When you hear the name ROYCE' you think of one of Hokkaido's premier chocolatiers. Its wide variety of products that use carefully selected ingredients from around the world are very popular with tourists eager to eat sweets in Hokkaido.

Among them, its product line of ganache, for which the company is most famous, is popular with people worldwide for the melt-in-your-mouth rich flavor imparted from the high-quality fresh Hokkaido cream used in their preparation.

ROYCE' products are also attractive because many are limited edition products made with seasonal fruits, ingredients, and liqueurs and offered at certain times of the year.

An assortment of nine types of chocolate, the Royce's Variety Pack [Happy New Year] is a special product of limited quantity offered during the year-end and New Year holidays.

This product offers a variety of tastes and textures made with pure chocolate so smooth it melts in your mouth and four kinds of crushed nuts, such as the Almond Puff; the Cookie Crunch, a crispy, nutty chocolate bar; crispy wafers sandwiching rich cream; and chocolate wafers that perfectly bring out the rich flavor of chocolate, all for a very reasonable price. The packaging has a Japanese-style wrapping paper design complete with Mizuhiki, a decorative cord made with twisted paper, in true New Year's fashion.

Also, the Chocolate Selection [Happy New Year] (2,333 yen) and the ROYCE' Collection [Happy New Year] (3,888 yen) are being offered as limited-time products for the 2021 New Year. The variety and volume of the ROYCE' Variety Pack [Happy New Year] selections are certain to deliver the quality and pleasure for which ROYCE' is famous.

The three products mentioned went on sale December 1 at the New Chitose Airport shop, ROYCE's Chocolate World. They can also be purchased on the official website. The quantity is limited and will be discontinued as soon as the quantity runs out, so if you would like to get any of these wonderful products, you best do it as quickly as possible. When ordering online, it is possible to have the order delivered, making it an ideal gift. The shops and the online site are all in Japanese only.

Sale Information
ROYCE' Mail Order Center
・TEL： 0120-373-612
・Hours: 8:30 a.m.~ 5:30 p.m.
・Closed: End of year and beginning of New Year
・Sales period: Sale ends when all products have been sold

The latest product being offered by Kitakaro to enhance the festive New Year mood is its Okuritai (1,620 yen), which uses the Japanese characters for "gift" and "sea bream."

Sea bream, which is "tai" in Japanese, has since olden times been served at special times because of its connotation with good fortune. This apple pie in the shape of the fish is stuffed full of fully ripened apples that have been boiled and seasoned with honey.

It contains no cinnamon, so people of all ages can enjoy it. Family members can slice it up and enjoy their favorite parts of the "fish." You can purchase this pie at stores, online, by telephone, and email. Available only in Japanese.

The main shop of Kitakaro is in Sunagawa, which is located in central Hokkaido; however, there are also shops in Sapporo City and the New Chitose Airport.

In addition to Baumkuchen's Fairy Forest, which is famous for its moist and fluffy texture, and the standard souvenir Hokkaido Kaitaku Okaki [Hokkaido Pioneer Rice Crackers], there is a wide range of other products such as natural water jelly made with Yubari melon and cream puffs.

Also, the Kitakaro Sapporo Main Building near Odori Park is a renovated historic building built as the Hokkaido Government Library in 1918. There is a cafe on the second floor of the building where you can shop and enjoy meals. Standard products and sets can be ordered online or by mail order.


Sale Information
Kitakaro mail-order sales
・TEL： 0120-893925
・Hours: 9:00 a.m.~ 5:00 p.m.
・Closed: Sunday, national holidays
・Sales period: Throughout the Year

The first sales in department stores in the New Year offer lucky bags that local residents rush to buy. In addition to various famous fashion brands selling lucky bags, there are many attractive products such as sweets lucky bags in the food district, which many people look forward to in the New Year.

Here is some lucky bag information about the Marui Imai Sapporo main store directly connected to the Odori subway station, Sapporo Mitsukoshi, and the Daimaru Sapporo store directly connected to JR Sapporo Station.

In 2021 lucky bags will be sold differently than in previous years because of countermeasures being taken against the coronavirus, so it's a good idea to check the websites offering lucky bags that interest you.

Lucky bags (lucky boxes) by Bocca contain Hokkaido dairy products and sweets made from fresh milk coming from its own ranch in the city of Date, Hokkaido, and are now available at the Marui Imai Sapporo Main Store.

