Lopia at Fukuzumi station had it’s opening day on February 8th, 2025. It replaced the previous large chain grocer “Ito Yokado” which completely withdrew from Hokkaido by the end of 2024. Fukuzumi station is one of the largest public transportation hubs in Sapporo with a large bus station and a subway station, a part of the blue Toho subway line for Sapporo. It’s nearby the Daiwa House Premist Dome (formerly known as the Sapporo Dome) where the Consadore futsal team plays its matches and where conventions are often held.
Needless to say, it was much anticipated to know what grocery shop would replace Ito Yokado as it is an area with high foot traffic. The building beside the bus terminal was previously owned by Ito Yokado and named as such, but has now been renamed CiiNA CiiNA. Inside, it houses many different stores of which the main store is its grocery store Lopia, located in the basement floor. Parking is available in the parking structure of the CiiNA CiiNA building and at the time of writing, if your total purchases at Lopia was ¥3,000 or more, you would received 3 hours of validated parking.
Lopia sells fresh groceries, frozen foods, cuts of meat, premade foods ready to eat (osozai and bentos as it’s called in Japanese), and has a robust sushi and fish section. It’s alcohol section has the usual favorite Japanese drinks and a refrigerated craft beer section.
You begin your journey through Lopia by renting a shopping cart if you need one. You need a ¥100 coin, which is returned when you return the shopping cart. If you need change, there is a coin machine conveniently located by the carts. Insert your ¥100 coin and the chain will release so that you can use a grocery cart. You can shop without renting a grocery cart, as the baskets are available at every corner, but it’s convenient to have if you would like to take your time carefully inspecting the products without straining your arms.
One standout item at Lopia is its pizza. There were two kinds, Margherita or chicken teriyaki. Customers grabbed a pizza or two from the stacks on a table, and as quickly as it depleted, the workers would box and replenish the leaning towers of pizza. I personally purchased two and I think the Margherita was quite basic, but the teriyaki had a good amount of chicken, corn, and mayonnaise. I recommend eating it sooner than later as the pizza became a bit chewy in the evening.
The produce looked fresh and stacked neatly. Prices seemed cheaper than your regular Aeon supermarket, and as seems to be typical with Lopia, you could buy a whole box of vegetables or fruits, such as strawberries or tomatoes, instead of an individual container if you so pleased.
The meat section had the common cuts of meat you’ll find at most Japanese supermarkets, but the trays were larger than average. If you don’t have a large fridge space, it might not be good to stock up on meat. It’s times like these I wish I had a chest freezer. Larger families could benefit from purchasing meats here, as the prices were reasonable. More uncommon cuts such as bone in lamb chops or oxtail are available. I’m not sure if the price was reasonable or not, as these items tend to be expensive no matter where you purchase.
The fish section had rolls of sushi, trays of chirashizushi, cuts of fish ready to eat sashimi style, and even octopus eggs. I spotted some fish cakes in the shape of crabs and for a moment, thought they even looked appetizing. Because I went on March 3rd, which is お雛祭り (Doll’s Festival or the day they celebrate girls) I purchased a large tray of chirashizushi to celebrate with my family. The price was reasonable at around ¥1500. The flavor was good and the fish tasted fresh, although the rice was a bit tough, but I had purchased in the morning and consumed it later in the evening so it wasn’t unexpected. I want to try the rolls of maki sushi as the fish pieces were big and chunky proportionate to the seaweed wrapper. There was abalone, scallops, and crab legs for sell as well, all which I would like to have a taste of someday and considering to shop here for my next summer bbq.
After some time filling my cart, it was time to check out. It’s important to note that Lopia is cash only. There were signs at the checkout lanes explaining that only cash is accepted, of course the signs were only in Japanese, but prior to entering there were a few hastily handwritten taped papers with the words “Cash only”. I’m sure the signs will update to include English and Chinese at some point. I had ¥8,500, of which ¥100 was used to rent the shopping cart (returned when you return the cart). I was sweating as the cashier scanned one item after another, wondering if I’d have to go through the embarrassment of asking them to remove one item. The grand total was ¥8,140. The cashier validated my parking ticket, and then I looked at my basket wondering about what I bought because I must’ve gotten caught up in the excitement of the new store.
In case you don’t have cash, there is a Hokkaido Bank ATM in the basement floor near the restrooms, but you cannot access them from the cashier side. So it’s best to withdraw cash prior to getting your carts. There is also a 7/11 ATM machine near the subway gates to Fukuzumi Subway station.