Hokkaido's premium hairy crab, steamed whole and served with the orange-coloured kani-miso (crab tomalley) inside the shell. The autumn-to-winter Sapporo signature.
Hokkaido hairy crab fisheries date to the late nineteenth century, but the dish entered Sapporo restaurants seriously in the 1960s as the city's crab houses grew around the Susukino entertainment district. Kani Honke opened its Honten in 1964; the seven-storey building became a tourist landmark in the 1970s. Today, kegani peaks September through November, with the densest tomalley in the autumn months; Kani Honke and Kani Shogun lead the Susukino crab kaiseki rooms.
3 editor picks for Kegani (Hokkaido Hairy Crab) in Sapporo, ranked by editorial score. All Sapporo signature dishes · Kegani (Hokkaido Hairy Crab) across every city.
Sapporo Kani Honke Honten ★ 4.2
sapporo-station · Chuo-ku, Sapporo 060-0003, Japan
The seven-storey Honten near Sapporo Station, the city's reference crab restaurant since 1964, working all three Hokkaido crabs across course menus.
Hokkaido Kani Shogun ★ 4.2
susukino · Chuo-ku, Sapporo 064-0805, Japan
Susukino's other heavyweight crab house in Sapporo. Six floors of course menus across king, snow and hairy crab, plus a third-floor sushi counter.
Nijo Ichiba Ohiso ★ 4.1
nijo-market · Chuo-ku, Sapporo 060-0053, Japan
A Nijo Market sushi-and-donburi counter run by a Hakodate fishmonger. The Sapporo-style kaisendon stacks raw crab, uni and ikura over rice; market hours.