Akarenga Terrace is a commercial center in the lower floors of the Sapporo Mitsui JP Building in central Sapporo. Its restaurants, cafes, shops and other services occupy floors B1 to 4, with a viewing gallery on the 5th floor. The main architectural feature of Akarenga Terrace is its large central atrium which acts as a traditional nakaniwa or courtyard garden, giving the building’s interior a bright and airy appearance.
An entrance to Akarenga Terrace
Akarenga Terrace is named after the nearby Former Hokkaido Government Office
Looking down on the central courtyard from the 2nd floor
The 1st Floor
Terrace dining in the 1st floor courtyard
Most of Akarenga Terrace’s shopping facilities are on the 1st floor. On this floor you can find outdoor clothing and equipment, everyday groceries, and jewelry. Here are the highlights.
Inside Montbell on the 1st floor
Montbell is an outdoor equipment store specializing in clothes and gear suitable for camping, hiking, mountain climbing and other outdoor activities. This store has two sections: on the 1st floor and in the B1 basement level.
The convenience store on the 1st floor, pictured with its JP Lawson signage.
The Lawson convenience store sells everyday groceries, bento lunch boxes, rice balls, snacks and drinks, as well as a selection of Hokkaido souvenirs. There is also a Lawson Bank ATM in the store which supports withdrawals with eligible overseas-issued Visa, Mastercard, JCB and UnionPay cards.
In addition to these stores there are restaurants and cafes on this floor, including the French restaurant P’tit Sale, the cafe and brasserie AUX BACCHANALES, the Taiwanese tea cafe Gong cha, and the butter-specialist cafe THE BUTTER.
P’tit Sale on the 1st floor features a French style charcuterie board with Hokkaido raised meats
The 2nd Floor
A view of the Atrium from the 2nd floor
On the 2nd floor you will mostly find restaurants but there is also a cooking studio.
ABC Cooking Studio
ABC Cooking Studio offers hands-on lessons in cooking, cake baking, and bread-making. Its introductory trial lessons require advance booking and are for people who understand Japanese and live in Japan. Separate one-day lessons are also offered; visitors should ask the studio about suitable classes and language support before booking.
Tsuruga Buffet Dining on the 2nd floor
Tsuruga is a family-friendly buffet restaurant offering a mix of Japanese and Western dishes which includes, rice, noodles, fresh vegetables, and pizza.
cafe&bar Manhattan serves pasta and one-plate lunches in a casual cafe setting. In the evening it becomes a wine bar, with cocktails and live performances on its central stage.
The 3rd Floor
A walkway between restaurants on the 3rd floor
If you couldn’t find anything you liked to eat on the lower levels, there is plenty more choice on the 3rd floor, with individual restaurants and the Bar Terrace food court. Here you can find Chinese food, yakiniku style char-grilled beef barbecue, Italian pasta and pizza, sushi, beef tongue, noodles, and traditional Japanese cuisine served in a private dining room. The food court has shared seating and is open from 11.00 to 22.00, with last orders varying by outlet.
Hikari soba noodle restaurant
Hikari offers a range of soba (buckwheat) noodle dishes with toppings such as prawn tempura, grated yam, and pork with spring onions. Enjoy your noodles with your choice of soft drinks, shochu, sake, beer or wine from the drinks menu.
The 4th Floor
The 4th floor has just one restaurant and also a bridal store which offers a range of wedding-related services.
Bridal House Bibi
Bridal House Bibi offers a range of services for couples planning their weddings which includes both Western and Japanese style clothes for the ceremony, makeup and hairstyling for the bride, and event production.
The entrance to Restaurant Minami
Restaurant Minami is a fine dining restaurant offering the very best French cuisine in a refined setting. With a spacious dining room overlooking the Akarenga building this is an excellent location for a romantic meal or other special occasion.
The 5th Floor
The 5th floor has a viewing gallery called Terrace Keikaku, which offers a view over the 19th-century Akarenga building and also hosts art exhibitions and events. To reach it, take the dedicated viewing-gallery elevator from the 3rd floor.
The gallery is normally open from 11.00 to 19.00, although events can change the hours or restrict entry. The outdoor viewing terrace closes in winter because of falling ice; exhibitions and events can continue in the indoor gallery during this period.
Enjoying the view from the gallery
The Akarenga building viewed from the gallery
The Basement
Akarenga Terrace also has a B1 basement level which is connected directly to the underground walkway that leads to Sapporo Station. On the B1 level there is a café specializing in healthy vegetable dishes, as well as pancakes, and other desserts. Montbell also has a section of its store in the B1 level as well as on the 1st floor.
Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank has its Sapporo and Sapporo Chuo branches in the building, with customer areas on the 2nd and 3rd floors and access from the B1 underground walkway or the 1st floor.
A street view of Akarenga Terrace
Location
Akarenga Terrace is about a 5-minute walk from JR Sapporo Station and 2 minutes from Sapporo Subway Station on the Namboku Line. At the B1 basement level it connects directly to the Chi-Ka-Ho underground walkway, which also leads to Odori Station, about a 5-minute walk away. It is located directly opposite the Former Hokkaido Government Office (also called “Akarenga”) and it is also convenient for the Botanical Garden of Hokkaido University.
Article and original photos by Michael Lambe. All rights reserved. Last updated 11-Sep-2026.
