Northman: Sapporo's 1974 Red-Bean Pastry Souvenir, and Where to Buy It Fresh-Baked or by Car

The short version: a Sapporo sweet from 1974, and the only shop that bakes it fresh

Ask a Hokkaido local for a souvenir that is not Shiroi Koibito, and sooner or later someone says Northman (ノースマン). It is a small pastry from Sapporo Senshuan (札幌千秋庵), a confectioner founded in 1921 at the corner of Tanukikoji arcade in downtown Sapporo: smooth Hokkaido red-bean paste wrapped in a thin, slightly moist pie crust. One piece is 200 yen, it keeps for 29 days, and a box of eight is 1,750 yen (prices from the official product page, September 2026). It is cheap, it travels well, and it tastes like the Hokkaido your hosts grew up with.

This guide covers what to buy, where to buy it by car or on the way to the airport, and the one thing you can only get at the main shop: freshly baked Northman, baked in an oven in the shop itself.

Where it comes from (short history)

"Senshuan" is a family of confectioners rather than one company. The original shop opened in Hakodate in 1860, and its master bakers later set up independent Senshuan shops in Otaru, Asahikawa, Kushiro and, in 1921, Sapporo. The Sapporo shop has stood on the same corner of the main street and Tanukikoji ever since; the current building opened in 2020 after a rebuild, and the company marked its 105th anniversary in September 2026. Northman itself went on sale in 1974 and the official history describes it simply as a "Japanese–Western hybrid sweet". The other famous item in the shop, the bear-shaped Yama-oyaji biscuit, was actually invented in Hakodate and shared with every Senshuan in Hokkaido, which is why you will meet it in other cities too.

What to buy: the Northman family (September 2026)

Item	Price (tax incl.)	Keeps for	Where
Northman	200 yen each; box of 5 1,100 yen; box of 8 1,750 yen	29 days from production	All shops, online
Freshly baked Northman	200 yen each	Eat the same day	Main shop only
Nama (fresh cream) Northman	290 yen each; box of 4 1,100 yen	3 days from production	Singles at the main shop, Marui Imai, Sapporo Tokyu, Aeon Teine-ekimae, New Chitose Airport and others; the 4-box only at the main shop, New Chitose Airport, Daimaru Sapporo and JR Tokyo Station (until 30 Sep 2026)
Nama Northman Apple (autumn, 105th-anniversary edition)	Box of 4 1,400 yen	Eat within days	5 Sep to late Nov 2026 (planned); main shop, New Chitose Airport, Daimaru Sapporo, JR Tokyo Station
Milk / Pumpkin / Chunky bean (tsubuan)	200 yen each	29 days	Milk and pumpkin widely; tsubuan at the main shop, Marui Imai, Sapporo Tokyu, Ario Sapporo and New Chitose Airport
Chestnut (autumn)	200 yen each	29 days	3 Sep to late Nov 2026 (planned)

The practical rule: the plain Northman is the souvenir (29 days, no refrigeration needed on the way home). The fresh-cream nama version is a treat to eat in Hokkaido, not to carry abroad; it lasts three days. The company says the nama version has passed nine million units sold (official news, 27 August 2026), so expect queues at department-store counters.

The main shop: freshly baked Northman, no car park

Name	Sapporo Senshuan Main Shop (札幌千秋庵本店)
Address	Minami 3-jo Nishi 3-chome 16-2, Chuo-ku, Sapporo. Directly in front of the Tanukikoji streetcar stop, on Ekimae-dori (the main street)
Hours	10:00–19:00
Closed	No closing days listed on the official site
Parking	None listed on the official site. Use a paid coin car park nearby, or come by streetcar / subway (Odori or Susukino stations are a few minutes' walk)
Phone	011-205-0207 (Japanese)
Official	Shop list (Japanese)

The freshly baked Northman (焼立てノースマン, yakitate Northman) is listed on the official product page as "main shop only", 200 yen each, baked in the shop's own oven. The official site does not say what time of day they come out of the oven, so if that is the point of your visit, treat it as a bonus rather than a promise, or have your hotel call ahead. The shop is in the middle of the Tanukikoji covered arcade, so it fits naturally into an afternoon of walking around Odori and Susukino.

Buying by car: the shopping-mall counters and the airport

If you are driving, skip the main shop and use one of the counters inside suburban shopping centres. The official shop list has twelve locations in Sapporo plus New Chitose Airport; the useful ones for a driver are below. Note that these are counters inside larger stores: parking belongs to the mall, so check each mall's own site for parking fees.

Counter	Where	Hours	Notes
Aeon Sapporo Teine-ekimae	Teine-ku, 1F (west side of the city, on the way to Otaru)	9:00–20:00	Sells nama Northman singles
Ario Sapporo	Higashi-ku, 1F, next to the Sapporo Beer Garden	10:00–21:00	Tsubuan flavour; check the mall's parking fees
Aeon Sapporo Asabu	Kita-ku, 1F	10:00–21:00	Nama Northman
Sunpiazza (Shin-Sapporo)	Atsubetsu-ku, B1F, east side near the expressway	10:00–21:00	Nama Northman
New Chitose Airport	Terminal building 2F	8:00–20:00	One of only four shops with the nama 4-box and the autumn apple edition

For most visitors the airport counter is the answer: it opens at 8:00, it stocks the boxed Northman as well as the fresh-cream 4-box, and you buy it after returning the rental car. Directions, parking and rental-car returns at the airport are in our guide to renting a car in Hokkaido.

Where it fits in a trip

A day in downtown Sapporo: main shop for a freshly baked one, eaten on the spot. Combine with Sapporo ramen a few blocks away in Susukino.
Autumn drives (September–November): the chestnut Northman and the apple nama edition overlap with foliage season; pick up a box at a mall counter on the way back from a day trip from Sapporo.
Last day: New Chitose Airport counter, 8:00–20:00. Check the month's weather and what to pack in What to Wear in Hokkaido, Month by Month.

Other Hokkaido-only foods worth knowing before a road trip are in Hokkaido Road-Trip Food: Seicomart, Guarana and the Roadside Stations.

Frequently asked questions

Q. Does Northman need to be refrigerated?

The standard Northman keeps for 29 days from production at room temperature and is fine in a suitcase. The nama (fresh-cream) version lasts three days from production; eat it in Hokkaido.

Q. Can I buy it at the airport?

Yes. The New Chitose Airport shop (terminal 2F, 8:00–20:00) sells the boxed Northman, the nama singles and 4-box, and the seasonal apple edition.

Q. Is there parking at the main shop?

The official site lists no parking. It is in the Tanukikoji arcade in the city centre, so use public transport or a nearby paid car park. If you only want boxes, a shopping-mall counter is easier by car.

Q. Does it contain alcohol or allergens?

The official FAQ addresses alcohol content for both Northman and nama Northman (in Japanese). Ingredient labels are in Japanese only; if you have allergies or dietary restrictions, ask at the counter or check the official product page before buying. We do not verify these details ourselves.

Q. Can I buy it online from outside Japan?

The official online shop (hokkaido-special.com, run by Hokkaido Confect Group) ships within Japan. We have not confirmed international shipping.

Before you go: Prices, flavours, sales periods and opening hours change. Everything above was checked against Sapporo Senshuan's official product page, shop list, history and news pages on 10 September 2026. The main shop's closing days and parking, and the baking times for the freshly baked Northman, are not published on the official site.

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