Cooked Food in Winter Hokkaido

Anyone knows where to find cooked food (read: Hot)in Otaru, Sapparo etc. Am planning to visit in Feb 08, but accompanied by others who aren't used to eating raw sushi. So places that has a good mix of raw fresh sushi as well as cooked hot food would be good. Any particular areas in Otaru and Sapparo I shouldn't miss?
Thanks !

You are going to be surprised at just how many places serve 'normal' food.

Sushi isn't an everyday food even in summer - let alone the coldest part of winter!

Hot pots, tempura and yakitori, udon, rice dishes etc are much more available - especially in the winter months.

You won't have any problems finding hot food!

Winter Hokkaido is all about grilled seafood. At least that's what the Japanese expect! The rich catch from the sea with lots of fat and nutrition from the cold cold sea will keep you happy and healthy.

Ask at your hotel or tourist info for "sumibi-yaki (charcoal barbeque). Or simply go to one of the many fish markets in Sapporo where they have everything from grills to "donburi" rice bowls topped with salmon eggs and sea urchin and good sake.

Actually, I have to say that you shouldn't waste your time eating tempura, yakitori or udon once you're in Hokkaido. You should at least choose ramen if you're going to have noodles. Your best choice of ramen flavor should be shio (salt) or miso (soy bean paste).

Also don't miss their beer, potatoes and "jingiskan" lamb barebeque!

Sapporo is known for it's ramen and fresh seafood. You will find a concentration of restaurants in the Susukino area (the entertainment area of central Sappora - there is a subway stop there). Also, try some fresh made manju, you'll see the steam coming out the windows of the manju shops - it's a confection.
Otaru is much smaller than Sapporo and there are shops and restaurants along the main canal and in the town.
One thing that's different about western Japanese restaurants and those in Japan is that you will find that most restaurants in Japan specialize in a particular type(s) of cuisine. That is to say you will see ramen shops, sushi shops, udon shops, etc. Many restaurants will have a plastic display of their food in the window with the prices labeled. If you can't speak Japanese you can always take the waiter(ess) outside and pint to what you want.
Happy Eating!

In response to the quote;
"One thing that's different about western Japanese restaurants and those in Japan is that you will find that most restaurants in Japan specialize in a particular type(s) of cuisine."

well, I have the impression that in most countries around the world, there are genuine places and general places. A hotdog stand in the U.S. only sells hotdogs, and a ristorante in Italy only serves certain kinds of Italian cuisine but no pizzas, while even in Hokkaido there are "family restaurant"s where you can order almost everything from ramen to beaf steak but the quality is not as genuine.

Believe it or not, the Japanese do not survive on sushi alone! You can have pizza, curry, Chinese food, hot Japanese noodles, tempura, grilled chicken, hamburgers, coffee and toasted sandwiches, whatever you want. You might find some sushi along with other food at an izakaya (Japanese pub) but sushi is usually sold at specialist shops.

It looks like you should read the food section of your Japan guidebook or do some research online searching for "Japanese food"- it goes a long way past just sushi.

Agree with all the above posters - there's SO much more to Japanese cuisine than just sushi.

However, it's a shame really - the best sushi I've ever had in Japan was in Otaru at one of the restaurants by the pier. Try to convince the others in your party to broaden their dietary horizons.

Btw, I hope you are aware that there are several preheated toppings and hot dishes even in genuine sushi bars.

If you walk down the two main shopping streetsin Otaru, there are a number of small restaurants. Most of them serve seafood which is fantastic. We ate at a really small place for lunch that was really good. Up the hill from the shopping district, there are a number of sushi restaurants which also have "cooked" food to but the sushi is fantastic.

If you visit Sapporo, don't miss a lovely dish called Jingisukan(grilled lamb and vegetables on a dome-roof like pan with special sauce). It is one of the two famous cuisines in Sapporo. I love it and I even make it at home(I don't live in Sapporo though).

Jingiskan (Genghis Khan) is known as Mongolian BBQ in English.

Yes, the name comes from Genghis Khan of Mongolia. I am not sure why they use this name but the name of the dish is well known among the Japanese as Jingisukan and it is a delicious Sapporo cuisine. Please try.
It is really good.

Curry Soup is one of the local specialties in Sapporo, too.

I went to ''Picante'' this summer, and I enjoyed it very much.

Website: www.picante.jp