Hinode Honpo

(Sapporo, Japan)

Hinode Honpo is a fun Japanese style restaurant where lots of young people go. The food is cheap and cheerful and you can get a course or all-you-can-eat with all-you-can-drink for about 3,000 yen. Now that is cheap! Food includes the standard Japanese Izakaya stuff: sushi, seafood, salads, yakitori kebabs, rice balls. But people don't come here for the food. They come to have fun and meet people.

Back in the day, it used to be the place to go. The main seating area is wide open and the tables are close together so it is really easy to meet new people on the tables next to you. Being foreign, we obviously stood out and lots of drunken youngsters would come and talk to us. These days, it's a bit hit and miss because it's usually full of young Japanese guys (students) trying to mack on girls. The girls may have cotton on to this because the last few times I have been there, it's been a sausage party. Nevertheless, you can still have fun with a bunch of friends as the atmosphere is always rowdy and lively. I recommend it for a good warm up spot. Make sure you make a reservation because it's always packed in the weekends. And ask them to seat you in the main room. I made the error of not requesting the main room one time and they put us in the back, "private" room where there was nobody but ourselves. It sucked!

Address: South 4 West 4, Hinode Honpo restaurant, northwest corner of the intersection

Directions: Susukino Subway Station -> Exit 2 -> McDonald's buidling -> 3rd floor -> Hinode Honpo restaurant

Telephone: 011-242-0280