Marui Imai is a department store with a long history in Sapporo which occupies two main buildings in the center of the city close by Odori Park. These two buildings are the Odori Building and the Ichijo Building which stand across from each other and are connected by walkways at the B1 basement level and at the 5th and 7th floors. There is also a Nishi Building (also called the West Building) which stands beside the Ichijo Building, but this has only two floors and stocks only Louis Vuitton products.
Marui Imai Sapporo Main Store
Marui Imai’s Odori Building has 10 floors above ground, two basement shopping floors, and a B3 subway-connection level. It stocks mainly women’s wear, accessories, and cosmetics, but also has children’s clothes and toys, household goods and craft supplies, a dining section, and a very popular food section in its basement levels. Just across the street, the Ichijo Building has 9 floors above ground and one basement level. This building stocks men’s wear, furniture, interior goods, and has a large number of international brand boutiques on its lower floors. In this article we will briefly introduce the history of Marui Imai in Sapporo and then look at the highlights of the Odori Building. Please see our separate guide to the Ichijo Building for more details of that building.
History
Marui Imai is Hokkaido’s oldest department store and dates back to 1872, when a settler from Niigata Prefecture called Toshichi Imai opened a sundries stall which he named Imai Shoten. Located on the banks of the Soseigawa Canal this was a simple thatched-roof stall, but Imai’s business was successful and two years later he was able to relocate and build a new store. The new store was a drapery selling kimono fabrics and it was called Marui Imai Gofukuten. This business also prospered, and the first Marui Imai department store was opened in a three-story brick building in Sapporo in 1916.
Marui Imai went on to become a highly successful chain of department stores, and at one time there were seven Marui Imai department stores in Hokkaido. However, there are just two Marui Imai department stores: the main store in Sapporo and another branch in Hakodate. Both belong to the Isetan Mitsukoshi Holdings group, which also includes the Sapporo Mitsukoshi department store.
Inside the Odori Building
The 1st floor of the Odori Building
On the 1st floor of the Odori Building you will find select cosmetics boutiques featuring international brands such as Chanel, Estée Lauder, Clinique, Lancôme, Dior, and MAC and Japanese brands such as SK-II, Pola, and Shiseido. The Italian luxury fashion brand, Moncler, also has a boutique on this floor.
Estée Lauder, Moncler, and Chanel on the 1st floor
The 2nd floor has ladies shoes, bags, and accessories. Here you will find brands such as Cole Haan, Kate Spade, and Genten.
Ladies shoes on the 2nd floor
Genten bags on the 2nd floor
From the 3rd floor to the 7th floor you can find a range of women’s wear.
Comme Ca Comfort on the 7th floor
The 3rd floor has women’s fashion, including the Re-Style selection with brands such as Maison Kitsune, TOGA, and HYKE, as well as cosmetics, household goods, and a cafe.
The 4th floor has formal office wear such as J. Press, Mackintosh, and Comme Ca Platinum.
The 5th floor has women’s fashion, ladies underwear, nightwear, and maternity wear. Here you can find boutiques such as Trans Work, To Be Chic, and Evex By Krizia.
The 6th floor has formal events wear and small-sized clothes. Here you can find brands such as Aquascutum, Leilian, and McGregor. Small-sized brands include Christian Aujard, Gianni Lo Giudice, and Georges Rech.
The 7th floor has large size clothes. Brands on this floor include Comme Ca Comfort, As Know As Olaca, and Leilian Plus House.
Miki House children’s clothing, pictured at its previous 8th-floor location
The 7th floor also has children’s and babies’ clothes and toys. On this floor you can find kids and baby clothes from Polo Ralph Lauren, Miki House, and Mezzo Piano. This floor also has a Baby Room for parents with nursing babies.
The 8th floor has Nitori EXPRESS, which stocks household goods and takes orders for larger furniture and curtains, and Yuzawaya, which sells craft and hobby materials.
The gift store on the 9th floor
The 9th floor is mainly given over to a large events and exhibition space. However, you can also find a wig shop here, a gift store, and the Tax-Free Counter.
The dining section on the 10th floor
The 10th floor has Marui Imai’s dining section with restaurants serving sushi, soba and udon noodles, soup curry, Hokkaido dishes, and American-style diner food. Japanese sweets are also available at the noodle restaurant Kazokutei. There is also a hair salon on this floor.
Fruit and vegetables in the B1 basement fresh food market
Marui Imai also has two basement levels dedicated to food and drink. In the B1 basement you can find a market full of seafood, fruit, and vegetables, meat, tofu, and pickles; delicatessen stalls selling prepared meals, boxed lunches, salads, and cheese; and if you get thirsty, there are stalls selling ice creams and juice.
Inside the B2 basement
In the B2 basement there is a huge range of confectionery which includes regional brands, a bakery, a liquor store, a tea and jam store and a coffee supply store.
Services & Facilities
There is an Information Counter on the 1st floor of the Odori Building where you can ask about the store’s shops and services. For help in another language, ask staff what assistance is available.
There is a JP Bank ATM at the post office on the 9th floor of the Ichijo Building. It has English language guidance and accepts overseas-issued cards on supported networks, including Visa, Mastercard, and UnionPay, subject to the card issuer’s restrictions.
Wheelchairs, baby strollers, and shopping carts can be borrowed from the 1st-floor Information Counter in the Odori Building. Baby strollers can also be borrowed on the Odori Building’s B2 and 7th floors and the Ichijo Building’s 1st floor.
Lockers are available in the B2 basement level and cost 300 yen for small and medium sizes or 500 yen for large sizes per use. Cold storage lockers are also available in the B2 and B1 levels and cost 100 yen per use.
Free Wi-Fi is available at the following locations: the B2 basement level, the 1st floor, the 2nd floor’s handbag area, and on the 9th floor near the Tax-Free Counter.
Cafes can be found on the B2, 3rd, 4th, and 7th floors.
The Tax-Free Counter can be found on the 9th floor of the Odori Building
Tax Refund Procedure
Eligible non-resident visitors can apply for tax-free shopping when they spend at least 5,000 yen before tax at the same store in one day. You pay the tax-inclusive price when shopping. On the day of purchase, bring your passport, receipts, and purchases to the Tax-Free Counter on the 9th floor of the Odori Building to arrange the tax-free purchase procedure. Ask staff to confirm your eligibility, any fees, and how the refund will be paid.
Before leaving Japan, complete customs confirmation at your departure airport or seaport within 90 days of purchase, before checking in your baggage. Keep all the goods available for inspection. If any item included in the same purchase record is missing or has been consumed in Japan, the whole record is ineligible for a refund.
The store or its refund provider pays the refund after customs confirmation. The store-counter procedure on the day of shopping does not provide an immediate tax refund.
Location
Marui Imai Sapporo’s Odori Building is located directly to the south of Odori Park. It is a 3-minute walk from Odori Subway Station which is served by the Namboku, Toho, and Tozai subway lines. It is also just 2 minutes on foot from Sapporo TV Tower. The Odori Building is connected to the underground shopping street, Aurora Town, at its B2 basement level. Both Odori Station and the TV Tower can be accessed directly from the Odori Building via the Aurora Town shopping street. Marui Imai Sapporo’s Ichijo Building is located directly to the south of the Odori Building.
Opening Hours: 10.30 – 19.30 (Odori Building B1 and B2 food floors: 10.30 – 20.00)
Restaurant Floor: 11.00 – 21.00 (until 19.30 on Sundays); individual restaurant hours and last orders vary, and some close earlier.
Article and original photos by Michael Lambe. All rights reserved. Last updated 13-Sep-2026.
