You can get to the Sapporo Curb Market by taking either the JR line to Soen Station or the Tozai subway line to Nijuyon-ken Station. The walk from the latter is shorter.

From the Odori subway station, it is only five stops away on the Tozai Line and takes only 9 minutes to get to Nijuyon-ken Station. Go out the No. 5 exit, and it is only a 7-minute walk to the entrance of the Sapporo Curb Market. Around the market place, small delivery vehicles called turret trucks rush about delivering products to the various outlets.

The Sapporo Curb Market is divided into ten blocks with shops lined up along both sides of the road. Not only are there shops facing the street, but many more behind them as well, and these are worth exploring.

To the right of the entrance is the Kita no Gurume-tei, a shop where you can also eat seafood bowls. Crabs are lined up in front of the shop, and the place is often lively with foreign visitors. If you look up on the left side, you will see the large sign for the Sapporo Curb Market.

Beyond that, there is a continuous line of shops specializing in crab, Atka mackerel, Aramaki salmon, and other seafood products. On the right side of the third block is Fujimoto Seika that handles Hokkaido melons.

You can purchase freshly boiled crab and eat it on the spot, and if you have the time, you can also sample live crab fished out of a tank and prepared for you on the spot. Prices in the market are all very reasonable.

On the other side of the intersection, there is a parking area, toilets, coin lockers, and more places serving food.

Shops in the Sapporo Curb Market usually begin business around 6:00 a.m. and close shop around 3:00 p.m. The place is most lively in the morning, so we recommend that you go early, enjoy a seafood bowl for breakfast, and then stroll around the market afterward.

Hours: 6:00 a.m. ~ 3:00 p.m. though times may vary according to the shop
Closed: varies according to the shop
Access: 7-minute walk from the Nijuyon-ken Station on the Tozai subway line

Kaisen-Ichiba Kitano Gourmet was the first shop set up in the Sapporo Curb Market when the Wholesale Market opened in 1959. In addition to selling seafood products, it also operates a diner where you can experience seafood bowls made with the freshest ingredients.

The most popular item on the menu is the Kaisen-don that has an ample serving of button shrimp, sea urchin, and salmon roe. Other popular bowls are the sea urchin and salmon roe bowl, the shrimp and crab bowl, and the salmon bowl priced at 1,680 yen.

In addition to bowl dishes, grilled fish is also on the menu. Another popular feature is the free delivery service from the north exit of Sapporo Station to hotels in Chuo-ku and Kita-ku. (Reservations are required. You may either telephone directly or ask at the Front Desk in the lobby of your hotel to call on your behalf.)

The Ume-do diner is located behind the Nemuro Crab Market in the Sapporo Curb Market. In addition to being a diner, it also operates as a crab wholesaler.

The crab and salmon roe bowl costs 2,300 yen and consists of three types of crab leg meat – snow, king (depending on the season), and hanasaki (blue king) – together with a heaping portion of salmon roe.

It also comes with teppojiru (crab legs meat in miso soup). The Daily Bowl, which has a different ingredient each day, such as crab, salmon, sea urchin, or salmon roe, is also very popular and costs 2,100 yen.

Fujimoto Seika has been in business for more than 50 years and is the #1 place in the Sapporo Curb Market for handling melons. These are displayed in front of the shop and primarily are those from Yubari, though melons from other parts of Hokkaido and Japan are also handled.

The shop also sells sweet melon slices, which can be enjoyed while strolling through the market. The melon season in Hokkaido is from July to August. The shop also handles vegetables grown in Hokkaido, such as potatoes and corn.