Sapporo Nightlife | Introducing the Charm and Popular Spots of Susukino

When it comes to nighttime entertainment in Sapporo, the popular tourist spot Susukino is absolutely unmissable. A diverse range of establishments including izakayas, bars, clubs, and snack bars gather here, captivating visitors with a completely different atmosphere from the daytime. To address the concerns of international travelers wondering “Where should we go next after visiting tourist spots?” or “We want to enjoy local cuisine until late at night,” Susukino offers an abundance of restaurants that remain open during nighttime hours.

This article provides a carefully selected introduction to spots for enjoying nightlife in Sapporo’s Susukino, exploring attractions by genre and highlighting establishments that are particularly popular with tourists. Discover tips for spending your evenings that will allow you to enjoy your first Hokkaido trip with confidence.

Susukino, Sapporo’s premier entertainment district, is one of Japan’s three major entertainment districts alongside Tokyo’s Kabukicho and Fukuoka’s Nakasu.This area, surrounded by high-rise buildings, brings together diverse establishments including izakayas, clubs, and snack bars, and is known as a “sleepless district” where foot traffic never ceases after dark.

It’s also highly regarded as a gourmet destination where ingredients from across Hokkaido converge, making it an unmissable tourist attraction for travelers. Accessible by subway from JR Sapporo Station, you can reach it regardless of weather conditions using the underground pedestrian network. With ambiguous official boundaries and various theories about the origin of its name, Susukino is a mysterious and multifaceted district.

Susukino is home to numerous izakayas where you can casually drop by after work or sightseeing. The appeal lies in enjoying Hokkaido’s fresh seafood and dishes made with local ingredients alongside Japanese sake and shochu. The establishments range from small owner-operated venues centered around counter seating to spacious chain restaurants, varying in scale and atmosphere.

Traditional casual establishments offer warm, welcoming service, while stylish izakayas attract many female customers. Menus span from standard dishes like sashimi, grilled fish, and Genghis Khan to creative cuisine, with the characteristic izakaya culture allowing you to enjoy conversation and dining simultaneously. For tourists, these venues are recommended spots where interactions with locals naturally arise.

If you want to fully enjoy the night with music and lights, Susukino’s club scene is unmissable.Clubs create extraordinary spaces by fusing energetic dance music, sophisticated lighting effects, and performances by professional DJs and dancers.

Sapporo’s nightclubs in particular incorporate diverse genres including EDM, hip-hop, and K-POP, making them popular with young people sensitive to nighttime culture. Options range from large clubs with spacious floors to smaller venues with strong musical orientations.Since they operate until late at night, you can easily drop by after dinner.

Susukino’s bars captivate visitors with their diversity and high quality.From counter bars and shot bars to authentic cocktail bars, establishments cater to both those wanting quiet moments and those enjoying conversation. In addition to carefully crafted cocktails by bartenders, being able to taste whiskeys from across Japan is one of the bar scene’s attractions.

Among these, bars handling Nikka Whisky from Yoichi, Hokkaido offer deep aromas and flavors to savor. In recent years, craft beer bars have also gained attention, with an increasing number of establishments where you can experience Sapporo’s local beers. For those wanting to enjoy the night at their own pace in quiet, relaxed spaces, bar-hopping in Susukino is perfect.

For those wanting to relax in a homely atmosphere, Susukino’s snack bars are recommended. The charm of snack bars lies in enjoying drinks and karaoke while conversing with the “mama” and staff across the counter. While regular customers in their 40s and 50s form the core clientele, many establishments warmly welcome first-time tourists, making them easy to enter.

Many snack bars adopt all-you-can-drink time systems or charge systems, allowing you to enjoy yourself with transparent pricing and peace of mind. The style of enjoying conversation in unpretentious, calm spaces represents one aspect of Japan’s unique nighttime culture. Even those who don’t speak Japanese can spend pleasant time through gestures and translation apps.

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Susukino, Sapporo’s unique entertainment district, features numerous attractive establishments operating until late at night. Here we’ll introduce carefully selected recommended spots for nighttime enjoyment that receive high praise from tourists.

