Nijo Market

Welcome to Nijo Market, often referred to as the 'Kitchen of Sapporo.' As a scholar of culinary history, I find this market to be an essential site for understanding the development of Hokkaido. While Sapporo is a relatively…

As we move into the first major section of the market, our attention is immediately captured by the crabs. Hokkaido is world-famous for its crustaceans, and Nijo Market is their primary stage. …

Continuing our walk, we transition from the massive crabs to the delicate world of bivalves and shellfish. Our source materials note that oysters can be found for as little as $2 each, a remarkable deal for such high-quality…

Now, we turn into a narrow, somewhat inconspicuous passage known as Noren-yokocho. This is the 'market within a market,' a collection of tiny eateries that stay open late into the night. …

Let us pause at one of the larger restaurants specializing in Kaisendon to analyze this iconic dish. Our source materials describe a seafood bowl that 'looks like the most popular one' with 11 kinds of seafood for about $10 to…

As we exit the dense aisles of the market, we find ourselves near the Sosei River. This is where the market’s history began. …

Our exploration of Nijo Market concludes where it began, but with a much deeper understanding of its role in Sapporo's identity. We have navigated the aisles of 'Crimson Gold' crabs, sampled the briny wealth of the oyster bars,…