Sapporo, Susukino: How to Enjoy a Solo Men’s Trip! Includes Recommended Hotels with Large Public Baths and Hot Springs

As Hokkaido’s largest entertainment district, Sapporo/Susukino boasts many sightseeing spots and rich gastronomy, making it a highly recommended travel destination that even solo male travelers can thoroughly enjoy.

Furthermore, it is an area with many hotels featuring large public baths to ease travel fatigue or soothe your body after bar-hopping in the entertainment district at night, so your trip will undoubtedly be a fulfilling one.

In this article, we introduce recommended ways to spend your time during the day and night, along with detailed recommendations for hotels with large public baths and hot springs.

Recommended Tours for a Solo Men’s Trip

Although you’ve come all the way to Hokkaido in high spirits, there are times when a man traveling alone might feel a bit lonely, especially about how to spend daytime hours. In such cases, tours are great value. Tours led by local guides where you can fully enjoy experiences unique to Hokkaido are recommended.

When going to Hokkaido, snowmobiling—an experience hard to come by among winter sports on high-quality snow—is something you definitely want to try on a solo male trip. Activities that are hard to try when you are with others because you worry about them are precisely what you should choose on a solo trip! Sounds fun.

A Sapporo/Susukino Trip That Is Enjoyable Precisely Because It Is a Solo Men’s Trip

Sapporo is a Treasure Trove of Gourmet Food! Eat What You Want, When You Want, as Much as You Want

Sapporo is overflowing with delicious things anyway. The numerous dishes made with ingredients nurtured in the land of Hokkaido are all delicious, and deciding what to eat is part of the fun of this city.

Genghis Khan (grilled mutton) dipped in sauce that pairs wonderfully with beer, rich miso ramen that is deeply flavorful and warms you to the core, soup curry packed with vegetables and chicken offering outstanding umami, and above all, seafood dishes and sushi nurtured in the harsh northern seas—every single gourmet option is top-notch.

With solo travel, self-directed bar-hopping like “I want to grab sushi after ramen after all” is completely free to do. Diving into a place based on your mood at the moment and eating whatever you like as much as you like—such a luxurious way of spending time is possible on a solo male trip.

100% Delicious Sapporo Sushi

Susukino has many sushi restaurants. There are conveyor-belt sushi spots, but there are also plenty of sushi shops where craftsmen roll sushi at the counter. At sushi shops, eating at the counter is standard, so solo guests don’t stand out and can enjoy sushi while chatting with the craftsman—making them easy places to enter even on a solo male trip.

“Genghis Khan,” Delicious Meat Unique to Sapporo

Speaking of Sapporo and Susukino, it’s Genghis Khan! Lamb meat somehow fits the northern land. Eating noisily with everyone is delicious, but Genghis Khan is also a dish where solo grill dining at the counter is normal. In particular, Genghis Khan shops in Susukino, such as “Daruma” and “Ajino Hitsujigaoka,” have well-equipped counters, making them easy to enter even on a solo male trip.

Miso Ramen You Definitely Want to Eat When Coming to Sapporo

When coming to Sapporo, Sapporo miso ramen is something you want to try not just once, but multiple times. In cold Hokkaido, miso soup that warms your body from the core is essential. Adding butter for sweetness is good, enjoying the raw miso flavor is good, and eating it to cap off a night out drinking in Susukino is also good.

Soup Curry So Delicious You Get Addicted Once You Eat It

What captivates with a deliciousness different from regular curry is soup curry. Soup with harmonized spiciness and sweetness that brings out even more umami, topped with flash-fried vegetables and chicken, is good eaten as is, and even better if you dip white rice into it—it is delicious enough to pull you right in.

Nighttime Susukino is Exceptionally Fun

Sapporo’s Susukino is Hokkaido’s largest entertainment district. It ranks among Japan’s top five major entertainment districts, following Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, and Fukuoka. From gourmet and izakayas to karaoke, BARs, girls’ bars, snack bars, and high-end clubs—and even unique shops—Susukino is simply a place you can enjoy.

Clubs that would cost around 100,000 yen just to sit down in Tokyo can be entered from 30,000 to 40,000 yen in Sapporo Susukino depending on the shop, so you can enjoy them at better value than in Tokyo. For shops that refuse first-time customers, for example, you can get in by going into a sushi shop, enjoying sushi while striking up a conversation with the counter craftsman, and getting them to introduce a good shop (having them call the shop to connect you).

