I believe every friend who comes to travel in Hokkaido will spend at least four hours at New Chitose Airport. Of course, there are always those who spend the whole time on their phones, but most people will choose to walk around and grab a bite. However, the airport is vast and crowded, so without a plan, you might miss out or just wander aimlessly – that’s where preparation makes all the difference!
On the second floor of New Chitose Airport, along the route from domestic flights to international flights, there is a Smile Road. Looking to the right from this angle, you’ll find a great seafood duty-free shop called Kita-ren (きたれん).
In the display case by the walkway, there are big crabs from Hokkaido – king crabs, snow crabs, and spiny lobsters – all freshly flown in. The current crab offerings are super fresh!
Crabs can be taken back to your hotel with ice packs, and dry ice is used for the flight. Depending on the size of the crab, they pack them in different foam boxes – you can really feel the thoughtfulness of Japanese service here. PS: There are also Chinese-speaking staff available.
Delicious dried scallops, golden sea urchin, fan-sized scallops, plump salmon roe... 1, 2, 3, mouth watering!
You can try “Special Selection Salmon Roe” on-site, seasoned with soy sauce, and it tastes just as good as in restaurants!
Here comes the real・dry goods!
The recently super-popular Hokkaido dried sea cucumber, one of the “Four Major Delicacies of the Sea.”
Next door, there’s also Hokkaido dried abalone, the king of the “Four Major Delicacies of the Sea.”
(I heard it sells really well.)
Next to that is Hokkaido Okhotsk dried scallop. When you’re craving something... just have one… or two if needed.
For those who love making soup, definitely check out their kelp. At New Chitose Airport, they have the largest and most complete selection of Hokkaido kelp. Who knew buying seaweed could be so overwhelming… It’s recommended to ask the shop staff based on your taste preference.
The shop owner is a cool uncle who might waive the ice pack fee when he’s in a good mood~
In case the shop owner isn’t feeling it, you can also show him this:
Their 10% off coupon from the official website!!!
Can be used for purchases over 1,000 yen – super worth it!
https://www.kitaren.co.jp/chitose.html#coupon
It says it needs to be printed, but you can just show it to the staff~
Finally, a friendly reminder:
Various seafood (including whole cooked king crabs) can be brought back to Hong Kong, but not to mainland China!
Bringing crabs back to your hotel is fine, and kelp is okay to take home too. But be mentally prepared for the possibility of dried sea cucumber, dried scallops, and dried abalone being confiscated by customs.
Shop name: Kita-ren (きたれん)
Address: 2nd Floor, Domestic Terminal Building, New Chitose Airport, Chitose City
Phone: 0123-46-5068
Business Hours: 8:00～20:00
Payment Methods: Japanese Yen Cash, UnionPay, WeChat Pay
Japanese Website:https://www.kitaren.co.jp/index.html
Chinese link:http://www.new-chitose-airport.jp/cn/spend/shop/s51.html