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Sunday, November 27, 2011

Shiretoko Satoaji (しれとこ里味)| Soba & Seafood Restaurant | Shari, Shiretoko

If you want to eat delicious soba and seafood at the same place in Shari town, Shiretoko, I recommend "Shiretoko Satoaji (しれとこ里味)"↓

Let's enter it!
Actually our local driver recommends this restaurant! Sounds perfect!

They serve soba made of the local buckwheat and spring water. Wonderful, isn't it???
Do you like seafood? The main industry in this town is fisheries. Actually this restaurant is located in front of the Okhotsk Sea and they serve fresh seafood at reasonable prices!

The most popular dish here is soba with whelk tempura! Of course, I ordered it! Hahaha!

Everything here is delicious, but we ordered dishes with a recommendation mark on the menu book!
First, look at the yummy x 2 tower!

This is a whelk tempura bowl! This kakiage, seafood and vegetable tempura, on the rice is huge and tall!!! Bravo!!

This is a cherry salmon bowl! Of course the salmon is caught in this area!

When you come here, please enjoy the local fish like this! I really recommend it!

The set menu has a locally-caught whelk! I love this texture and seafood juice in the shell!

This is what I ordered.

Twin towers of huge whelk kakiage are on the freshly-milled and -made soba↓ One kakiage should be eaten with soba, and the other should be enjoyed with special tempura sauce. 

I really appreciate the distinctive aroma of soba! I'm sure it suits with sake, or rice wine! Hahaha!

The restaurant is on Route 244 and it's easy to find it!

■Where is "Shiretoko Satoaji (しれとこ里味)"?

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■Tour guide information■
Do you need a nationally-licensed English-speaking tour guide when you travel to Hokkaido?
I'll guide you! Plz click here!

Saturday, November 26, 2011

Michinoeki "Utoro Shirietoku" (道の駅うとろ・シリエトク)| Roadside Station |Shiretoko

The Michinoeki "Utoro Shirietoku"(道の駅うとろ・シリエトク)is a roadside station located in Shari town, providing the tourist, nature & local restaurant information in four languages. Sounds perfect to non-Japanese tourists!

The facility also has a restaurant, and

we can enjoy local seafood like this↓ Yummy x 2!!!

The Cowberry, a fast food corner, sells something unique and delicious such as

"ice cream with hot potato cakes"↓ I love this hot and cold combination!

How about three-flavor ice cream? Hokkaido is a milk paradise!

Actually I really love very local foods which are available only in the area. If you are the same type person like me, I recommend venison (shika deer) burger↓ I love deer to see as well as to "eat"! Hahaha!!

Next to the Michinoeki, there is a small exhibit space and we can learn the nature in Shiretoko.


The explanation on the panels is written in Japanese and English.

Please enjoy Shiretoko!!

*The facility has a fish market open from spring to autumn.

■Where is "Michinoeki "Utoro Shirietoku" (道の駅うとろ・シリエトク)"?

View Larger Map


■Tour guide information■
Do you need a nationally-licensed English-speaking tour guide when you travel to Hokkaido?
I'll guide you! Plz click here!

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Shiretoko Sushikoubou Banya (しれとこ鮨工房 番屋)| Seafood Izakaya | Shari, Shiretoko

Shiretoko is famous for its fresh seafood! If you come here, please enjoy the local food!

Today, I'll show you "Shiretoko Sushikoubou Banya (しれとこ鮨工房 番屋)", a seafood izakaya owned by a former fisherman. Sounds perfect, doesn't it??

Look at the tairyo-bata, or a fishermen's big-catch flag! I love this atmosphere!

The izakaya has table seats and

a bar like this.
Wow! Wow! Wow! They serve a wide variety of local dishes!!!

We ordered grilled scallop first! Hokkaido scallop is big and thick! I really recommend it!

Do you have any idea what it is?

This is whale sashimi! I know whaling is controversial, but it is very delicious! Please taste it!

Voila!! 
This is venison (shika deer) sashimi, a very local cuisine!!!! Would you like to try it? If so, please come to Hokkaido!

Well, well, well, I'll show you a typical sushi, too.
This is nama-futomaki, or rolled sushi with fresh sashimi↓ It contains a lot of local seafood! Tastes wonderful!!

