

Let’s first take a look at the area in front of Sapporo Station!

1. What is the area in front of Sapporo Station?

This is the area adjacent the Sapporo Metro subway and JR Sapporo Station. It is within easy walking distance of the station which makes last-minute shopping just before returning by expressway bus or train to the New Chitose Airport very convenient.

Shopping area in front of Sapporo Station

Sapporo ESTA「札幌ESTA」
A commercial complex housing large electrical appliance shops very popular with foreign visitors in front of Sapporo Station.

Sapporo STELLAR PLACE「札幌 STELLAR PLACE（ステラプレイス）」
It is one of the largest shopping malls in Japan. Connected to Sapporo Station, it includes apparel shops, restaurants, cafes, bars, and a cinema complex.

Sapporo STELLAR PLACE
〒060-0005 札幌市中央区北５条西２丁目/2 West, 5 North, Chuo-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido 〒060-0005

paseo（パセオ）
A shopping zone in the large underpass beneath JR Sapporo Station with many cafes and apparel shops.

paseo
〒060-0806 札幌市北区北６条西２丁目/2 West, 6 North, Chuo-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido 〒060-0806

APIA (アピア)
An underground shopping area in Sapporo Station containing many places where you can enjoy leisurely meals.

APIA
〒060-0005 札幌市中央区北５条西3・4丁目/3-4 West, 5 North, Chuo-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido 〒060-0005

Daimaru Sapporo「大丸札幌」
A department store very popular with local residents. Its Kikiyokocho floor offering beauty, food, and everyday items aimed at women is very popular.

Daimaru Sapporo
Address：〒060-0005 札幌市中央区北5条西4丁目7/7-4 West, 5 North, Chuo-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido 〒060-0005

Tokyu Department Store Sapporo 「東急百貨店札幌店」
A department store very popular with local residents. Offers a wide assortment of goods for daily life and also includes Tokyu Hands.

Tokyu Department Store Sapporo
〒060-8619 札幌市 中央区北４条西２丁目/2 West, 5 North, Chuo-ku, Sapporo 〒060-0005

Closeup on Sapporo ESTA: Popular shopping center next to Sapporo Station

Sapporo ESTA in front of Sapporo Station. The first floor of the building is a bus center. Not only local buses, but expressway buses going to other areas in Hokkaido depart and arrive here.

Sapporo ESTA is a good place to shop without need of an umbrella on a rainy or snowy day because it is directly connected to Sapporo Station. It houses Bic Camera, a top-class shop that offers one of the widest selection of home electronics in Japan, the apparel shop UNIQLO, and the ramen theme park called Sapporo Ramen Republic.

Entrances are on the first and second floors and the first and second basement floors are directly connected to the underground shopping areas and the subway station. All the floors from the second basement to the 10th floor offer a wide selection of goods, but I recommend you visit the four following floors first.

Recommendation #1: Floors 1-4: home electronics shop Bic Camera

There is a duty-free register on the second floor visited daily by foreign tourists

Here you will find cameras, watches, smartphones, personal computers, beauty appliances, cooking appliances, and many other types of electric appliances. Many of the staff can speak foreign languages such as English and Chinese.

Recommendation #2: 1st basement: Famous Hokkaido sweets, side dishes, box lunches, medical supplies, cosmetics

On this floor there are corners selling famous Hokkaido confectionery and corners selling all kinds of side dishes and box lunches. There is also a drug store where you can purchase medical items and cosmetics.

Recommendation #3: Floors 5-8: UNIQLO, fashion wear, general merchandise

Floors five through eight of Sapporo ESTA display fashions and sundries. UNIQLO occupies the greater part of the 5th floor. Many of the items displayed here are only offered in Hokkaido. Located only on this floor, you can get all your clothing needs here without the need to visit other floors.

Recommendation #4: 10th floor - Sapporo Ramen Republic

Finally we recommend the Sapporo Ramen Republic on the 10th floor. Here there are eight shops offering famous Hokkaido ramen, such as miso ramen for which Sapporo is famous.

A steam locomotive monument inside the facility. This is a very popular spot among tourists for taking pictures

The facility is also used by many local residents in addition to tourists, and aside from standard dishes on the menu, seasonal ramen dishes are also offered. These shops have gained a reputation for their flavor making them very popular. Some even have menus in foreign languages. This the perfect place to get a bite to eat after shopping.

