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Saturday, May 28, 2011

Asahikawa Ramen Village (旭川ラーメン村)

Do you like ramen?

Ramen is a Japanese noodle dish. It consists of Chinese-style wheat noodles served in a meat- or fish-based broth, often flavored with soy sauce or miso, and uses toppings such as sliced pork, kamaboko, green onions, and occasionally corn.

Almost every locality in Japan has its own variation of ramen, from the tonkotsu (pork bone broth) ramen of Kyushu to the miso ramen of Hokkaido.

Eight popular, long-standing ramen diners from the city of Asahikawa are gathered here at this ramen theme park established in 1996 to excite Asahikawa ramen lovers.

The current lineup of diners is Asahikawa Ramen Aoba, Asahikawa Ramen Ittetsu-an Matsuda, Asahikawa Ramen Ishida, Ramen Shop Tenkin, Ramen Santoka, Ramen Village Saijo, Original Asahikawa Ramen Ichikura, Koubou Kato Ramen, and Asahikawa Ramen Baikoken.

There is a big ramen object in the village. It is taller than I!!!!

Anyway..............
Asahikawa ramen is an original Hokkaido ramen hailing from Sapporo that fuses all sorts of noodle cuisine. Its wavy noodles curl around in the dense, hot and oily broth made from pork bone and seafood. Mini servings are available in addition to regulars, allowing you to enjoy and compare the taste of EVERY shop's noodles.

Today, we chose "Saijo".

There are several ramens on the menu, but I recommend Ukokkei (silky fowl) ramen, through which you will become healthier and more beautiful.

■Ukokkei ramen (salt flavor) named Kuroshio (Black Current) ramen

Their ramen features a light and rich broth, cooked while remaining sensitive to health, with simmered whole silky fowls and carefully selected water.

They've captured the victory in the salt flavor category of the Asahikawa Ramen Competition.

Just for reference.....
I'll show you some other shops here!

This is "Santoka", one of the most popular ramen shops in Asahikawa! Its tonkotsu (pork bone) broth is great!!!!!

■Hot miso ramen
It is named hot, but hot for Japanese people. You know, it's mildly hot for people from the rest of the country :)

■ Soy sauce ramen
I love it!!

The sliced pork is the best of the best! It's juicy and tender!

The noodle is not very wavy.

Gyoza (Japnanese dumplings or jiao-zi)

Typical Japanese gyoza is fried like this.

If you want to eat miso ramen, I recommend "Baikoken".

■Miso ramen
It soup is very rich and its menma (bamboo shoots) is very thick!!!
Plz enjoy noodles with a lot of bean sprout!

Its noodles are not very wavy.

If you like to try the orthodox Asahikawa ramen, plz go to "Koubou Kato Ramen".

The first shop, originally soba (buckwheat noodle) restaurant, was founded in 1947,  and created the prototype of Asahikawa-style ramen; thick curly noodles in soy sauce flavored pork bone soup.

 ■Char siu & mayonnaise bowl
This is a bowl of rice topped with minced naganegi onion and chopped grilled pork mixed with mayonnaiseI love it! It really  goes well with ramen!

Aging soy sauce flavored ramen
This is the most popular ramen in this restaurant!
They use seafood and pork bones to make broth and the combination was perfect! This is the origin of Asahikawa ramen!


This ramen village has a souvenir corner and you can buy take-out ramen etc.

But if you love ice cream, plz enjoy Yumabi Melon soft ice cream here!

■Where is Asahikawa Ramen Village?

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!

Shibazakura (Moss Pink) Flowers in Full Bloom | Takinoue Park (滝上公園)

I came back to Takinoue Town to see shibazakura (moss pink)!
Compare to the pic as of 2011/05/18,

this pic as of 2011/05/15 is much more marvelous!!!


The Shibazakura Festival is one of the most unique and colorful festivals on the Hokkaido flower calendar.


Winding paths lead you across a surreal pink and purple hillside overlooking Takinoue town.


Every year from early May to early June, Takinoue Park is covered with a carpet of shibazakura which started from the equivalent of a single tangerine box filled with seedlings.



These flowers have spread and grown every year and now cover an area of 100,000 square meters.


Of course I ate shibazakura soft ice cream again!!!

I also bought tomato flake in the souvenir shop here,

and made tomato soup like this!
It's easy to cook it. Add 2 tbsps of tomato flake to 200cc milk. Adjust the taste with salt.

Takinoue is also famous for agriculture and the vegetable flake here is recommendable!
Carrot, potato, sweet corn, pumpkin, and tomato flake..........

The backside of the Daisetsuzan Mountain Range offers its pointy snow-covered peaks as a backdrop and tulips adorn the the wide gently-sloped paths on your journey across the hill.

Voilaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!

I met Spider-Man last year, but he wasn't in the park this year!
Where is he??????

There is a helicopter service here so that visitors can enjoy shibazakura from the sky!


I'm sure I'll come back to this park in the next season to see shibazakura in full bloom!

■Where is Takinoue Park?

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!

Friday, May 27, 2011

Tulips in Full Bloom | Kamiyubetsu Tulip Park (かみゆうべつチューリップ公園)

Do you like tulips?
Now the beautiful flowers are in full bloom in Kamiyubetsu Tulip Park!

1,200,000 colorful tulips of 120 varieties vividly bloom in the vast 7 ha garden. From May 1st to early June every year, when the late spring comes to the Okhotsk area, the Tulip Fair is held in the park, attracting many tourists.

Compare to the pic as of 2011/05/18,

this pic as of 2011/05/25 is muuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuch more beautiful!!!!


 It's like a colorful carpet???? 

Or a beautiful painting????

Or a world in a fairy tale?????

How vivid the flowers are!!!


Visitors can take a 15-min tour of the Tulip Park on an electric car named "Garinko-Tower-Go"!

Near the entrance, there is a jumbo clog. It is made by a Dutch clog maker from a 50-year-old poplar tree.

There are restaurants and shops across from the park.

■Tulip Noodles & Tulip Chips!!!
Looks good, but tastes good???

■Sousage, Corn, and Chicken
They are "ordinary" food :)

■Ramen with Crab Meat!
How lavish it is!

 ■Rice Cake Stuffed with "TULIP" Jam and Cream
Tooooooooooooo much! Hahahaha :)

■Tulip Cake
Not bad!

I love this park filled with beautiful tulips!!



I'm sure I'll come back here again in the next season!!!

■Where is Kamiyubetsu Tulip Park?

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!