Roadside Station Riceland Fukagawa: Rice Pot Lunch in a Rice Town

By Chaporo, a Sapporo local Published
Roadside Station Riceland Fukagawa: Rice Pot Lunch in a Rice Town

Quick answers

  • Rice balls made with local Nanatsuboshi and Oborozuki rice
  • Rice pots cooked to order upstairs at Ajishirube Ekitei; try the chicken
  • Shop 9:00–18:00 (to 17:00 from November to March); 24-hour toilets
  • Free parking; 1 km from Fukagawa IC

Roadside Station Riceland Fukagawa, just off Fukagawa IC, is, as the name says, about rice. Fukagawa is one of the biggest rice towns in Hokkaido, and here you eat the local rice as rice balls or rice pots.

Rice balls and rice pots

Downstairs, Kappogi makes rice balls by hand from Fukagawa's brand rice, Nanatsuboshi and Oborozuki. Upstairs, the restaurant Ajishirube Ekitei cooks rice pots to order with local produce; you order from a ticket machine.

The one I recommend is the chicken rice pot: gently sweet vegetables, Hokkaido chicken and rice cooked in broth. Halfway through, add the onsen egg (a soft, slow-cooked egg) and it tastes like oyakodon. It comes in the iron pot, so it stays hot to the last mouthful.

The chicken rice pot set with a soft-boiled egg at Ajishirube Ekitei
Chicken and vegetables on rice in the iron pot at Ajishirube Ekitei
The menu board at Ajishirube Ekitei, with rice pots and other dishes

Hours and parking

WhatDetails
Shop9:00–18:00 (April to October); 9:00–17:00 (November to March)
Restaurant Ajishirube Ekitei11:00–19:00 (April to October); 11:00–17:00 (November to March)
ClosedDecember 31 to January 2 (the toilets are open 24 hours)
ParkingFree

See the official site (in Japanese) for details.

How to get there

From Sapporo: a little under two hours including a break. Take the Do-o Expressway toward Asahikawa and leave at Fukagawa IC (tolls apply).

From New Chitose Airport: a little over two hours on the same expressway. At Sapporo JCT, keep right for Asahikawa, not left for Otaru.

From Fukagawa IC: turn left onto Prefectural Road 79; it is about 1 km on.

Near Riceland Fukagawa

Fukagawa, Hokkaido: Things to Do on a Day Trip from Sapporo by CarA local's day trip from Sapporo to Fukagawa in central Hokkaido: the Kamui Kotan rapids, a rice-pot lunch at Riceland Fukagawa, the Totoro Pass catbus, local cider, and a forest hot spring for 500 yen. Kamui Kotan in Asahikawa: Rapids, Rocks and an Old Station on the Ishikari RiverA local's guide to Kamui Kotan in Asahikawa: the Ishikari River rapids and potholes from the footbridge, the old Kamuikotan Station and steam locomotives, autumn leaves, winter closures, parking and how to get there by car. Totoro Pass, Fukagawa: Hokkaido's Totoro Catbus Photo SpotA local's guide to the "Totoro bus" at Totoro Pass in Fukagawa, Hokkaido: an old bus painted like the Catbus from My Neighbor Totoro, the bus-stop timetable, the view over the Sorachi plain, parking and the winter closure.

FAQ about Riceland Fukagawa

Q1. What should I eat at Riceland Fukagawa?

The chicken rice pot at Ajishirube Ekitei, or rice balls from Kappogi.

Q2. What are the hours?

The shop is open 9:00–18:00 (17:00 in winter); the restaurant 11:00–19:00 (17:00 in winter).

Q3. Where is it?

About 1 km from Fukagawa IC on the Do-o Expressway.