SAPPORO ESTA
〒060-0005 札幌市中央区北5条西2丁目 / 2 West, 5 North, Chuo-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido 〒060-0005
011-213-2111
Hours: 10:00 AM ~ 9:00 PM (dining facilities: 11:00 AM ~ 10:00 PM) ※ Hours may differ for some of the stores in the building depending on the season.
Closed: never ※ Differs according to store
Access: 3-minute walk from JF Sapporo Station; 1-minute walk from the Toho Subway Line Sapporo Station; 3-minute walk from the Namboku Subway Line Sapporo Station

2. What is the Odori area?

This refers to the area around the Odori Station, one station on the Sapporo Metro Subway Namboku Line and Toho Line from Sapporo Station. It has long been a center of commercial activity in Sapporo with many department stores and fashion buildings.
It is also a famous sightseeing spot having the Sapporo Clock Tower, Sapporo TV Tower, and Odori Park. It is also adjacent the famous Susukino entertainment district.

Shopping spots in the Odori area

Tanukikoji Shopping Arcade「狸小路商店街」
It is a two or three-minute walk from the Nishi 4-chome tram stop. It has been a commercial district with long-established shops since 1872. It is an area that has been appreciated by local residents for many years and in recent years has become a popular tourist spot visited by many foreign visitors.

Marui Imai Sapporo Store「丸井今井札幌店」
A department store facing Odori Park. Here you can find many food products only available in Hokkaido.

Marui Imai Sapporo Store
〒060-8667 札幌市 中央区南１条西２丁目/2 West, 1 South, Chuo-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido 〒060-8667

AURORA TOWN (オーロラタウン)
Underground shopping center beneath Odori Park running from Nishi 1-chome to 3-chome.

AURORA TOWN
〒060-0042 札幌市中央区 大通 西 １～３ 丁目/1-3 West, Oodoori, Chuo-ku, Sapporo 〒060-0042

POLE TOWN (ポールタウン)
An underground town between Odori Station to the Nishi 4-chome tram stop and continuing on to the Metro Namboku Line Susukino Station.

POLE TOWN
〒060-0061～060-0064 札幌市中央区南1条西3丁目～南4条西3丁目 /3 West, 4 South～3 West, 1 South, Chuo-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido 〒060-0061～〒060-0064

4chome Plaza (4丁目プラザ)
Fashion building near the Nishi 4-chome tram stop and a one or two-minute walk from Odori Park.

4 Chome Plaza
〒060-0061 札幌市中央区南１条西４丁目/4 West, 1 South, Chuo-ku, Sapporo 〒060-0061

PIVOT (ピヴォ)
Next to 4 Chome Plaza, has a UNIQLO and a Tower Record music shop in it.

PIVOT
〒060-0062 札幌市中央区南２条西４丁目 / 4 West, 2 South, Chuo-ku, Sapporo 〒060-0062

Sapporo PARCO (札幌PARCO)
Across from 4 Chome Plaza and has many apparel and dining shops in it.

Sapporo PARCO
〒060-8502 札幌市中央区南１条西３丁目３/3-3 West, 1 South, Chuo-ku, Sapporo 〒060-8502

Sapporo Mitsukoshi (札幌三越)
Across from 4 Chome Plaza, it is a long-established department store. Its senior section is popular.

Sapporo Mitsukoshi
〒060-0061 札幌市中央区南１条西３丁目８/8-3 West, 1 South, Chuo-ku, Sapporo 〒060-0061

Noted shopping spot in the Odori area
Tanukikoji Shopping Arcade hosts many old shops

Tanukikoji Shopping Arcade is popular among Sapporo residents for its shopping and leisure spots. In recent years a growing number of foreign tourists have been visiting it and the number of shops having foreign exchanges has grown.

This long arcade stretching for about one kilometer east and west goes from 1-chome on the eastern edge to 7-chome on the western edge. Almost directly in the middle at 3-chome and 4-chome there are the Tanukikoji tram stop of the Sapporo Streetcar Line and the entrance to the underground Pole Town. You can avoid the rain or snow if you come through Pole Town from Odori Station or Susukino Station.

Hokkaido Street Information Center Sapporo Tanukikoji

The Hokkaido Street Information Center Sapporo Tanukikoji located at 5-chome provides sightseeing information for foreign visitors in English and Chinese.

