Restaurant in Sapporo, Japan

Shota

Name: Shota
Address: Japan, 〒060-0001 Hokkaido, Sapporo, Chuo Ward, Kita 1 Jonishi, 3 Chome−３−14 敷島プラザビル 地下1階 別館, Sapporo, JP
Telephone: +81 90-6802-8306

420Pearl Points

Eight seats, Tabelog Bronze, book ahead.

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About Shota

Sushi Shota is one of Sapporo's clearest answers to the question of where to eat serious Edomae sushi. A Tabelog Bronze winner in both 2025 and 2026, and selected for the Sushi EAST Top 100, the eight-seat counter runs omakase courses at JPY 30,000–40,000. Book through the OMAKASE platform; Saturday lunch is the weekend slot for short-trip visitors.

Verdict

Book Shota if you are coming to Sapporo for serious Edomae sushi and want a counter experience that has earned back-to-back Tabelog Bronze awards in 2025 and 2026, plus selection in the Tabelog Sushi EAST Top 100 for 2025. At JPY 30,000–40,000 per head for dinner (some reviewers report closer to JPY 40,000–50,000 at the counter), this is a commitment, but it is one of the clearest signals of high-end sushi quality available in Hokkaido right now. If your priority is kaiseki rather than sushi, route to Hanakoji Sawada instead. If you want the sushi counter but are unsure whether to go for the lunch or dinner session, read the timing section below.

About Sushi Shota

Sushi Shota opened in December 2022 in the basement of the Shikishima Plaza Annex Building, a short walk from both Sapporo Station and Odori Station. The room is deliberately compact: eight counter seats, no private rooms, non-smoking throughout. The atmosphere at an eight-seat Edomae counter is characteristically focused and quiet. Expect a calm, unhurried mood at the counter rather than a buzzing dining room. The course runs approximately two hours, and the venue notes that guests travelling by flight should factor in travel time when booking. Credit cards are accepted; electronic money and QR code payments are not.

Chef Masato Oda is identified in the venue's own description as having trained at the forefront of sushi before opening Shota. The format is omakase, which means you are placing full trust in the kitchen's selection. If you have dietary restrictions, the venue asks you to contact them directly by phone before reserving, given the fixed-course format. Children under 16 are accommodated only by advance phone reservation.

Timing: Lunch vs. Dinner, and the Weekend Service

The Wednesday and Saturday lunch service (12:00–14:00) is the right choice for first-timers visiting Sapporo on a short trip. The dinner sessions run Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday from 18:00, with a second seating at 20:30. Saturday also has an evening sitting from 17:00. Sundays and public holidays are closed. The lunch format at this price point, JPY 30,000–39,999, is relatively rare among top-tier sushi counters in Japan, where lunch is often used as an entry price. At Shota, lunch and dinner are priced at the same tier, so the choice comes down to your schedule rather than budget. If you are visiting Sapporo over a weekend, Saturday lunch is the session to target: it is the only weekend daytime slot, and it gives you the afternoon free to explore the city. For those building a broader Hokkaido itinerary, the full Sapporo restaurants guide covers the wider field.

Booking

Reservations are accepted exclusively through the OMAKASE reservation platform. Walk-ins are not a realistic option at an eight-seat counter of this calibre. Booking difficulty is rated Easy by Pearl, which reflects availability rather than the exclusivity of the experience. The Saturday lunch slot in particular is worth booking as far in advance as your travel dates allow. The venue can be hired for private use for groups of up to 20 people, which is notably larger than the standard eight-seat counter capacity and implies the use of a separate space for private events. For group bookings or dietary queries, the phone number is 090-6802-8306.

Practical Details

Detail	Shota	Arima	Hanakoji Sawada
Cuisine	Edomae Sushi (Omakase)	Sushi	Kaiseki
Price (dinner)	JPY 30,000–39,999	Not listed	Not listed
Seats	8 (counter)	Not listed	Not listed
Awards	Tabelog Bronze 2025 & 2026; Sushi EAST Top 100	Tabelog-listed	Tabelog-listed
Booking method	OMAKASE platform only	Check venue	Check venue
Weekend lunch	Saturday (12:00–14:00)	Check venue	Check venue
Private hire	Up to 20 people	Not listed	Not listed
Access	2 min walk from Odori/Sapporo Stn	Check venue	Check venue

How It Compares

See the comparison section below for a full breakdown against Sapporo peers.