There is also “Sapporo Snack Street,” where numerous snack bars gather in a place that looks like the entrance to a role-playing game castle. It is a place where you can safely enjoy the Sapporo night at relatively low prices, so as a moment of healing on a solo male trip, going there for good drinks and a fun time is great.

Having a light drink at a BAR counter at the end of the night is also one of the pleasures of Sapporo/Susukino. Susukino has many stylish and chic bars, and because there are many guests sipping alone at the counter, there are plenty of BARs that are easy to enter even on a solo male trip.

There Are Many City Hotels Around Susukino with Large Public Baths and Hot Springs

Around Sapporo/Susukino, there are many city hotels with attached large public baths or hot springs. Not only in cold seasons, but even in summer, soaking in a large public bath is desirable. A bath after returning from drinking is good, and refreshing yourself before breakfast after waking up in the morning is good. Men are surprisingly happy when a hotel has a large public bath, so it is especially recommended.

Solo Men’s Trip: Sapporo 2-Day, 1-Night Model Course (Day 1)

Itinerary 1: Arrive at New Chitose Airport in the Afternoon

When landing at New Chitose Airport by plane, head to Sapporo. Transportation options include “shuttle,” “taxi,” “train,” and “bus,” but the most common is the “train.” By train it takes about 40 minutes, but considering boarding/alighting time (waiting time) and potential slowdowns due to snowfall, it is safer to budget a little over 1 hour for travel.

Itinerary 2: Late Lunch of Miso Ramen

Once you arrive in Sapporo, go eat your favorite miso ramen first thing. Miso ramen is something you definitely want to eat on a Sapporo trip, but you’ll regret missing it later—for example, thinking of eating it at the airport on the way back (New Chitose Airport) only to find it extremely crowded and unable to get in. Therefore, knock miso ramen off the list first upon arriving in Sapporo.

Itinerary 3: Sapporo Sightseeing

Since there is time before dinner or a Susukino night out, Sapporo city sightseeing is recommended. Depending on preference, if you like aquariums, “AOAO SAPPORO” in Tanukikoji is close and fun; if you like lush green walks, “Hokkaido Shrine from Maruyama Park” is recommended.

Sapporo’s Urban Aquarium “AOAO SAPPORO”

“AOAO SAPPORO,” an urban aquarium in the middle of the city, is located on floors 4, 5, and 6 of a commercial building famous in Sapporo. In a location that can truly be called urban, despite not being overly large, the exhibits raise excitement beyond expectations.

Green Stroll Time: Maruyama Park and Hokkaido Shrine

Strolling to Hokkaido Shrine from lush Maruyama Park is a peaceful, healing walking path away from the hustle and bustle of big-city Sapporo. Strolling through Maruyama Park, which is larger than imagined, is a heart-soothing moment, and farther back there is also Maruyama Zoo.

Itinerary 4: Return to the Hotel for the Large Public Bath, Then Off to a Sushi Restaurant

When city sightseeing is over, return to the hotel once to wash away sweat in the large public bath. Entering the bath at this hour is often empty, so you can use it as if you had reserved the large public bath for yourself, which feels great; it’s much better to thoroughly enjoy the bath than entering a crowded one packed tightly!

Once you wash off sweat and refresh, you’ll get hungry, so head to a sushi restaurant for dinner. Let’s savor Hokkaido’s delicious seafood.

Sushidokoro “Saikaku” in Tanukikoji Shopping Street is a large shop with many counter seats, making it an easy sushi place for solo male guests to enter. Compared to high-end market-price sushi shops, prices are clear, so knowing the cost while eating offers peace of mind; naturally the sushi is delicious, so you can fully taste Hokkaido.

Itinerary 5: Enjoy Nighttime “Susukino” to Your Heart’s Content

After filling your stomach, it’s GO to nighttime Susukino! Enjoying show pubs, snack bars, ROUND1, or BARs where you can talk—there are plenty of fascinating shops. Additionally, Sapporo/Susukino has many unusual shops, so please find a place matching your hobbies and tastes to enjoy.

