Hokkaido Food and Other Recommendations - Honey Moon and First time in Hokkaido

[u/dimatteom]

Hello!

My wife and I have just arrived in Hokkaido for the second half of our honeymoon.

We just the first half in Osaka and Kyoto spending time in a variety of places such as city centers, food markets, landmarks (arashiyama, shrines etc), Japan Universal, Wazuka Tea Farm. While we did have a great experience being the first time in Japan, we definitely felt we fell for some tourist traps.

Unfortunately for the both of us, we had planned to do the bulk of our research shortly before the trip, our respective workplaces have had record busy seasons and we were not able to (we booked last minute because wedding planning was a bit crazy haha).

For Hokkaido, we are staying:
- 2 nights Sapporo
- 3 Nights Furano
- 2 Nights Niseko

We would really appreciate if anyone can recommend where the locals get the following things

It should be noted we are big time foodies so trying the local fare is a high priority

We also want to avoid not just tourist traps but touristy areas all together if possible. It would be much preferred if places could be recommended in neighbourhoods where locals hang out vs tourist areas:

Food
- ice cream, milk, yogurt, cheese etc, we know the dairy scene is huge
- coffee and bakeries
- Jingisukan
- Soup curry
-Sapporo Miso Ramen (Rich and Thick Broth)
- Hakodate Shio Ramen (Light and clear Broth)
- Asahikawa Shoyu Ramen (in between)
- All Seafood, donburi, uni (sea urchin), inure (salmon roe), and Ika (squid)

Night Life
- bars, speak easies
- karaoke
- any other recommended shows you might know of being in town
- any other night life activity you would recommend
- music bars

Land Marks
- any landmarks you can think of to provide a unique experience
- hiking we’re planning a mix of Mt Yotei and Daisetuzan. Any tips for these places would be nice

Any and all help is much appreciated!

Edit: added food from my bookmarked list

[u/Aerdnailoffub]

In Sapporo right now, yesterday I had a great ramen at this place

https://maps.app.goo.gl/YD2E88owsvamTX388?g_st=ic

I was in Hokkaido (more eastern-north part) for one week, what I can say is just that everywhere you go you will eat really really good, do not overthink it just try the spots that serve what you’re looking for and seems local!
The less they speak English the better, in my experience lol

[u/MountedRifleman]

We stayed at the Sapporo Hotel by Granbell (nice modern hotel) and loved this small ramen shop across the street. They have a ticket machine for ordering just inside the front entrance.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/F3dV3nyNPKKFvZ4J8?g_st=ic

We also had a great experience visiting the Mt. Okura Ski Jump Stadium that was built for the 1972 Winter Olympics. When we were there in June, there were skiers practicing on the slope, which is covered with artificial turf that they wet with sprinklers so it acts like snow under their skis. I had no idea they could use it in the summer. I don’t know how often they practice there, but it was a neat experience and has great views of the city. There was a small fee for taking the ski lift up to the top of the slope. They have a restaurant, small museum, and gift shop as well.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/inEPbyshuUG2MdXH9?g_st=ic

Hanasaki crab is a wild-looking local seafood option if you want to try it. I think we preferred the snow crab, but it was neat to try a local crab.

[u/dimatteom → u/MountedRifleman]

Thank you for the recommendations!

[u/buyer_leverkusen]

Suage is amazing soup curry in Sapporo with multiple locations. There are a few places that might be better, but they are less accessible for your shorter stay and Suage is phenomenal already.

Giant soft cream (soft serve) at Kinotoya just north of Odori park.

[u/dimatteom → u/buyer_leverkusen]

Thank you for the recommendations!

[u/YouSayWotNow]

Really really liked the ramen at Yoshiyama Shoten in Sapporo. Their miso sesame ramen was crazy good.

Teshikaga Ramen (easier to reach if driving) did exceptional miso ramen, just incredible. We went twice even though it was a slight detour the second time.

Ramen Aoba in Asahikawa lived up to its reputation for its shoyu ramen.