Pearl Picks: More Sapporo and Beyond

Arima — Sapporo sushi counter for a direct comparison
Hanakoji Sawada — Kaiseki, if you want to broaden beyond sushi
Higebozu , Sapporo dining, different format
Hidetaka , Another Sapporo option worth considering
aki nagao , Sapporo counter dining
Higebozu , Sapporo
Harutaka in Tokyo , For comparison on the Edomae sushi tier nationally
Gion Sasaki in Kyoto , If kaiseki is your wider interest
HAJIME in Osaka , High-end Osaka dining for broader Japan itineraries
Goh in Fukuoka , Top-tier regional Japanese dining beyond Hokkaido
akordu in Nara , Fine dining outside the main cities
1000 in Yokohama
Atomix in New York City , Korean fine dining for cross-reference on omakase-style format
Le Bernardin in New York City , For those comparing seafood-focused tasting menus internationally
Our full Sapporo hotels guide
Our full Sapporo bars guide
Our full Sapporo wineries guide
Our full Sapporo experiences guide

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Shota good for a special occasion?

Yes, and it suits the format well. An eight-seat counter, a two-hour Edomae course priced at ¥30,000–¥40,000+ per person, and back-to-back Tabelog Bronze wins in 2025 and 2026 make this a credible choice for a milestone dinner. Private room hire is not available, but the counter setting is intimate enough for a celebration for two. If you need a private room, this is not the right venue.

Can Shota accommodate groups?

The counter seats eight, so groups of up to eight can be accommodated together at a single sitting. For larger parties, the venue lists private use as available for up to 20 people — check the venue's official channels by phone to arrange this. Groups with children under 16 must also book by phone.

What should I order at Shota?

Shota runs a set Edomae omakase course — there is no à la carte menu. The format is fixed, so the decision is simply whether to book, not what to order. Budget ¥30,000–¥40,000 per head based on listed pricing, with some reviewers reporting spend in the ¥40,000–¥50,000 range.

Does Shota handle dietary restrictions?

Dietary restriction policies are not documented in the available venue data. Given the fixed omakase format and an eight-seat counter, the kitchen has limited flexibility compared to larger restaurants. check the venue's official channels by phone (+81-90-6802-8306) before booking if you have specific requirements.

What are alternatives to Shota in Sapporo?

Arima and Hanakoji Sawada are the closest peers for serious counter dining in Sapporo. If budget is a consideration, Menya Saimi offers a completely different format — ramen rather than omakase — at a fraction of the price. Le Musee IDEA and Nukumi cover other cuisine categories for those who want variety beyond sushi.

Is lunch or dinner better at Shota?

Lunch on Wednesday or Saturday (12:00–14:00) is the practical choice if you are visiting Sapporo on a short trip, since the two-hour course fits neatly into a day's schedule without a late finish. Dinner runs from 18:00 on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, with a second seating at 20:30. Both services carry the same pricing tier, so the choice is about your travel schedule, not value.

Is Shota good for solo dining?

Yes. An eight-seat counter is one of the better formats for solo diners — you are seated at the bar, the pacing is set by the chef, and there is no awkwardness around table sizing. Reservation-only bookings through the OMAKASE platform make securing a single seat straightforward.

Location

Japan, 〒060-0001 Hokkaido, Sapporo, Chuo Ward, Kita 1 Jonishi, 3 Chome−３−14 敷島プラザビル地下1階別館

Sapporo, Japan

Compare Shota

Getting a Table: Shota and Alternatives

Venue	Cuisine	Booking Difficulty
Shota		Easy
Arima	Sushi	Unknown
Hanakoji Sawada	Kaiseki	Unknown
Le Musee IDEA	French	Unknown
Menya Saimi	Ramen	Unknown
Nukumi	Crab	Unknown

How Shota stacks up against the competition.

Also Consider

Arima — Sushi, Sushi
Hanakoji Sawada — Kaiseki, Kaiseki
Le Musee IDEA — French, French
Menya Saimi — Ramen, Ramen
Nukumi — Crab, Crab

For Sapporo sushi, Shota and Arima are the two counter names that come up most consistently. Shota holds a Tabelog score of 4.12 and back-to-back Bronze awards; it is the stronger choice if you want a formally structured Edomae omakase in a focused, quiet room. If you are undecided between the two, Shota's Saturday lunch slot makes it more accessible to weekend visitors with onward travel, which is a practical advantage Arima may not share depending on its schedule.

If sushi is not your priority, Hanakoji Sawada is the kaiseki option to consider in Sapporo. The formats serve different purposes: omakase sushi at Shota is built around nigiri technique and the quality of Hokkaido seafood, while kaiseki at Hanakoji Sawada spans a broader range of courses and seasonal cooking. Book Shota for a sushi-specific occasion; book Hanakoji Sawada if you want the full kaiseki arc. For something entirely different, Nukumi focuses on Hokkaido crab, which is a more ingredient-specific format at a different price tier.

At the other end of the spectrum, Menya Saimi is Sapporo's reference point for ramen and operates at a completely different price point. It is not a substitute for Shota but is worth noting for visitors building a Sapporo food itinerary across multiple price tiers. For French fine dining in Sapporo, Le Musee IDEA is the peer comparison if you are deciding between Japanese and European formats for a special occasion dinner. Shota wins on award credentials within the sushi category; Le Musee IDEA is the better call if your dining companion prefers French over Japanese.