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Day 2 in Sapporo was, without question, a food day. Miso ramen for lunch, premium soft serve in between, and soup curry for dinner. If you’re visiting Sapporo for the first time, this is exactly the kind of day you should plan.
Morning: Coffee First
Before anything else, we stopped at the Starbucks near Yuen Ryokan for a coffee. A small ritual, but the perfect way to ease into the day before the real eating began.
Lunch: Miso Ramen at Shingen — The Best Ramen of My Life
We arrived at Ramen Shingen at 10:50 AM — just before the 11:00 AM opening — and joined the queue.
I’ll be direct: this is the best miso ramen I have ever eaten. Not the best in Sapporo. The best of my life.
What Makes Shingen Special
The broth is extraordinarily creamy and mellow — nothing like the aggressively salty versions you sometimes encounter elsewhere. It’s rich without being heavy, deeply savory without being overwhelming. Every sip feels considered.
A quick note for ramen lovers who are more familiar with Tonkotsu: Japan’s ramen world is vast. Shoyu (soy sauce), Shio (salt), and Miso are all distinct styles worth exploring. Miso is my personal favorite — and since Sapporo is literally the birthplace of miso ramen, there’s no better place on earth to try it.
Order it with butter and corn — the classic Hokkaido combination. Don’t skip it.
Don’t Skip the Sides
Whatever you do, order the fried rice (Chahan) and gyoza alongside your ramen. The combination of creamy miso broth, crispy gyoza, and savory fried rice is one of the great comfort food trifectas. I’m still thinking about it.
Wait time: Expect 40–60 minutes. It is absolutely worth it.
Menu Guide
| Item | Description |
|---|---|
| Shinshu | Rich miso — the most popular choice. Creamy and deeply savory. |
| Echigo | Spicy miso — for those who want some heat. |
| Chahan | Fried rice — highly recommended as a side |
| Gyoza | Dumplings — order these. Trust me. |
Restaurant Info: Ramen Shingen (Minami 6-jo Branch)
- Address: 8-8-2 Minami 6-jo Nishi, Chuo-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido
- Hours: 11:00 AM – 1:00 AM (soup may sell out before closing)
- Payment: Cash only (no credit cards)
- Reservations: Not accepted — first come, first served
- Parking: None (use nearby coin parking)
Afternoon: Soft Serve Showdown at COCONO SUSUKINO
After the richness of miso ramen, something cold and sweet was the obvious next move. We headed to COCONO SUSUKINO — a newer shopping complex in Susukino — which turned out to be soft serve paradise.
SUN MILK JAPAN
Our first stop was SUN MILK JAPAN, a specialty milk shop that takes its dairy very seriously. Their signature soft serve uses “Goku-Nama (極生 / Premium Fresh)” cream — a formula that reportedly took three years to perfect.
The result? Intensely milky, smooth, and refreshing all at once. It’s the kind of soft serve that makes you understand why someone would spend three years perfecting it.
Tokachi Shinmura Farm
Right next to SUN MILK JAPAN is Tokachi Shinmura Farm — and honestly, I liked this one even more. The milk flavor was deeper and more rustic, with that unmistakable Hokkaido dairy richness.
Pro tip: COCONO SUSUKINO has multiple soft serve shops inside. Comparing them is half the fun — budget time (and stomach space) accordingly.
Dinner: Soup Curry at Ramai — Sapporo’s Most Underrated Dish
For dinner, we headed to Asian Bar Ramai, one of the most well-known names in Sapporo soup curry.
What Is Soup Curry?
If you’ve never had it: soup curry is completely different from the thick, stew-like Japanese curry most people know. The broth is thin, intensely spiced, and deeply aromatic — closer to a Southeast Asian curry soup than anything else. It’s one of Sapporo’s greatest culinary inventions, and it’s genuinely unlike anything you can get outside of Hokkaido.
If you’re on a longer Sapporo trip and find yourself getting tired of sushi or kaisendon, soup curry is the answer.
What We Ordered
The bowl arrived overflowing with chunky fried vegetables — lotus root, asparagus, pumpkin — alongside perfectly cooked chicken. The broth was spicy, complex, and somehow felt simultaneously indulgent and cleansing.
We paired it with a yogurt lassi, which balanced the spice beautifully. It felt like a detox and a feast at the same time.
How to Order
Ramai lets you customize almost everything: soup flavor, spice level, rice size. I recommend:
- Chicken curry as your base
- M-size rice for a normal appetite
- Feeling ambitious? Try the “Kin-tore” rice — a legendary 1kg mountain of rice. Proceed with caution.
Restaurant Info: Asian Bar Ramai (Sapporo Chuo Branch)
Check current hours before visiting
Address: 1F Confo Mall Sapporo, 1005-4 Minami 4-jo Nishi 10-chome, Chuo-ku, Sapporo
Hours: 11:30 AM – 11:00 PM (L.O. 10:00 PM)
Day 2 Summary: The Sapporo Food Holy Trinity
If you’re planning a food-focused day in Sapporo, this is the blueprint:
- Miso ramen at Shingen (arrive before opening to minimize wait)
- Soft serve at COCONO SUSUKINO (try at least two)
- Soup curry at Ramai for dinner
All three dishes are Sapporo originals. All three are worth the trip on their own. Together, they make for one of the best food days you can have anywhere in Japan.
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