Genghis Khan BBQ Archives - Fly Right To Food

Sapporo, the capital of Japan’s northern most island, Hokkaido, is a fantastic city that offers many sights and things to do. It’s a fairly spread out city and while there is a subway, it isn’t nearly as extensive as the subway systems found in Tokyo or Osaka so some of the locations may take a little longer to get to. But certainly it’s worth the extra effort to explore this wonderful city.

So what are some of the top things to do in Sapporo? Here’s a list of 10 Popular Things To Do In Sapporo, Hokkaido.

10 Popular Things To Do In Sapporo, Hokkaido:

Visit Ramen Alley

If you’re a ramen fan a visit to Sapporo’s Ramen Alley is a must. With 17 ramen shops within the alley there are plenty of places to try here each with their own unique twist on the beloved food. It’s a unique experience since it’s a narrow alleyway that is packed with ramen restaurants. You won’t this many ramen spots in such a small area anywhere else.

Ramen Alley, a must visit while in Sapporo for any ramen fan

Take A Stroll Through Odori Park

One of the top things to do in Sapporo is to visit its famous Odori Park. Located right in the middle of the city, it’s nearly impossible to miss. This overly large strip of a park, over a mile long, that has major streets running along side of it. The Sapporo TV Tower is also located here and can be seen throughout the park.

There are several festivals held throughout the year at the park including the Snow Festival, Lilac Festival, Soran Festival, and Beer Garden.

In December Odori Park gets a Christmas makeover with several exhibits with lights and a German Village that has stalls selling Christmas decorations and food. It’s a good time!

Odori Park is one of the top things to do in Sapporo. It has seasonal events which are quite the spectacle.

It’s definitely worth visiting to see what’s going on even outside of the popular festivals. It’s certainly a nice stroll through a unique park which is why it lands on my popular things to do in Sapporo list.

Check Out Maruyama Park and Everything Within It

Maruyama Park is a large sprawing park in Sapporo housing over 300+ different types of trees and plants with over a hundred different types of birds. It’s a huge park that offers a lot when visiting and is certainly one of the top things to do in Sapporo.

One of the most famous shrines in Hokkaido, Hokkaido Jingu Shrine, is located right next to it.

The Maruyama Zoo has been housed within the park since 1951. It has over 170 different species including polar bears, wolves, deer, elephants, giraffes, hippos, chimpanzees, and brown bears, just to name a few.

The Maruyama-Hachijuhakkasho Trail offers a nice little hike within the park that takes you up to a point that has a spectacular view of Sapporo. It’s a short hike which will take you uphill for that view but isn’t overly strenous. A visit to Maruyama Park is definitely one of the more popular things to do in Sapporo and is well worth the visit.

Go To The Sapporo Beer Museum

The oldest beer in Japan, Sapporo, was founded in 1876 and has a long history not only within Sapporo but Japan itself. It remains one of the country’s most popular beers and is quite popular around the world. The Sapporo Beer Museum is the only museum in Japan that’s dedicated to beer. This attraction is one of the most popular things to do in Sapporo.

The museum itself is free. It’s pretty tiny and will only take about 20-30 minutes to walk through. There’s a paid tour as well which provides more detail about the history of the legendary beer. On premises as well is a beer garden, a couple of stores with merchandise, and some restaurants, including a Genghis Khan restaurant.

Eat Famous Hokkaido Dishes

Hokkaido has a few signature dishes that originate from the area and are trying some of these dishes is certainly one of the most popular things to do in Sapporo. Genghis Khan, Soup Curry, and Miso Ramen, all originate from Hokkaido. You will find these dishes in other parts of Japan, but the number of places you can purchase these from are more plentiful in Hokkaido and are certainlty worth trying!

Enjoy The View Of Sapporo On The Mt. Moiwa Ropeway

Mount Moiwa is a small mountain southwest of central Sapporo. At the base of the mountain you’ll find the Mount Moiwa Ropeway. There’s a transfer station about three quarters up where you get into another cablecar that takes you to the very top of the mountain. This is where the observation deck is located along with a restaurant. The observation deck offers some stunning views of the city. It’s especially nice at night when the city is lit up! The ropeway and view are what makes this one of the most popular things to do in Sapporo.

Visit The Hokkaido University Museum

If you enjoy museums then the Hokkaido University Museum is worth a visit. This free admission museum is located on the Hokkaido University campus and is one of the more popular things to do in Sapporo. The three floor museum houses over four million specimens and documents. It educates visitors on all the different types of research that has occurred on campus. The museum also has a small cafe. The museum itself is fairly small, this is afterall on the campus of a college, but it’s fascinating to see, especially for museum buffs. Also, the ice cream in the cafe is top notch!

Do Some Shopping At Tanukikoji Shopping Street

Undoubtedly, one the of most popular things to do in Sapporo is shopping. One of the more popular areas is the Tanukikoji Shopping Street. This pedestrian only shopping street is HUGE. It runs for seven blocks and is about 900 meters. It’s home to over 200 shops, restaurants, and other stores. You can find essentially everything here be it souvenirs, clothing, food, dessert, entertainment. If you’re a shopper you’ll no doubt be spending some time here. It’s very close to Sapporo Station as well, just a 10-minute walk.

