Akisake Matsuri, Sapporo: 100-Yen Wild Salmon and Ikura Bowls in Chikaho, Where to Park, and Why 2026 Is a Record-Low Salmon Year (Date Not Yet Announced)

The short version: one Saturday a year, wild salmon-and-ikura rice bowls for 100 yen, underground in central Sapporo

Every autumn, fishing cooperatives from around Hokkaido bring their catch to Chikaho, the underground walkway that links Sapporo Station to Odori, for a one-day event called Akisake Matsuri (秋さけ祭, "Autumn Salmon Festival"). Fishermen from the set-net salmon fisheries of Abashiri, Nemuro, Kushiro, Tokachi, Hidaka and Soya sell salmon products and seasonal seafood directly, and the headline is a bowl of rice topped with wild autumn salmon and ikura (salmon roe) for 100 yen, roughly 70 US cents. According to the Hokkaido Government press release for the 2024 edition, 500 bowls were served in two batches of 250, at 11:30 and 12:30.

Two things to know before you plan around it. First, the 2026 date has not been announced as of 10 September 2026. The organiser, the Hokkaido Set-Net Fisheries Association, has no website, and the announcement usually appears as a Hokkaido Government press release only a week or two before the event (in 2024 it came 12 days ahead). The last three editions were all on a Saturday in mid-October. Second, 2026 is shaping up as a record-poor salmon season in Hokkaido, which makes a 100-yen wild ikura bowl even more remarkable than usual, and quantities even more limited. This guide covers what the event is, where it happens, how to get there by car or on foot, and why this year's salmon numbers matter.

What Akisake Matsuri is (based on the 2024 official release)

The only primary source for the event's details is the Hokkaido Government press release for the 12th edition in 2024. Reports on the 2025 edition disagree on the venue name and start time, so we use 2024 as the reference year.

The detail that matters most for visitors: the bowls are not "first 500 people". They are served in two rounds, so if the 11:30 queue is already full when you arrive, there is a second chance at 12:30. Conversely, nothing is served when the doors open at 11:00; the first bowls come out at 11:30.

Beyond the bowl, this is a rare chance in Sapporo to buy salmon products and seafood directly from the fishermen of six different production areas and compare regional styles side by side. The official release says nothing about card payments, and these are fishermen's market stalls, so bring yen in cash.

Where it is: Chikaho's Kita-3-jō Crossing Plaza, under the road to the Red Brick Office

Chikaho (officially the Sapporo Ekimae-dōri Underground Walkway) runs beneath Ekimae-dōri, the main north–south avenue between JR Sapporo Station and Odori. The Kita-3-jō Crossing Plaza is the open space directly below the intersection with Kita-3-jō, the street leading to the Former Hokkaido Government Office, the red-brick building on most Sapporo postcards. Above ground, the landmark is the Akarenga Terrace shopping complex on the corner; the walkway has a direct exit into it.

Getting there without a car is easy: from JR Sapporo Station or the Sapporo subway station, go down into Chikaho and walk south for about five minutes. From Odori subway station, walk north for about five minutes. The whole route is underground, so weather is not a factor.

Driving there: there is no parking at the venue, so park underground early and walk

Chikaho is a pedestrian walkway with no parking of its own. If you are coming by rental car, the plan is to park in one of the public underground car parks near Sapporo Station or Odori and walk the rest underground. The catch is timing. The bowls are served at 11:30 and 12:30 on a Saturday, and the City of Sapporo's own page for the Sapporo Station North Exit Underground Car Park warns that it is often full between 10:00 and 16:00 on weekends and holidays. That is exactly the window you need.

Sources: the City of Sapporo's page for the North Exit car park, Sapporo Chikagai's access page and the Chikaho official FAQ, all checked on 10 September 2026. The venue is roughly halfway between Sapporo Station and Odori, so from any of these you will walk a few hundred metres underground.

The number that catches rental-car drivers is the 2.1 m height limit at the Odori Underground Car Park. Tall rental minivans and any car with a roof box will not fit. If that is you, head for the Sapporo Station North Exit car park or a surface lot instead, and get there well before 11:00.

Is it worth driving in for 500 bowls?

Be honest with yourself: there are 500 bowls for the whole day, and Sapporo is a city of two million people. Someone arriving by train can shrug and go home if they miss out. If you have driven in, you are paying for parking either way. Three things still make it a reasonable bet:

• Two rounds, not one: missing the 11:30 batch is not the end; the second batch is at 12:30 (2024 arrangement)
• The stalls keep selling: the fishermen's salmon products and seasonal seafood are on sale all day, bowl or no bowl
• Plan B is a short walk: this is the centre of Sapporo, and seafood rice bowls (kaisen-don) are on every block between the station and Odori. Nijō Market, the city's small central fish market, is ten minutes' walk east of Odori

Timing-wise, Akisake Matsuri usually lands in the weeks right after Sapporo Autumn Fest closes in Odori Park (11 September to 3 October in 2026), so if you are in the city for the first half of October, keep an eye out for the announcement.

