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Best Sapporo Dessert Souvenirs: Rokkatei Butter Sando, Ryugetsu An-Bata-San & Kinotoya Apple Pie (Honest Review)
The best dessert souvenirs from Sapporo are Rokkatei’s Marusei butter sando, Ryugetsu’s red-bean butter sando, Yubari melon Pocky, and the Oh! Yaki-toukibi corn okaki, while the must-eat treat on the spot is the Kinotoya apple pie. I am not someone who buys piles of souvenirs, but Hokkaido has an unusually rich dessert culture, so I picked up a few regional sweets to try and report back honestly.
What to buy: Rokkatei Marusei butter sando
This is a cookie sandwich with a rich cream of Hokkaido-made fresh butter, white chocolate, and raisins between two baked biscuits. Honestly, I do not usually like raisins or sandwich-style sweets, so I did not expect much. Then I tried it, and my mind changed completely. It is delicious. There is reportedly rum and white chocolate in the cream, and those unusual ingredients come together into a flavor you will not find in an ordinary butter cookie. It is the shop’s own distinct flavor. I even handed one to the middle-aged woman seated next to me on the plane, and she agreed it was tasty, so this is a dessert grown-ups appreciate too. The packaging is beautiful; Japan really does package design well. The downside is the two-week shelf life, so you cannot stock up. I freeze the four-pack and take one out at a time.
At the Rokkatei main store I also found what I believe is a store-only fresh-blueberry sando. That would make sense, since fresh blueberries mean a very short shelf life. This one has to be eaten within 1 to 2 days, so I bought just two and shared them with my travel companion. They were genuinely good: the blueberries are fresh and not too sweet, mild but with a flavor that fills out the mildness. It is a shame you cannot carry it home, because it would pair perfectly with tea.
My overall impression of Rokkatei is high-end dessert meant to be enjoyed with tea. Rather than a Western-style sugary sweetness, it leans on the aroma of butter and ingredients like raisins and blueberries, which gives it that premium feel. The main store also sells a bag of five products together and allows single-item purchases, so I recommend visiting in person.
Rokkatei Sapporo Main Store — 6 Chome-3-3 Kita 4 Jonishi, Chuo Ward, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-0004, Japan.
What to buy: Ryugetsu An-Bata-San red-bean butter sando
Verdict first: delicious. Like the Rokkatei sando, this is a cookie sandwich, but the twist is sweet red bean (an). You can see the whole red-bean grains, and the butter cream carries a gentle red-bean flavor and aroma. Where Rokkatei is defined by raisins and an unusual butter aroma, this sando offers a soft, crowd-pleasing red-bean cream that few people would dislike. It is a different register of flavor, so it makes sense to buy both. I had low expectations and bought it only because it is famous, but it surprised me. The shelf life is not very long, either. Ryugetsu is also known for baumkuchen, so check that out if you are interested. Ryugetsu is easy to find around central Sapporo, so it is convenient to grab a box near the end of your trip.
What to buy: Yubari melon Pocky
This is a regular on Sapporo souvenir lists: large Pocky sticks individually wrapped. My honest take is that it is worth trying once if you never have. It is a sweet, slightly tangy Yubari melon flavor rendered as Pocky. Rather than an unconditional must-buy, it is a “try it once and rebuy if it suits you” kind of product. I was happy with the one box (I do not usually go for Pocky-type snacks), but my companion loved it. I assumed it was Hokkaido-only, but apparently it is sold elsewhere in Japan, though it may be harder to find. You will spot it easily in city souvenir shops; it can be hard to find at the airport, so buy it while you are downtown.
What to buy: Oh! Yaki-toukibi grilled-corn okaki
This grilled-corn rice cracker comes in Japanese packaging, but the design is so memorable it is easy to recognize. I do not really like corn or potato-chip snacks, so I bought the box with six small packs. Hokkaido is famous for produce, so potato and corn snacks are everywhere and come in many varieties. Inside, the contents look like grilled (slightly freeze-dried) corn mixed with crisp rice puffs. Even though I do not usually enjoy this kind of snack, it was tasty. It has a consomme-seasoning flavor, a bit like corn chips, but it is not salty and the savory, nutty taste is strong, with a moreish quality that keeps you reaching for more. The crunch is fun, too. It is great with beer, the shelf life is generous, and it makes an excellent gift. I deliberately bought only a little because I do not like these snacks, and now I wish I had bought more.
What to eat there: Kinotoya apple pie
This is not a souvenir, but it was genuinely my favorite. Please, if you see a Kinotoya in the Sapporo underground walkways, eat this apple pie. There is no photo of the pie itself, because I had no advance plan; it just looked good, I bought one, and it was so good I forgot to take a picture until it was gone. The freshly baked, crisp pie is filled generously with apple and house-made custard cream and baked until fragrant. The label says: eat by the next day, refrigeration required, though it can be carried at room temperature during the same day.
The apple inside has a real bite, the custard is delicious, and the two are a perfect match, while the pastry is wonderfully flaky. I also had ice cream alongside it; the ice cream was good, but Kitakaro and Creamia ice cream are on another level, so I would just have ice cream twice. If I had to crown the single best dessert of my whole Sapporo trip, it is this apple pie. Search “kinotoya” on Google Maps and several branches appear, though I cannot confirm every store sells the apple pie. I stumbled on it by chance in the underground walkway, but it is clearly already popular, with people lining up to order.
Verdict
Hokkaido’s regional sweets lean on the aroma of real ingredients rather than heavy sweetness, which gives them a refined, premium feel. For gifts, the long-keeping corn okaki is the safest bet; for yourself, do not miss the Rokkatei main store and the Kinotoya apple pie.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best dessert souvenirs to buy in Sapporo?
Top picks are Rokkatei's Marusei butter sando, Ryugetsu's red-bean (an-bata) butter sando, Yubari melon Pocky, and the Oh! Yaki-toukibi grilled-corn okaki. For eat-it-there, the Kinotoya apple pie is the standout.
Where can I buy Rokkatei sweets in Sapporo?
Rokkatei has a main store in central Sapporo (6 Chome-3-3 Kita 4 Jonishi, Chuo Ward). The main store sells single items and some shop-only specials, like a fresh-blueberry sando, so it is worth visiting in person.
How long do these Hokkaido desserts keep?
Most Rokkatei and Ryugetsu sandos have a short shelf life of about two weeks; the fresh-blueberry sando must be eaten within 1 to 2 days. The corn okaki keeps much longer, making it the best gift option. The Kinotoya apple pie should be eaten by the next day and kept refrigerated.
Is the Kinotoya apple pie worth it?
Yes. The freshly baked custard apple pie was the single best dessert I had in Sapporo. Look for Kinotoya in the underground walkways downtown; there is often a queue.