The Bocca Sweets & Dairy Products Lucky Box (2,160 yen) contains eight types of dairy products, including the signature white pudding, such as cheese and creamy lassi. As its name suggests, the white pudding is a pure white pudding with a round, plump and springy texture. It has a solid milky flavor and is not only delicious but also photogenic.

After making an over-the-counter reservation by December 25, 2020, you can pick it up at the special venue on the 7th floor of the Odori Building on January 2nd and 3rd, 2021.

ISHIYA, noted for its very popular Hokkaido souvenir Shiroi Koibito, also is offering lucky bags. ISHIYA Lucky bag (1,620 yen) includes not only the popular Shiroi Koibito, but also cute candies made by the candy craftsmen of Candy Labo, seasonal products, and original miscellaneous goods designed to bring joy to all.

After making an over-the-counter reservation by December 25, 2020, you can pick it up at the special venue on the 7th floor of the Odori Building on January 2nd and 3rd, 2021.

Lucky bags from Senshuan, one of the outstanding long-established confectioners in Hokkaido, will also be on sale. Senshuan offers a wide range of sweets, from traditional Japanese sweets to Western sweets and butter candy, which is also popular as a souvenir.

Marui Imai's Senshuan New Year's Confectionery Happy Bag (1,080 yen) is a set of two major well-known confections, Yama Oyaji and Northman, and should be called The Senshuan. They come in a cheery paper bag with delightful retro illustrations.

To purchase, you need to make a reservation at the store by December 25, 2020, and you can pick up the product at the Senshuan store on the 2nd basement floor of the Marui Imai Odori Building.

Sale Information
・TEL： 011-205-1151
・Hours: 10:30 a.m. ~ 7:30 p.m. *Times may vary at the end and start of the year
・Closed: January 1
・Sales period: Reservations at the store will be accepted until December 25, 2020. Product can be picked up at both places between January 1st and 2nd, 2021. * Closes earlier when lucky bags have sold out

Original lucky bags are also available at Sanpachi Mitsukoshi on the second basement floor of Sapporo Mitsukoshi. The signature product here is the round cream custard cake Sapporo Times Square. The Sanpachi Confectionery Lucky Bag (1,080 yen) contains four types of Japanese and Western sweets, such as kinako [roasted soybean flour] cream, which is not normally handled by this popular confectionery Times Square, and dorayaki [bean‐jam pancake].

To purchase, you need to make a reservation at the store by December 25, and you can pick up the product at Sanpachi Confectionery on the 2nd basement of Sapporo Mitsukoshi on January 1st and 2nd, 2021.

Sale Information
・TEL： 011-271-3311
・Hours: Floors 3 ~ 10: 10:00 a.m. ~ 7:00 p.m.; 2nd basement ~ 2nd floor: 10:00 a.m. ~ 7:30 p.m. *Times may vary at the end and start of the year
・Closed: January 1
・Sales period: Reservations at the store will be accepted until December 25, 2020. Product can be picked up at both places between January 1st and 2nd, 2021. * Closes earlier when lucky bags have sold out

At the Daimaru Sapporo store, a confectionery lucky bag tournament is held at the first of the year every year and is becoming increasingly popular. In 2021, a special venue will be set up on the 7th floor so that you can choose lucky bags without worry while maintaining social distances.

Lucky bags have been individually prepared to highlight the uniqueness of each of the approx. 16 popular brands being offered at the Hoppe Town shopping arcade in the basement.

In addition to Hokkaido brands such as Kitakaro, famous for its Baumkuchen (2,000 yen, limited to 320 pieces) and Ryugetsu (2,000 yen, limited to 200 pieces), there are also luxurious lucky bags from other brands, such as Tokyo Rusk and the long-established Bunmeido, which in Hokkaido can only be purchased at the Daimaru Sapporo Store. All are of limited quantity. For more details visit the official websites on December 25.

Sale Information
・TEL： 011-828-1111
・Hours: 10:00 a.m. ~ 8:00 p.m.; certain areas on the 1st basement and 8th floor until 9:00 p.m.
*On January 2, 2021 9:00 a.m. ~ 7:30 p.m.; 11:00 a.m. ~ 7:30 p.m. for the restaurants on the 8th floor
・Closed: January 1st

Text by: Minna no Kotobasha
*The information in this article is as of December 2020.