The Nijo Fish Market in Sapporo 札幌の二条市場

Published on : 07/06/2018
by : J.L.

Taste the sea in town

The Nijo Fish Market in downtown Sapporo is a century-old institution. Every day you can taste the best specialties from local fishing. About fifty traders await you behind their stalls rich in the finest specimens of seafood and fish from the seas around Hokkaido.

About fifty traders await you behind their stalls rich in the finest specimens of seafood and fish from the seas around Hokkaido . As much to say to you that the freshness and the quality of the products are ensured with the “ cuisine of Sapporo ”, the nickname of this famous market.

And yet we are not at the auction on the port accompanied by the cries of seagulls, quite the contrary, we are in the heart of the big city in northern Japan, a few steps from the famous Sapporo tower in the foot from Odori Park . This will be your easy landmark to get there, or following the banks of the Sosei River.

Other fish markets in Japan:

Marché aux poissons de Nijô à Sapporo — Nijo Fish Market in the heart of Sapporo
City of Sapporo

Thanks to a simple fisherman

It all started at the beginning of the Meiji era (1868-1912) , we are at the end of the 19th century. A simple fisherman has the idea and the audacity to come to this city, which at the time was not yet the huge city it has become, to sell his fish directly to new city dwellers. His idea will please and hit the mark, because the customers want more and that's how other fishermen-traders will come to join the first so that they will soon be a whole group forming a market.

The tastes of the sea

Today, they are more than fifty to offer their seafood products, but not only because the vegetables and fruits of the region also have their place (melon, corn or potatoes).

Open from 7:30 a.m. every day , it is possible (and recommended) to come early for a Japanese -style breakfast, or lunch for those less adventurous about the taste of fish in the morning!

Hokkaido specialties

There are all sorts of specialties, although crab is the safe bet in regional waters . Crabs of several varieties, including Taraba, Kamchatka king crab, or even Hanasaki, Zuwai or Kegani. You will have to come back to taste them all, in order to fully grasp the taste subtleties. Otherwise, sea urchins, oysters or prawns are also available to your palate, raw or grilled, to be enjoyed on the spot, like the timeless sushi or kaisen-don (sashimi on a bowl of rice), there will be no time for you to satisfy all your desires to discover these flavors.

See also: Eating crab in Japan

Kaisen-don, rice + salmon eggs + fine seaweed + grated radish with peppers + wasabi
City of Sapporo

But if the morning is not enough, noon either, then come back in the evening because from 5 p.m. here is the Noren Yokocho which opens . Since 2007, this space for on-the-go tastings , although well-established, has been made up of around fifteen small restaurants right on the market where the products come from. They are all warm, with good little dishes to enjoy alone, with friends or family, in an izakaya style for one while the other offers his curry soup or for those who can't take fish anymore, the incredible grilled lamb Jingisukan (understand Genghis Khan).