Capping off the night with a drink at an adult bar is a cool way to enjoy a solo male trip. In Sapporo/Susukino, there are many street-level counter BARs that men can enter and enjoy alone, so taking a rough look at the atmosphere from outside while walking and entering a place that piques your interest is recommended.

Solo Men’s Trip: Sapporo 2-Day, 1-Night Model Course (Day 2)

Itinerary 1: Seafood Extravaganza at the Hotel Breakfast Buffet

Sapporo has many hotels with all-you-can-eat Hokkaido seafood at breakfast buffets. It is luxurious from the morning, but we definitely want you to start your day with the best breakfast! If you book a great-value hotel and enjoy both the bath and breakfast, it will be a wonderful trip.

After eating breakfast, relaxing in the hotel’s morning bath is also a wonderful way to spend time. At “Dormy Inn PREMIUM Sapporo” in Tanukikoji Shopping Street, besides the main building, there is an annex right in front, and both have their own large public hot spring bath, so you can split your bath visits—main building on Day 1 and annex on Day 2—which is great value.

Itinerary 2: Exploring the Curb Market (Picking Seafood Souvenirs While Exploring the Lively Morning Market)

This market supporting Sapporo’s food is lined with shops that actually handle seafood and Hokkaido products, seafood shops, and shops selling souvenir seafood. Since it caters to tourists, it is an enjoyable market. It is only a few train stations away from central Sapporo (Tanukikoji Shopping Street, Odori Park, Susukino, Sapporo Station, etc.), making it relatively close and enjoyable.

In the Curb Market, many shops have huge water tanks lined up, packed tightly with live crabs and other sea life. The crabs are huge and powerful, so just looking at them is amazing, but tourists can actually purchase them and ship them directly from the shop.

The Curb Market also has eateries (restaurants) where grilled scallops and seafood bowls can be eaten on the spot. If you get a little hungry, dropping by to enjoy delicious seafood while sightseeing the market is also good.

Itinerary 3: Move to New Chitose Airport and Enjoy the Airport

New Chitose Airport naturally has numerous souvenir shops, as well as restaurant streets where versatile dishes like seafood, Hokkaido cuisine, Italian, or soup curry can be enjoyed, a ramen street, and even movie theaters and hot spring facilities. It also has an observation area where you can watch plane takeoffs and landings, functioning as a major entertainment facility where you won’t get bored even if you stay all day.

Heading to the airport early relative to your flight departure to fully enjoy New Chitose Airport is also one of the ways Sapporo experts play.

Here is how to enjoy New Chitose Airport.

Domestic JAL First Class You’ll Want to Ride Precisely Because It’s a Solo Male Trip

Taking JAL from Haneda (Tokyo) to New Chitose takes about 1 hour and 30 minutes. It’s not a very long time, but it is enough to count as air travel. While you can enjoy the flight in economy class seats, upgrading one or two ranks to First Class lets you enjoy an even more comfortable and wonderful journey.

Spacious and comfortable seats, drink service such as welcome champagne, plus JAL’s delicious light meals allow you to spend the 1 hour and 30 minutes of air travel comfortably.

Air travel First Class is often met with “I don’t want to spend money on this (luxurious)” when with a partner or friends, or given up when traveling as a family because buying for everyone becomes expensive. However, on a solo male trip, you can use First Class without feeling constrained by anyone.

Summary: How to Enjoy a Solo Men’s Trip to Sapporo/Susukino

Sapporo/Susukino is a wonderful city where even a man visiting casually alone can satisfy food, hot springs, and lodging all at a high level. Precisely because there is no need to align schedules with anyone, picking places purely on your own intuition, and easing fatigue in a hotel’s large public bath or hot spring when tired—being able to enjoy freely and casually is the beauty of solo travel.

• Freedom of Food: Bar-hopping Genghis Khan, seafood, ramen, and more at your own pace as much as you like.
• Healing of Hot Springs: Easing travel fatigue at your own pace in hotels well-equipped with large public baths and other facilities.
• Choice of Lodging: Selecting accommodations matched to your purpose, from convenience-oriented hotels to hotels focused on views and comfort.

A solo male trip to “Sapporo/Susukino,” undoubtedly one of the top-tier domestic entertainment districts, will surely become an unforgettable experience. Please enjoy gourmet food, sightseeing, nighttime Susukino, and more to your heart’s content!