Despite the plethora of amazing Niseko restaurants, cafes and bars and Niseko hotels with onsite dining options, self-contained Niseko accommodation is plentiful, with fully-equipped kitchens and expansive dining rooms inviting guests to enjoy an evening in. The trend toward staying in self-contained apartments and chalets rather than hotels has become increasingly popular in the resort, especially in the main Hirafu Village area. While not everyone wants to spend their evenings cooking rather than trying one of the amazing restaurants, it is still a great idea to be able to stock up on things like breakfast items, ready-made meals for lunch, snacks, and beverages. Keep reading to find out where to find groceries in Niseko.
Hirafu Village, Niseko’s main accommodation area which sits at the base of Grand Hirafu ski resort, does not have much in the way of large supermarkets or grocery stores. However, there are a number of wonderful convenience stores where you can stock up on supplies without having to go further afield. Those that are familiar with Japan will know how amazing their Konbinis (convenience stores) can be. These small food shops offer everything you need for breakfasts, snacks, and delicious ready-made food.
WHERE TO BUY GROCERIES IN NISEKO
Hirafu Village Area
Seicomart – Upper Hirafu Village
Situated at the intersection in the middle of town close to some of Niseko’s most popular accommodation options such as The Vale, Snow Crystal and AYA Niseko, Seicomart is probably the most well-known and centrally located konbini in Niseko. The Hirafu convenience store offers a wide range of snacks and ready-made food items (think bento boxes, salads, rice balls, boiled eggs, fried food and fruit), a large selection of beverages (alcohol, hot & cold coffees and teas, juices, dairy), as well as other necessities like instant ramen, wrapped sweet and savory pastries, and sweets. It also has a cash machine, which is very popular and handy, with only a handful of cash machines in Niseko. Seicomart Hirafu is open from early morning until late at night, 7 days a week.
Lawson Hirafu – Middle Hirafu Village
Of the two Lawson in the Hirafu Village area, the more central one is located on the East end of Hirafu Village, on the main road just beyond The Freshwater and Chatrium Niseko and opposite the brand new Setsu Niseko. Lawson stocks similar items as Seicomart including heat & eat food and snacks, fried foods, beverages, and other supplies. The main draw to Lawson is that they are open 24-hours, and worth the slight diversion on the way home from some late-night bar hopping for some amazing fried chicken, Lawson’s signature snack item. Like Seicomart, there is also an ATM.
Lawson Midtown Niseko – Hirafu East Village
Located in the Midtown Niseko building, Lawson East stocks the same essentials as Lawson Hirafu, like fried foods and delicious steamed buns, as well as all of the other regular ‘essentials’. The location is very convenient for those staying in the Izomikyo2 / Hirafu East Village area, and is also open 24/7.
Sapporo Drug Store – Upper Hirafu Village
Located in the Hirafu 188 building on the Hirafu-Zaka street in Upper Hirafu Village conveniently close to The Maples and Sansui Niseko is Sapporo Drug Store. The Hirafu food shop stocks a wide variety of conveniences from fresh fruit and vegetables, snacks, frozen food, toiletries, and even has an international foods section, not to mention the drug and other medical supplies you’d expect from a pharmacy. They also have a very good variety of wines and Japanese whiskeys.
7-Eleven – Hirafu East Village
Situated at the Yamada Intersection on the way to Kutchan is a 7-Eleven, which stocks your favourite Japanese Konbini foods such as ready-made heat & serve meals, salads, pastries, beverages, snacks, and dry foods. 7-Eleven Niseko also has an ATM.
Niseko Village Area
Hilton Niseko Village Shop – Niseko Village
Located just inside the main lobby area of Hilton Niseko Village is the Hilton Shop, one of the few food & snacks supply shops in the Niseko Village area. This is not surprising given most of the accommodation in Niseko Village is hotels without kitchens, and therefore guests tend to eat their meals in the hotel restaurants. However, the Hilton Shop does stock some food items such as snacks and beverages, along with Hokkaido souvenirs.
Kutchan Town
For those planning to tackle some cooking or are looking for a bit more of a proper scale grocery store, OR simply want to spend a bit less than you would in Niseko Hirafu, you can head to Kutchan Town where there are three sizable supermarkets which carry everything you could possibly need or want.
Lucky Supermarket Kutchan
Just 10 minutes outside of Hirafu is Lucky, a perfect one-stop shop for everything. The large Kutchan supermarket has all of the usual grocery store items such as fresh fruit & vegetables, meats and fish, canned goods, snacks, dairy, etc, a large souvenir section, as well as a huge selection of alcoholic beverages. They also have a clothing section, and while they may not have the exact styles you’re looking for, it’s a great place for things like socks and underwear and other basics and thermals.
Also located within the complex is a ¥100 shop, with a ton of wonderful things you can buy as souvenirs. Quick tip – many Niseko chalets or apartments have Nespresso machines, and Lucky Supermarket is a great place to stock up on the pods.
MaxValu
MaxValu is another large Kutchan supermarket, offering not only a wide variety of foods and beverages but also another ¥100 shop next door and pharmacy. Just down a little bit further is a Homac hardware store, which – insider tip – is a great place to purchase affordable Japanese chef knives to bring home with you after your Niseko holiday.
Co-Op Sapporo Kutchan-ten
Co-Op is the third large supermarket in Kutchan, with the usual grocery store offerings, along with a clothing section and Omiyage (souvenir) section. It’s worth a special trip to stock up on a number of delectable Hokkaido specialty foods, sweets, and snacks.
Getting to Kutchan
For those who do not have a rental vehicle, there are a few ways to get to Kutchan from Niseko. There are shuttle busses which connect Niseko Hirafu and Kutchan, as well as the Kutchan Night Go Bus which departs every 10 minutes from Niseko daily. The shuttle options are very affordable and take about 20 minutes. Alternatively the taxi ride takes about 10 minutes, and costs approximately JPY 2,500 per way.