Glasses Shopping in Sapporo

Hokkaido is Japan’s northernmost region, famous for its beautiful seasonal changes and delicious delicacies. In Japan, the area has long been a popular getaway destination, with vacationers arriving to take in the picturesque scenery and indulge in Hokkaido’s famous seafood, meat, and dairy. And in recent years, the charms of Sapporo, Hokkaido’s capital city, have reached an international audience as well. Hokkaido’s unique history and local culture have created a bustling city unlike anywhere else! Sapporo offers travelers a colorful food culture, unusual seasonal events, and a cozy, laid-back atmosphere, along with all the usual shopping and conveniences of a major urban area.

So this autumn, the Japankuru team headed to Hokkaido in search of Sapporo’s best glasses shopping! First, we took the train into Sapporo Station and headed upstairs to shop the selection from Japan’s leading eyewear brand, at JINS Sapporo Stellar Place. Next, we set out to explore some of the nearby attractions around Sapporo Station.

JINS 30min Night Walks in Sapporo

Sapporo has plenty to see and do throughout the day, and it’s not difficult to put together a packed schedule, but even in Japan’s busiest cities, sometimes it’s not so obvious after dark. How can you make the most of your time in Hokkaido once the sun goes down, and museums and markets close their doors? To help travelers enjoy every moment of their time in Japan, JINS offers some suggestions as part of their “JINS 30min Night Walk” campaign. Sapporo Stellar Place, JINS included, is usually open until 9 pm, and since JINS can prepare your new glasses in as little as 30 minutes after payment, that gives nighttime shoppers the perfect window for an evening adventure. Tax-free shoppers even get a cute illustrated lens cloth “Night Voucher” that acts as a coupon for discounts and freebies at nearby shops and restaurants! So when the Japankuru team went to check out JINS Sapporo Stellar Place this autumn, we made it our mission to think up our own three easy Sapporo plans full of great food and spectacular sights (and a little glasses shopping in Sapporo.) Don’t miss our tips for getting a great pair of glasses in Sapporo, and some of our favorite itineraries to help you enjoy your time in the city while your glasses are being made!

First Stop: JINS Sapporo Stellar Place

Sapporo Station is at the heart of the city, with trains arriving regularly from Hokkaido’s biggest airport, and whisking travelers off to the island’s many natural spectacles. Stacked above the busy station is Sapporo Stellar Place, a shopping mall full of trendy fashion, bustling local restaurants, and of course a JINS eyewear boutique. Constructed to feel more like a public hangout space than just a glasses shop, this bright JINS has a welcoming atmosphere packed with warm wooden shelves, each one full of glasses and some unexpected reading material. The modular shelving, made of panels of Hokkaido larch, is home to a carefully curated library of books on everything from art and design to Hokkaido history and culture, inviting mall-goers in to browse the selection, whether they were planning to shop for glasses or not. Of course, these same wooden shelves also hold the widest variety of JINS frames in all of Hokkaido, making this the most interesting place to buy glasses in Sapporo.

JINS Sapporo Stellar Place (JINS札幌ステラプレイス)
Sapporo Stellar Place Center 4F, 2 Chome Kita 5 Jonishi, Chuo Ward, Sapporo, Hokkaido
Hours: 10:00 – 21:00 (may vary depending on building hours)
Official Website (jp)

Try Sapporo’s Favorite Frames

Resting on the beautifully crafted made-in-Hokkaido wood shelves, some of the most popular frames at JINS Sapporo Stellar Place are from their JINS Sabae: Made in Japan series. The city of Sabae, once a poor farming village, has become known over the past century for its eyewear manufacturing, helping to solidify Japan’s reputation for high-quality glasses. The JINS Sabae frames are created using production techniques honed over the decades, and each pair passes through the hands of multiple Sabae artisans, a process they like to compare to that of ukiyo-e woodblock printing. The final products, the frames that arrive on JINS shelves, are shining examples of the craftsmanship that Japan prides itself on. The frames are born, as they say, from a “Fusion of Mastery.” Look for frames in colors that reflect Japan’s four seasons, inspired by the masterful use of color seen in traditional ukiyo-e prints, along with carefully constructed details like intricate nose pads. The styles are simple and elegant, so they fit perfectly into your everyday wardrobe, while still leaving you with a lovely memento of your trip to Japan.

For a bolder look, more in line with the trendy vibe of Sapporo Stellar Place, the BE BOLD line is one of JINS’ most striking collections. These thick, chunky frames come in colors like matte black and brown tortoiseshell for an eye-catching look that really screams “look at my cool new glasses from Japan”! If you love glasses and you want to show them off, these are for you.