How about this??? This sushi set is also recommendable! All the seafood is caught off this town! It is only 2,000 yen! When you come here, you should order this↓

We really enjoyed the night!

■Where is "Shiretoko Sushikoubou Banya (しれとこ鮨工房 番屋)"?

View Larger Map


■Tour guide information■
Do you need a nationally-licensed English-speaking tour guide when you travel to Hokkaido?
I'll guide you! Plz click here!

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

GOLDSTONE CAFE | Cafe and Music Club | Otaru

During the Otaru Mantis Prawn Festival, there were a lot of wonderful events held at public places such as restaurants, cafes and streets in Otaru.
We visited "GOLDSTONE CAFE" near the festival venue↓

The cafe used to be a stone warehouse in the 19th century, and we can feel the good old days in the city. With a drinking place and

a small music club, the cafe is versatile!

"GOLDSTONE CAFE" held some events such as dunce shows in time for the festival. We joined the magic show!

He is cute, isn't he? We enjoyed his magic show very much!
Do you have any idea how old he is?



He is a high school student!!! Wow! Wow! Wow!

They served special menu for the festival days! Of course we ordered it! Hahaha!!!

Here comes the special lunch!
■Green salad


■Corn potage soup
It's very creamy and delicious!

■Cream pasta with mantis prawns
I'm sure mantis prawns go well with cream course because the mantis prawns caught in Otaru taste very rich and naturally sweet!

The set comes with coffee or tea.

This is another special dish; curry with mantis prawns. They use mantis broth and mantis soy sauce as hidden flavors! That's why we can feel very seafood once we eat it!

We really enjoyed the special event and special menu at the cafe!

■Where is "GOLDSTONE CAFE"?

View Larger Map


■Tour guide information■
Do you need a nationally-licensed English-speaking tour guide when you travel to Hokkaido?
I'll guide you! Plz click here!

Sunday, November 20, 2011

The 4th Otaru Mantis Prawn Festival (第4回おたる産しゃこ祭)

This is one of my favorite festivals in Hokkaido. Do you like mantis prawns? If so, or you never tried them, why don't you go to the Otaru Mantis Prawn Festival!!!

First, plz park your car at a city parking lot near the ocean, and follow the arrows.

Go along the canal, and

you will reach the venue! Wow! Wow! Wow! It's packed with a lot of people even though it is raining!!

As I join this festival every year, I know which food stall is popular!
First, I stood in a loooooooooooooong line in order to get "mantis prawn paella"!

See!!! It looks delicious, isn't it??? The rice absorbs the mantis juice a lot!

I love it! I really recommend this paella! Mantis prawns caught off Otaru are very big and tasty!!

Next, we will eat..................

"mantis prawn soup"!!! Yummy x 2!!

It has two big mantis prawns!!

We were getting thirsty! Look at the local beer stall!

Otaru beer, a microbrewery, has three kinds of beer↓

I chose "Donkel". Cheers!

We continued to eating mantis prawn dishes. Hahaha! Actually there are more than 20 food stalls in the venue.
How about "mantis prawn dumplings"↓ Hot! Hot! Hot!

Do you have any idea what the people are waiting for???

Boiled mantis prawns!!! The dish is very simple, but I really recommend it!The prawns were boiled just after being caught from the ocean! Sounds perfect, doesn't it??

Get rid of the shell, and eat it!! You don't have to put any seasonings on it! It is boiled in the salty water!

Next we enjoyed "mantis prawn buchimgae (Korean pancake)". Did we eat a lot??? (Yes!!!)

Don't forget abalones!!! They were caught off Otaru and very tender!!!

Are we in the heaven now???

We also bought "grilled mantis prawns"! Need another beer!!!

Last but not least, we bought "smoked saury sushi" produced by Mr. Mikuni, a famous French chef from Hokkaido!

They use cherry and oak chips for smoking. We really enjoyed the distinctive aroma!

We'll be back next year!!

■Where is Otaru?

View Larger Map


■Tour guide information■
Do you need a nationally-licensed English-speaking tour guide when you travel to Hokkaido?
I'll guide you! Plz click here!