Chitose
千歳42°49′ N 141°39′ ECityPop. 97,032Sapporo
Chitose wraps around New Chitose Airport, and it works well for a first or last night or as the way in to Lake Shikotsu.
Photo by A Win on Unsplash and others, credited in the gallery
Who should base here
Stay in Chitose for a late arrival or an early flight, or as a stop on the way to Lake Shikotsu. It suits road-trippers who want to pick up a car without driving to Sapporo first.
The name
si-kot (former name)
シコッThe great hollow; Chitose itself is Japanese for 'a thousand years'
ainu
The area and its river were called Shikot (si-kot, the great hollow), and the Chitose River was Shikot-pet. In 1805 a Hakodate magistrate's official asked for a new name because Shikotsu sounded like 死骨 (dead bones). Magistrate Habuto Masayasu chose Chitose, 'a thousand years', after the saying that cranes live a thousand years and turtles ten thousand, because so many cranes lived here. The old Ainu name survives in Lake Shikotsu.
SourceEat · 食べる
Menya Reiramen¥
This Takadai shop makes some of the most reviewed tsukemen and ramen in the Chitose area. Lunch only, 11:00–15:00 until sold out; closed Wednesdays.
IOrIIOrIramen¥
A ramen shop in Sumiyoshi open for lunch and again from 17:00 to 20:00 every day.
Nama Lamb Mongoliayakiniku¥¥¥
Fresh lamb Genghis Khan a short walk from Chitose Station in Saiwai-cho, for a proper first dinner in Hokkaido.
Kita no Hana Hayashisushi¥¥¥¥
An omakase sushi counter in Saiwai-cho with two evening sittings at 18:00 and 20:30. Closed Sundays; book ahead.
Soup Curry Garaku Chitoseスープカレー GARAKU 千歳店curry¥¥
The Sapporo soup curry house runs this Chitose branch in Sakae-machi, open all day 10:30–21:30.
Ebisoba Ichigen, New Chitose Airportえびそば一幻 新千歳空港店ramen¥
Ramen in a rich shrimp broth inside the Hokkaido Ramen Dojo on the third floor of the domestic terminal. Open 9:00–21:00 every day.
Kikuyo Shokudo, New Chitose Airport味処 きくよ食堂 新千歳空港店sushi¥¥
The Hakodate morning-market diner runs this airport branch on the domestic terminal's third floor and serves seafood bowls until 20:30.
Do · 遊ぶ
t-konno / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0 Chitose–Lake Shikotsu Ice Festivalculture
Ice sculptures made from Lake Shikotsu's water are lit in colour from 16:30. Runs 30 January to 23 February 2027 at Shikotsuko Onsen, 10:00–20:00. Entry ¥1,000 on weekdays and ¥3,000 on weekends and holidays.
Kylely1 / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 New Chitose Airportshop
The domestic terminal is a food hall in its own right, with the Ramen Dojo, a Royce' chocolate shop and stalls selling Hokkaido dairy sweets. Leave an hour before your flight just for this.
Most people see Chitose as a runway and a rental car desk, and it does that job well. New Chitose Airport sits on the city's eastern edge, and the town itself spreads along a slow, clear river in a grid of wide streets, with chain hotels in the centre and Self-Defense Force bases on the edges. Compared with the mountains it is flat and dry, and a late-season arrival can find bare fields here while Niseko is still buried.
It is worth a night if your flight lands late or leaves early, and it is the jumping-off point for Lake Shikotsu forty minutes west. Eat in town before you head for the hills. Menya Rei's tsukemen sells out most days before the lunch service ends. For an evening bowl, IOrI in Sumiyoshi reopens at 17:00, and Garaku has a Chitose branch for soup curry. At the airport, the Hokkaido Ramen Dojo on the third floor of the domestic terminal stays open until 21:00 for a last bowl before your flight.
Quick answers about Chitoseよくある質問
What does the name Chitose mean?
Chitose comes from the local name si-kot (former name), meaning the great hollow; Chitose itself is Japanese for 'a thousand years'. The area and its river were called Shikot (si-kot, the great hollow), and the Chitose River was Shikot-pet. In 1805 a Hakodate magistrate's official asked for a new name because Shikotsu sounded like 死骨 (dead bones). Magistrate Habuto Masayasu chose Chitose, 'a thousand years', after the saying that cranes live a thousand years and turtles ten thousand, because so many cranes lived here. The old Ainu name survives in Lake Shikotsu.
Is Chitose a good place to stay?
Stay in Chitose for a late arrival or an early flight, or as a stop on the way to Lake Shikotsu. It suits road-trippers who want to pick up a car without driving to Sapporo first.
How do you get to Chitose?
JR Rapid Airport trains link the airport with Chitose and Sapporo; Sapporo is about 40 minutes from the airport. Most rental car companies run shuttles from the airport to depots nearby. Buses to Lake Shikotsu leave from JR Chitose Station and take about an hour.
Ride from Chitose近くの山
Stay in Chitose宿
Hot springs nearby温泉
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