What is Sapporo ramen?
- From
- Sapporo, Hokkaido
- Soup
- miso
- Noodles
- medium-thick, crinkled
- Also
- corn, butter and bean sprouts as typical toppings
- Checked
- 18 October 2026, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries
- MAFF says Sapporo's local ramen is miso ramen (Hakodate is salt, Asahikawa is soy sauce).
- Sapporo's tourism association says the noodles were made for miso ramen: medium thickness, crinkled and elastic so they hold the broth.
- JNTO lists sweet corn, butter, bean sprouts, minced pork and garlic as typical Sapporo miso ramen toppings.
- Sapporo's tourism association credits the first miso broth to Morito Ohmiya, first owner of the restaurant Aji no Sanpei (its English and Japanese pages give different years, so no year is used here).
Kitakata City's official site says Kitakata ramen is also called one of Japan's three great ramen, together with Sapporo and Hakata, and JNTO's Fukushima page says the same. It is a popular saying, not an official ranking.
How much is a bowl of ramen in Sapporo?
- Sapporo883
- Median of 81 cities747
- Tokyo (23 wards)620
The government's retail price survey records the price of a bowl of chuka soba (ramen) at ordinary shops every month in 81 cities. In August 2026 it was 883 yen in Sapporo, 5 of 81 from the highest. Tokyo's 23 wards were 620 yen, 73 of 81, so ramen in Tokyo is not more expensive than in most cities. This is an average of the shops in the survey, not the price at a famous shop.
How much ramen do people in Hokkaido eat?
- Spending on eating out at ramen shops
- 7,627 yen a year per household in Sapporo (2023–2025 average; 37 of 52 cities; Japan 8,752 yen)
- Ramen shops
- 1,035 in Hokkaido in 2016, 19.3 per 100,000 people (12 of 47; Japan 14.3)
Spending is from the household survey of two-or-more-person households in 52 large cities, so it is the city's number, not the prefecture's. Ramen shops are the 2016 Economic Census count of businesses classified as ramen shops; some ramen shops are counted with Chinese restaurants, so the real number is higher. Per-person numbers divide by the 2016 population (our calculation).
How do you get to Sapporo from the airport?
- Airport
- New Chitose Airport
- Into the city
- 33 min into Sapporo (quickest way in our airport guide)
Frequently asked questions
What is Sapporo ramen?
Sapporo ramen (札幌ラーメン) is ramen from Sapporo, Hokkaido with miso soup, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. Noodles: medium-thick, crinkled.
How much is a bowl of ramen in Sapporo?
883 yen on average in August 2026, according to the government's retail price survey (5 of 81 cities from the highest; the median of the 81 cities was 747 yen). It is an average of ordinary shops, not a specific famous shop.
Which airport is closest to Sapporo?
New Chitose Airport. The quickest way into Sapporo takes about 33 minutes, according to our airport guide.
Sources for this page
- 農林水産省 うちの郷土料理 ラーメン 北海道Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries
- ようこそさっぽろ Sapporo ramen (English)Sapporo Tourism Association
- JNTO 5 Ramen Towns You Must VisitJNTO
- Statistics Bureau of Japan: Retail Price Survey, prices by city (August 2026), chuka soba (eating out)Statistics Bureau of Japan (e-Stat)
- Statistics Bureau of Japan: Family Income and Expenditure Survey, city ranking 2023–2025 average, chuka soba (eating out)Statistics Bureau of Japan
- Economic Census for Business Activity 2016, establishments by detailed industry (7624 ramen shops)Statistics Bureau of Japan (e-Stat)