Located in the center of Sapporo, Odori Park is a place of relaxation for locals and tourists. This symbolic area is where various events are held throughout the seasons, such as the Yosakoi Soran Festival, Autumn Fest, and Snow Festival. The lively voices of people resting their feet on benches or enjoying a stroll echo through the park.

This glass-fronted shop stands out in the area. Sato Suisan, which offers fresh seafood and souvenirs unique to Hokkaido, opened its new store, Odori Park Store, in January 2024.

We visited the shop to experience its unique features and attention to detail, which makes you want to drop in without even realizing it has an open atmosphere.

We want to deliver the "real thing" from the northern lands

Sato Suisan is a seafood specialty store with roots in Ishikari City, which was founded in 1948 as a privately owned store called "㉩Marudai Sato Shoten." The store is known for its immensely popular "Salmon Ruibe Pickled," a perfect accompaniment to rice.

In order to deliver delicious flavors that make the most of the ingredients, we are committed to using only the original natural flavors of everything from raw materials to seasonings, and we deliver safe, secure, and high-quality products through a consistent system that includes purchasing seafood, processing, manufacturing, product development, lunch box production, retail sales, and restaurant operation.

The person who shared his story with us was the store manager, Mr. Masashi Takahashi, who has about 30 years of experience at "Sato Suisan" and learned about seafood-related knowledge and techniques during his student days. Mr. Takahashi says that he has loved "Ishikari Sushi," a famous airplane lunch box sold at the New Chitose Airport store, since he was a child.

"At Sato Suisan, we are committed to selling only natural products, with the motto of 'Always providing the genuine product that tastes good.' Basically, our stores are only in Hokkaido, and the only time you can buy our products face-to-face outside of Hokkaido is at product fairs, so I think the fact that our products are 'genuine and can only be bought in Hokkaido' is one of the reasons we are so popular with customers."

Creating a sales floor that caters to a wide range of customers

Sato Suisan has multiple retail stores in Ishikari City, where its roots lie, as well as in Sapporo City and New Chitose Airport. Each store has its own unique features, attracting visitors with their own uniqueness.

The Odori Park store sells a wide variety of products, from refrigerated and frozen items such as the famous salmon roe and salmon ruibe pickles, to smoked and dried foods that can be stored at room temperature and carried around, as well as Ishikari Ramen, which uses salmon soy sauce to make the most of wild salmon.

Since many people, including locals as well as travelers, visit the store, they have made an effort to create a sales area with a wide selection of room temperature products that don't require worrying about carrying them around.

Fresh seafood to enjoy with one hand

The shop also has a full take-out menu that was released at the same time as the store opened. Among them, the "Ishikari Parfait Bowl" is a menu that allows you to enjoy popular items such as salmon roe marinated in soy sauce, salmon marinated in ruibe, and salmon rolls. It is also topped with salmon flakes, kelp, tosakanori seaweed, and shredded egg, so you can enjoy it until the very last bite.

Apparently, this "Ishikari Parfait Bowl" was created in response to long-standing customer feedback.

"We also have a separate restaurant where you can eat seafood bowls, and we've been receiving a lot of feedback from customers since we had our Sapporo Station Main Store (currently closed due to redevelopment around Sapporo Station)."

He explained the background to the development, saying, "The concept was something that could be easily eaten while enjoying the four seasons of Odori Park, and could be enjoyed with one hand. We named it after the fact that Sato Suisan originated in Ishikari."

Also, if you visit Hokkaido, you should definitely try the "Jaga Butter Artisan," a fluffy "Jaga Butter" topped with an original delicacy, which is a menu item exclusive to the "Odori Park Store."

While relaxing in the park, you can munch on the sparkling seafood that can only be tasted here. This luxurious time, where you can enjoy a full taste of Hokkaido while still being casual, will surely be etched in your heart as a memory of your trip.

Leveraging our strengths while valuing our fundamentals

The colorful fish eggs and raw delicacies topped on the "Ishikari Parfait Bowl" and "Jaga Butter Shokunin" are also sold by weight. One of the store's strengths is that you can purchase as much as you like of the items you like while looking at the handwritten recommendations from the staff, such as "Repeat customers keep coming!" and "I can't stop eating!"

"Sato Suisan is based on providing eight values: high quality, new products, a genuine mindset, rarity, locality, environmental issues, safety, and health. Despite this solid foundation, each store has its own unique features, so no two stores are the same," says Takahashi.

They also run a stamp rally in collaboration with nearby stores, so visiting the stores looks like it will be one of the joys of the trip.

Aiming to create a store that meets the needs of our customers

The story of Sato Suisan's newest store, the Odori Park store, which boasts a history of over 75 years, has just begun.

"I think it's partly because of the location, but we have a really diverse customer base, so we want to create a store that meets a wide range of needs and is supported by customers who don't know Sato Suisan yet."

Because we carry out all the various processes in-house before the food reaches our mouths, we are able to quickly convey any feedback we receive to the factory and use it to create our products.

"The voice of the customer is the voice of God. Behind that voice are many hints that can lead to creating great products."

Manager Takahashi spoke so confidently about his commitment to creating exciting new ways to serve fresh "Northern delicacies" and to making his store even more satisfying.

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Sato Fisheries (Odori Park store)
Telephone number: 0120-310-643
Address: Hokkaido Sapporo Chuo-ku Odori Nishi 3-chome Hokuyo Building 1F
Access: Directly connected to Subway Odori Station, Exit 15
HP: https://www.sato-suisan.co.jp/
Social Media: https://www.instagram.com/sato_suisan_official/
　　　https://www.facebook.com/satosuisan.co.jp
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*For details on business hours and holidays, please check the link above.