The centralized location of Nijo Market in Sapporo means it's popular with tourists and that often translates into rumors of a tourist trap.
However, i needed to get packs of whole scallop snacks (as ordered by my mom) and its close proximity to Odori Park and Tanukikoji shopping arcade was enough reasons for me to drop by even though the market would be closing in less than two hours' time!
Crowd was pretty thin and some of the stores had already closed for the day. Nevertheless, i remained positive i would be able to get some dried scallops but i am mindful of our Singaporeans' mindset; check out the pricing before making a decision.
Offerings were somewhat comparable to Curb Market (札幌場外市場, Jōgai Ichiba) although the scale of Nijo Market is much smaller and you don't see that many live tanks around.
As we just had a massive indulgence of king crab the day before at curb market, we honestly felt that we have had enough and didn't bother to check out the pricing here.
Yubari melons! Again, our dear Alex was tempted to get one as he couldn't forget the heavenly sweetness of this expensive cantaloupe!
Pulling away wasn't an easy task; thankfully (in a way), we were nearing the end of our inaugural Japan trip and cash was running low.
Like Curb Market, you would find seafood restaurants serving the freshest procedure from the sea! I had intended to try sea urchin before the trip but i guess the intention waned when i was in Hokkaido.
You may check out the above menus for a rough gauge on the pricing.
More on the seafood on sale; even though i had been to Curb Market, i didn't feel confident in comparing the prices between Nijo Market and Curb Market as i am not an expert and i could only determine the quality and freshness by tasting the seafood, instead of just looking at them.
Taking up just one city block, it didn't take us long to run through the entire stretch!
Maybe because we were in a rush and some of the stores were already closed for the day, our visit wasn't particularly memorable. Anyway, i had made my choice on where i should get my mom's scallops.
Now, i couldn't quite remember if i got the 500 gram at 3,000 yen or 1 kilogram at 5,800 yen but these were easily the cheapest i can find in the entire market!
Look out for the store called "伊藤" which was manned by a nice, elderly gentleman with a head of white hair. Frankly, i was all prepared to pay and leave but he insisted of giving me a discount of 200 yen for one pack and 500 yen for two packs
Best of all, he even threw in two handfuls of sweets into my bag of scallop snacks! That's super unnecessary and it's no doubt he absolutely brightened up our last evening in Hokkaido. :)
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Location
Japan, 〒060-0053 Hokkaidō, Sapporo-shi,
Chūō-ku, Minami 3 Jōhigashi, 1 Chome,
札幌市中央区南三条東１丁目、二丁目
Location Map
As above (Near Odori Park and end of Tanukikoji shopping arcade)
For my 8 days, 7 nights Hokkaido itinerary in summer, click here.