Check Out Es Con Field Hokkaido

The impressive stadium to the only baseball team in Hokkaido – the Nippon Ham Fighters – Es Con Field Hokkaido field opened in 2023 and seats 35k people. This is a beautiful stadium with a retractable roof, natural grass, and massive glass wall in the outfield which provides excellent natural lighting. The field is open to visit during the off-season as well. The food court, brewery, stadium tour, and massive team store were all open in the middle of December. It’s a little further out from Sapporo and is a 20 minute walk from the train station to the stadium but it’s certainly worth it. If you visit during the season, seeing a game here should certainly be high on the list for any baseball fan.

Sapporo Hitsujigaoka Observation Hill

This attraction is a bit of a trek if using public transit as you will need to take the bus. The pros: The scenic view of the famous bronze statue of Dr. William S. Clark. Clark was a famous American professor who came over to Hokkaido in 1876 and established the Sapporo Agricultural College, which is now Hokkaido College. His parting words “Boys, be ambitious” are immortalized on the statue as well. It’s a fantastic view with a wide open field in the background with the Sapporo Dome visible.

The cons: There’s not much else here. There’s some additional smaller buildings that serve as mini museums, and a restaurant and a place to grab some ice cream, but outside of that there’s not a ton here. It also costs yen to enter the parking lot. With the amount of time it takes to get here and how little is actually here, I wouldn’t place this at the top of the list of things to do in Sapporo.

The Ramen Alley in Sapporo Hits The Spot For Ramen Lovers

Lively Odori Park in Sapporo Is Well Worth A Stroll Through

Maruyama Park Sapporo Has A Lot To See And Do

Soup Curry In Hokkaido, Japan Is Simply A Must Try

Genghis Khan BBQ Is A MUST TRY If Visiting Hokkaido Japan

Things Get SPICY At This Miso Ramen Joint in Sapporo

Es Con Field Hokkaido Home To The Nippon Ham Fighters Is A Must Visit

There’s some well-known, very popular foods in Hokkaido Japan (think soup curry, miso ramen) and Genghis Khan BBQ (also known as Jingisukan) is one of those foods. Like the other two foods mentioned above, it’s a regional favorite and is certainly a comfort food in Hokkdaido.

What is Genghis Khan BBQ?

Genghis Khan BBQ is grilled mutton with a mixture of vegetables like beansprouts, onions, mushrooms, peppers, and others. It’s also served with a dipping sauce on the side.

The shape of the grill is very unique and definitely stands out. It’s a rounded iron pan with a domed grill which slightly resembles that of an old helmet. Meat is placed at the top of the dome and the vegetables placed on the bottom, around the edges of the grill. Think the brim of the helmet. The vegetables are placed here so they can soak up the the meat drippings and oil, making them even more tasty.

The Food

There’s a lot of Genghis Khan BBQ places in Sapporo. Since I was staying right next to the popular Susukino district that’s where I gave it a try. I stumbled upon a restaurant named 63 Roksan Genghis Khan and was fortunate enought to get a seat without a reservation.

The layout strongly resembles that of a Korean BBQ place with grills at every table and at the counter which is where I sat.

These grills though, unlike Korean BBQ grills, have that unique “helmet” like shape to them.

The experience is also unique since you get a piece of fat to grease up the grill.

I loved that they had a simplified English menu here. There was an easy to choose trial set that included grilled vegetables, lamb chuck, lamb dice steak, frozen lamb slices, and a sausage set (1900 yen, $12.56). I opted for this since I wanted to give everything a try and figured these were the most popular lamb cuts.

Something else that was helpful was they offered English instructions on how to make the dipping sauce and properly grill everything, which was definitely helpful for a complete noob like myself.

Without this there definitely would have been some trial and error or awkward staring at others to figure out how to correctly cook everything, lol.

This was the spread of everything included in the meal. It didn’t turn out to be a TON of food, but I think it’s meant more to be a sampler, then you can order more a la carte.

This is how it all looks when you throw it on the grill. For the frozen lamb, since it’s so thin, you put it on top of the vegetables to cook as they absorb the juices that roll off the meat.

After this it’s just straight grilling meat. I’m no lamb connoisseur but found this to be very good. The meat was really tender and juicy. I expected it to be a little gamey but didn’t notice that at all with these pieces.

The dipping sauce which consisted of garlic, chili pepper, sesame seeds, and soy sauce complements the flavor of the meat well.

Final Thoughts

Overall, the meal was very good. Any one that’s had Korean BBQ will feel at home eating this meal. There’s obvious familiarity with it, just with a slight twist due to the the grill. It’s a really fun experience. Grilled meat with an ice cold beer, you can’t ask for much more. Without a doubt Genghis Khan BBQ is something you’ll want to try if visiting Hokkaido. It’s immensely popular for a reason!

On a side note, I’m not sure if it’s the case everywhere in the city (Sapporo specifically), but I found that reservations are definitely needed around dinner time.

I was able to get into 63 Roksan but they did ask if I had reservations (I did not). They were kind enough to accommodate me but other places I went to for Genghis Khan BBQ were fully booked for the evening and couldn’t seat me without a reservation. So I’d definitely recommend booking a reservation if interested in giving Genghis Khan BBQ a try. This is one popular meal in the city!

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