There is also a foreign exchange across the way

There are about 200 shops between 1-chome and 7-chome of all sorts: gift shops, restaurants, pharmacies, and many others. Gift shops selling Hokkaido confections and other items are concentrated between 4-chome and 6-chome. There are also many drug stores with about 13 located between 1-chome and 6-chome. Eating establishments are spread throughout the area between 1-chome and 7-chome: ramen shops, seafood pubs, kushiyaki [skewers of grilled food] shops, shops offering cuisine of many countries, as well as confectioneries.

■ Recommended gift shops between 4 and 6-chome

・Hokkaido Gifts Tanukiya「北海道みやげ たぬきや」
A gift shop located at Tanukikoji 4-chome. In addition to Hokkaido confections, it also offers character goods and wood carvings.

Hokkaido Gifts Tanukiya
札幌市中央区南3条西4丁目 / 4 West, 2-3 South, Chuo-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido

・Souvenir Shop Kobushiya「おみやげの店 こぶしや」
A gift shop located at Tanukikoji 4-chome. Sells famous Hokkaido sweets, ramen, seafood, osake, limited Hokkaido character goods and other sundries.

Souvenir Shop Kobushiya
札幌市中央区南3条西4丁目 / 4 West, 2-3 South, Chuo-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido

・Souvenir Shop Shirakaba「おみやげの店しらかば」
A gift shop located at Tanukikoji 6-chome. It offers a wide selection of famous sweets and sundried items from Hokkaido. There is also another shop at Tanukikoji 5-chome.

Souvenir Shop Shirakaba
札幌市中央区南3条西6丁目 / 6 West, 2-3 South, Chuo-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido

■ Recommended drug stores between 3 and 6-chome

・Sapporo Drug Store (サッポロドラッグストアー)
One store at Tanukikoji 4-chome, two stores at 5-chome, and one store at 6-chome. They sell medicine, cosmetics, health food products, and a variety of sweets. There is also a souvenir shop at 5-chome.

Sapporo Drug Store
札幌市中央区南2・3条西4～6丁目 / 4-6 West, 2-3 South, Chuo-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido

・Kokumin (コクミン)
Two stores at Tanukikoji 3-chome, one store at 5-chome. Drug stores selling medicine and cosmetics at reasonable prices.

Kokumin (コクミン) 3-Chome
札幌市中央区南3条西３丁目 / 3 West, 3 South, Chuo-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido

Kokumin (コクミン) 5-Chome
札幌市中央区南2条西5丁目 / 2 West, 5 South, Chuo-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido

・Matsumoto Kiyoshi (松本清/マツモトキヨシ)
Drug store with two shops at Tanukikoji 3-chome. They sell medicine, cosmetics, health foods, and a variety of other goods.

Matsumoto Kiyoshi Sapporo Tanukikoji
〒060-0062 北海道札幌市中央区南２条西３丁目１−５ / 〒060-0062 Hokkaidō, Sapporo-shi, Chūō-ku, Minami 2 Jōnishi, 3 Chome−１−５

Matsumoto Kiyoshi Sapporo Tanukikoji "Part 2"
〒060-0063 北海道札幌市中央区南３条西３丁目 中央区南３条西３丁目１３−１ / 〒060-0063 Hokkaidō, Sapporo-shi, Chūō-ku, Minami 3 Jōnishi, 3 Chome 13-1

■ 4-chome discount store Don Quijote

Don Quijote
〒060-0062 北海道札幌市中央区南２条西４丁目２−１１ / 4 Chome-２−１１ Minami 2 Jōnishi, Chūō-ku, Sapporo-shi, Hokkaidō 060-0062

Open even at night which makes shopping easy. Offers a wide array of household goods, cosmetics, liquors, and many other things that you can take back to your hotel. Very lively at night.

A statue of a tanuki (raccoon dog) in front of a small shrine at 5-chome

If you walk from one end to the other of this shopping area you will see an amazing variety of shops, so many that it is hard to decide which ones to visit; a wonderful area for shopping and eating.
Some of the shops in the Tanukikoji Shopping Arcade, such as gift shops and drug stores, offer duty free prices and accept payment by credit card and electronic money. Other shops, such as ramen shops and other eateries only accept cash payment in Japanese yen. Most shops indicate within them whether they accept digital cash or credit cards, so be sure to verify that before you shop.

Tanukiji Road shopping street
〒060-0062 札幌市中央区南2・3条西1～7丁目 / 1～7west,2・3south,Chuo-ku,Sapporo,Hokkaido 〒060-0062
011-241-5125