About a 1-minute walk from Susukino Station, Umi Hachikyo Main Store features an impressive storefront designed to resemble a fisherman’s hut and is a popular establishment where you can boldly enjoy Hokkaido’s seasonal ingredients.

The menu also abundantly features dishes using seafood delivered directly from fishing ports and seasonal vegetables, with cooking that maximizes the flavors of the ingredients. The restaurant includes counter seating, sunken kotatsu seating, and private rooms, accommodating everyone from small groups to large parties.Together with the staff’s lively service, this is an establishment where you can savor Hokkaido’s distinctive flavors.

Hyousetsu no Mon is a long-established restaurant that has been beloved in Susukino for many years as a renowned establishment for king crab cuisine.Since its founding in 1964, guided by the desire to “deliver truly delicious crab to many customers,” it has provided cuisine centered on king crab, representing Hokkaido’s signature taste. Particularly, the signature charcoal-grilled king crab and crab shabu-shabu are exquisite dishes where you can fully enjoy the ingredients’ natural flavors.

The restaurant is equipped with everything from private sunken kotatsu rooms to banquet halls accommodating 100 people, making it suitable for various occasions. The historic restaurant name is taken from the memorial monument “Hyousetsu no Mon” in Wakkanai, and this historical significance adds to the establishment’s appeal.Located about a 1-minute walk from Hosui Susukino Station with excellent access, it’s also ideal for dropping by after sightseeing or business.

Parfait Shop NANAKAMADOU is a unique establishment located in an excellent position about a 2-minute walk from Susukino Station, where you can enjoy sweets late at night.Unlike typical overly sweet parfaits, it features “adult parfaits” that skillfully incorporate Japanese sake, seasonal fruits, and Japanese ingredients, gaining popularity in Japan as “shime parfait.” With subdued sweetness that’s gentle on bodies still affected by alcohol, these parfaits are beloved by both locals and tourists as the perfect ending to drinking parties.

The parfaits, constructed with the delicacy of French desserts, are truly works of art with carefully calculated balances of acidity, sweetness, and bitterness. All menu items are seasonal limited editions, luxuriously using the finest ingredients of each season. The nighttime parfaits enjoyed in the calm restaurant interior create special moments for quietly savoring travel memories.

HOKKAIDO BEER GARDEN is a large beer hall with 340 seats total, located about a 3-minute walk from Susukino Station.The restaurant includes sunken kotatsu private rooms and can accommodate from small groups to a maximum of 80 people. It provides a comfortable dining environment through thorough hygiene management including smokeless roasters and ventilation every 5 minutes.

Additionally, using Australian lamb including Lake View Ram and Suffolk Cross, the restaurant hand-cuts the meat without machines, carefully removing sinew to provide tender, juicy textures.When you want to celebrate cheerfully with friends, the signature all-you-can-eat Genghis Khan featuring fresh lamb, seasoned lamb, pork, and chicken is recommended.

Yoru no Shige Pan is a unique bakery perfect for concluding your Susukino night. Operating from 4:00 PM to 4:00 AM the next morning, you can enjoy freshly baked bread even after drinking or during late-night hours. The greatest feature is the unique naming given to the breads. Names like “Kamayatsu” and “Taitoku” all derive from actual customer names, with recipes also born from their ideas.This style began with requests from friends and acquaintances when the shop first opened, and the lineup has now expanded to over 110 varieties. The request forms for bread placed at the storefront also demonstrate the close relationship with fans.

The warm, handmade flavors and uniquely named breads that bring smiles are beloved by many as Susukino’s “nighttime pleasure”.

Sapporo’s Susukino is Hokkaido’s largest nighttime spot where you can enjoy diverse entertainment through Hokkaido cuisine, music, and alcohol. The greatest appeal lies in being able to choose according to your purpose: savoring local flavors at izakayas, spending quiet moments at bars, surrendering to music at clubs, or enjoying warm conversation at snack bars.

With distinctive establishments full of excitement like Umi Hachikyo and Night Parfait Specialty Shop Parfait Shop NANAKAMADOU scattered throughout, it’s also ideal for creating travel memories. All establishments are easily accessible and designed to be enjoyed safely even by first-time visitors. When visiting Sapporo, why not take a stroll through Susukino at night?

*This article was created based on information as of July 2025.