Why a 100-yen wild ikura bowl is a bigger deal in 2026

Autumn salmon (akisake, chum salmon returning to the rivers to spawn) is Hokkaido's signature fish, and its roe, cured as ikura, is the island's best-known luxury topping. Both are becoming scarce. The numbers below are all from official Hokkaido sources, with dates.

The 2026 forecast: 3.65 million fish, about half of last year

On 24 June 2026 the Hokkaido Research Organization's Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Research Institute published its forecast for the 2026 autumn salmon run: 3.645 million fish returning to Hokkaido's coasts and rivers, 53.1% of the 2025 figure. The same document notes that the 2025 run of 6.86 million was already the lowest since the Heisei era began in 1989. In other words, 2026 is forecast to be roughly half of what was already a record low. The institute also cautions that forecasting accuracy has fallen in recent years because salmon are maturing younger, so the actual number could be higher or lower.

The 2025 coastal catch: 5.6 million fish, against 15–33 million in the previous decade

The Hokkaido Government's autumn salmon catch bulletin puts the final 2025 coastal catch at 5.616 million fish. In every year from 2015 to 2024 the figure was above 15 million, peaking at 33.3 million in 2015. The 2025 catch was less than half of the weakest of those years.

Why ikura is expensive: the female fish are scarce and cost twice as much

Sapporo Central Wholesale Market publishes the previous day's seafood auction results. For 8 September 2026, female autumn salmon from Hidaka sold at a mid-price of 2,412 yen per kilogram, while male fish from Abashiri went for 1,307 yen. The females, carrying the roe, fetch almost double, and less than a twentieth of the volume of females came through the market that day compared with males. Scarce raw material at a high price is the whole story behind ikura prices this year (the market page changes daily; these are the 8 September figures).

Hokkaido's set-net salmon season runs from around 30 August to 8 September through late November or December, depending on the coast. A mid-October festival therefore falls in the middle of the fishing season, with the fishermen coming to Sapporo while their nets are in the water.

How to find out the 2026 date

• Hokkaido Government press releases: the 2024 announcement was issued by the Department of Fisheries and Forestry as a PDF titled "Hokkaido Set-Net Fisheries Association Akisake Matsuri (12th)". Expect the 2026 one in the same form, likely in early October. The department's autumn salmon notices page (Japanese) is where it should appear
• Do not rely on the Chikaho event calendar: the walkway's official site lists events, but past editions of Akisake Matsuri never appeared on it. Its absence there means nothing
• By phone: the association's published contact is a Sapporo landline (011-261-1033), Japanese only
• We will add the date to this page as soon as it is announced

Related guides

• Sapporo Autumn Fest 2026: Dates, Food Blocks, Parking and the Drink-Driving Rules
• Sapporo Ramen: Morning Bowls, Local Picks and Where to Actually Park

Official sources (Japanese): Hokkaido Government press release, Akisake Matsuri 2024 (PDF) · 2026 autumn salmon run forecast (HRO, PDF) · Hokkaido autumn salmon catch bulletin · Sapporo Station North Exit Underground Car Park · Sapporo Chikagai access · Chikaho FAQ.

FAQ

When is Akisake Matsuri 2026?

Not announced as of 10 September 2026. The 2023, 2024 and 2025 editions were all on a Saturday in October (14, 19 and 11 October respectively), and the announcement usually comes about one to two weeks beforehand as a Hokkaido Government press release. That pattern does not guarantee 2026 will be the same.

Is the 100-yen bowl first-come, first-served for 500 people?

Not quite. In 2024 it was served in two rounds of 250 bowls, starting at 11:30 and 12:30. Arriving for the second round is a real option. The 2026 quantities and times will be in the official announcement.

Can I pay by card, and is there parking?

The official release does not mention payment methods; treat it as cash-only. There is no parking at the venue. Use the Sapporo Station North Exit Underground Car Park (230 spaces, 250 yen per 30 minutes), the Odori Underground Car Park (2.1 m height limit) or the Kita-1-jō Underground Car Park (163 spaces), and walk through Chikaho. All are busy on Saturdays between 10:00 and 16:00.

Before you travel: The 2026 date, venue and quantities have not been announced; event details above are from the Hokkaido Government's 2024 press release. Parking rates and hours, and the salmon figures, can change. Everything was checked on 10 September 2026. Please confirm with the official announcement before you set out.

Hokudora (ホクドラ) is a Hokkaido driving and travel site based in Sapporo. More English guides · 日本語版はこちら