JINS Sapporo Stellar Place also has a selection of the brand’s newest styles, and during our visit, some of the hottest designs were from the JINS Today collection. The latest frames are inspired by the recent 90s and early 2000s craze, with retro options and “nerdy” silhouettes that look straight out of a ’90s sitcom. If you want to keep up with the latest fashions, you might actually want to go for these vintage styles!

If you’re ready to buck the trends and just go for the frames that suit your face best, then you’ll want to check out the AI tablet system they call JINS BRAIN. Try on any pair of glasses in the shop, and the system will analyze them on your face, giving you a fit score out of 100. If you just can’t figure out which glasses suit you best, leave it to JINS BRAIN to find the perfect pair!

Complete the Look with JINS Cutting-Edge Lenses

Once you’ve found the right frames for you, it’s time to choose your lenses, and at JINS it feels like there are almost as many fun lens options available as frames. JINS takes pride in its lens lineup, making sure to provide the latest in eyewear technology, and that means that many of the options are popular for practical reasons. Their blue light cut lenses have been a best-seller for years, helping all of us who spend a few too many hours a day staring at screens by cutting down on the bright light that reaches your eyes. (They’re especially popular in combination with JINS HOME frames, made for lounging around at home.)

To reduce UV light instead, JINS also offers photochromic lenses that transition to a darker shade when hit with sunlight. They even make a version that reacts to all visible light, to block strong sunbeams when driving. At JINS Sapporo Stellar Place, however, many shoppers are looking to make a fashion statement, which means that their selection of tinted “color lenses” are especially in demand.

JINS offers a truly impressive range of lens colors, and JINS Sapporo Stellar Place has an especially large selection of them in stock at all times. Try an elegant lavender, a deep rose, grassy greens, or even a “smokey turquoise,” which fades from dark to light. The deeper tones make for great sunglasses, prescription or not, and the bold color options can add the perfect finishing touch to an outfit. In Japan, fashion-forward dressers often choose to use one of the paler tints even in their everyday glasses – a style that goes particularly well with JINS’ trendy BE BOLD frames. There are quite a few options, and since this JINS location keeps so many of them in stock, you might just be able to put together the perfect pair of colorful glasses in under an hour.

Getting Your New JINS Glasses

When you’ve finally picked the perfect frames and selected the lenses that meet your needs, the rest of the process is a breeze. Simply use the automated tablet to start the purchase process by entering your basic details – it offers multilingual support! After that you have a few options: you can provide your most recent prescription, have JINS check your existing lenses, or take a vision test on one of the in-store machines. The testing machines can also be switched to English for a quick, easy, and accurate assessment! (If you’re planning to take a vision test, we recommend registering on the tablet first thing when you get to the store. On busy days there might be a bit of a wait, so you can use that time to choose your frames instead of sitting around!)

Once the staff have all the details they need to create your new glasses, all that’s left to do is pick your favorite case color and design, and pay for your new eyewear! At JINS Sapporo Stellar Place, you can show your passport to shop tax-free and save 10%. For the best deal, don’t forget to present the Japankuru JINS coupon too (valid until Aug. 31, 2025), for an extra 5% off! (JINS is already known for its affordable eyewear, and with these discounts combined with the current weak yen, it’s truly a bargain.) The JINS staff will give you a QR code pickup slip and a Night Voucher lens cloth, and then they’ll get right to work on your new eyewear. That’s your cue to head out and discover Sapporo!

Next Stop: See Sapporo After Dark

Sapporo Plan ① See the Sparkling Lights

With night air that’s crisp and clear for so many months of the year, Sapporo’s cool climate provides the perfect environment for enjoying the glittering lights that illuminate Japan after dark. To make the most of this night walk, we recommend you start by walking straight to Sapporo’s famous Odori Park, which is famous for its autumn leaves, snow sculptures, and if you get there at the right time of year, its cool light displays. No matter when you visit, the Sapporo TV Tower is a must-see destination, standing tall at the park’s eastern end. Take the lengthy elevator ride up to the tower’s observation deck to treat yourself to a delightful view of Odori Park sprawled out in front of you, with picturesque hills in the distance.

Turn back north towards the station to make your way towards the Sapporo Clock Tower, a symbol of the city constructed back in 1878. During the day, the building serves as a local museum full of Sapporo history, but we think it looks particularly magical after sunset. Avoid the daytime crowds, and snap a picture of the clock tower glowing in the dark instead!

Just west of the clock tower, the Former Hokkaido Government Office is another Western-style historic monument that shows off the unique influences that Hokkaido has felt in the century and a half since Japan opened its borders. The beautiful red brick building housed the local government for 80 years after its construction in 1888, but nowadays it’s the perfect place to take moody pictures in the dark, with a rather majestic backdrop. (We, unfortunately, happened to catch the building undergoing renovations.)

Still ready to see more of Sapporo’s sparkling skyline? Before heading back to JINS to grab your glasses, you can go straight to the top floor and make your way up to the JR Tower Observation Deck T38. This observation deck is higher than Sapporo TV Tower, or anywhere else in Hokkaido for that matter, which means visitors are treated to uninterrupted panoramic views of Sapporo far below. Grab a drink from the cafe, settle into the comfy seats by the windows, and enjoy the views of trains passing through Sapporo Station, or the rush of people as small as ants on the sidewalk.

Sapporo Plan ② Eat and Drink Like a Sapporo Local

Feeling hungry? Sapporo is famous for rich, satisfying food, and we’ve got some recommendations that will leave you feeling cozy and full at the end of a chilly day. Our first stop is Hiratsuka Jingisukan, known for one of Hokkaido’s culinary specialties. Jingisukan is named after the Mongolian ruler Genghis Khan, and it’s essentially Japanese-style barbecue with a focus on lamb. At Hiratsuka, you can order a variety of lamb and mutton cuts to grill to perfection on the small grill at your table. They even offer plates of Hokkaido’s famous marbled wagyu beef, so you can sample some of the region’s most delectable meats. At the end of the meal, show the staff your JINS Night Voucher, and you can even get 10% off your bill!

Next, make your way through the packed shopping arcade of Tanukikoji to get to the heart of Susukino, a Sapporo neighborhood known for its busy nightlife. The area is lined with bars and izakaya of all kinds, so whatever a night out on the town means to you, you’re bound to find it here. Just don’t forget to snap a photo of the famous Nikka Whisky sign while you’re there!

We all know there’s always room for dessert, which means it’s time to partake in one of Sapporo’s sweetest traditions: the “shime parfait.” In most of Japan, drunken nights often come to a close with a heavy bowl of ramen. In Sapporo, locals often prefer a decadent parfait instead. We recommend a stop at the nearby parfait shop Shiawase no Recipe ~Sweet~ for a truly spectacular concoction of fruit, ice cream, and other flashy toppings, before you go pick up your glasses.

Sapporo Plan ③ Make a Day of It & Enjoy the Autumn Leaves

Prefer to explore the city during the daytime hours? Well, we have some ideas for you too! After you’ve chosen your glasses, you can set out to see the sun shining on Sapporo’s most beautiful autumn spots, starting with a visit to Nakajima Park. This large urban park has a museum, a tea shop, Shinto shrines, and more – but a relaxing stroll around the lake is our favorite activity here. Grab a cup of coffee from a food truck and watch the ducks paddle through the water for a perfect morning walk.

Next, head northeast to reach Nijo Market, decorated with glass fishing floats and filled with sellers hawking fresh seafood. Just looking at the size of the enormous crabs is impressive enough, but if you’re desperate to taste some of the spectacular seafood for yourself, not only are there plenty of raw delicacies available, but some of the shops have kitchens in back to prepare the seafood of your choice!

Take a shopping and eating break at our next stop, the Sapporo Factory, which is a shopping complex constructed on the former site of Japan’s first beer brewery. The central atrium is a popular place to take photos, and the rest of the facility is outfitted with a full suite of shopping, dining, and entertainment options.

It’s finally time for a little bit of history with a visit to the Sapporo Beer Museum, constructed inside another of Sapporo’s historic former brewery buildings. The free museum is focused on the history of Sapporo Beer, from the early days when beer was part of a plan to kickstart the local economy, all the way to the present. Some of the most eye-catching exhibits include an enormous beer brewing kettle and Sapporo’s quaint retro posters. Before exiting the museum, visitors pass through a spacious beer hall, where the most popular order is a beer tasting of three different historic Sapporo brews.

Before the sun goes down you’ll want to aim back past Sapporo Station to visit our last destination: the Hokkaido University campus. If you’re looking for places to enjoy Sapporo’s autumn colors, the Hokkaido University Ginkgo Avenue is a must-see, with towering trees raining down yellow fan-shaped leaves along a 380-meter stretch. Thanks to the location inside a university campus, the atmosphere is quiet and relaxed, offering an ideal spot to enjoy the afternoon air before walking back to JINS (or hopping on a bus) to get your glasses.

End Your Evening in Sapporo with New Glasses From JINS

Whether you decided to make the most of your time in Sapporo by seeing the night sparkle, savoring the flavors of Hokkaido’s most famous delicacies, sampling a local Sapporo brew, or just relaxing under the city’s beautiful autumn foliage, when your adventure comes to an end, it’s time to return to JINS to pick up your new glasses. Just take the elevator back up to the 4th floor of Sapporo Stellar Place and scan your QR code at the pick-up locker to grab your new eyewear. With your new glasses all ready to go, you can get back to your trip, and see Sapporo in a whole new way!