Tenshi no Makgeolli （天使のマッコリ） | Korean Alcoholic Beverage | Tanaka Shuzo Brewery （田中酒造）| Otaru

One of my favorite sake brewery is Tanaka Shuzo Brewery in Otaru, which was founded in 1899 and brews sake in a stone warehouse that has an atmosphere reminiscent of the good old days of Otaru. The stone warehouse, built in 1905, is an historical building designated by the city.

Their policy is to use 100% local ingredients for their sake; Japanese rice wine. Why are there several sake brewery in Otaru? The city is blessed with clean and tasty water, and high-quality rice is available around this area!

In this season, we can enjoy freshly brewed sake like this↓

Except normal type of sake, they serve unique sake such as doburoku; homemade-type sake↓

We can taste almost all sake before buying it. I really recommend not to drive here so that you can enjoy tasting or "drinking" sake a lot! Hahaha!!!

Are you interested in how to make sake? If so, you can observe their sake brewery anytime! Please enjoy it!

Today, I bought "Tenshi no Makgeolli （天使のマッコリ）", a new product sold from yesterday on the 18th of Nov., 2011!

Makgeolli is Korean alcoholic beverage made of flour!

They carefully selected the ingredient; flour named "Haruyutaka" from Ebetsu, Hokkaido. They brewed this makgeolli with water from Mt. Tengu in Otaru.

I love this sour taste!!!

■Where is "Tanaka Sake Brewery （田中酒造）"?

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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!

Hotel Shiretoko （ホテル知床）| Hot Spring Hotel | Syari (Shiretoko)

When you come to Syari town, Shiretoko, I recommend to stay at a hotel with hot spring. Today I'll show you one of them.

This is "Hotel Shiretoko"↓

Going through the lobby,

I checked my room, first↓
Immediately after putting my baggage here, I went to the grand bath area (hot spring)! I love natural spa!!

Let's enter it!

Utoro hot spring is blessed with a lot of minerals such as sodium, chloride, hydrogen carbonate and so on, which can relieve the symptoms of muscle ache, poor circulation, and so on.

This is an inner hot spring. How lucky I am to dominate such rich hot spring!!!

This is one of the outdoor hot springs↓ We can enjoy sunset from this area!!

Again, I'm alone!!! This is my hot spring! Hahaha!!!

Wow! Wow! Wow! I'm impressed with the gushing hot spring!!!

This hotel is on the higher ground and I really recommend to see a beautiful sunset from the terrace! First, please check the sunset time at the lobby↓

Then go to the deck in the hotel compound!

The color of the sky is changing to

the beautiful contrast like this↓

This is my best shot↓ It's very beautiful, isn't it???

After enjoying the sunset, we ate dinner.
You can choose the table seat or horigotatsu saet↓
(＊Horigotatsu: low, covered table placed over a hole in the floor of a Japanese-style room)

 The dining venue has a wine cellar↓

I'll show you our dinner.
■Soup with scallop, salmon and vegetables such as potatoes
The ingredients are all from Hokkaido!

■Cooked cod and Matsumae-zuke {herring roe with squid (soy sauce flavor)}
I love Matsumae-zuke. Put it on the hot rice and eat it with rice together!

■Shiraae (vegetables with pasted seasoned tofu) and sashimi (salmon & octopus)
Shiraae is very healthy and recommendable. This is how to make it.
1. Cut vegetables and boil them.
2. Season 1 with sugar and soy sauce.
3. Boil tofu and drain it with paper towel.
4. Grind 3 into paste and mix it with 2.

■Chawanmushi (steamed custard with vegetables and meat) and pickles
 I love chawanmushi!!!!!

■Mushroom rice and crab miso soup
As we like them, we had a second helping!!!!!

The breakfast was Japanese dishes served in a typical buffet style like this ↓

We enjoyed Shiretoko!
The Okhotsk Sea from my room is soothing, isn't it?? How lucky I am!!!!

■Where is "Hotel Shiretoko （ホテル知床）"?

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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!

Shiretoko Five Lakes （知床五湖）| Shiretoko

Shiretoko is designated as a national park in 1964, and as a world natural heritage site in 2005. If you want to experience its unspoiled nature, I recommend the Shiretoko Five Lakes, which are a set of five small lakes, and offer beautiful views of the surrounding mountains and wilderness. 

An 800m-long wooden elevated boardwalk was recently built from the parking lot to the first lake, which allows visitors to enjoy views of the lakes the Sea of Okhotsk, and surrounding mountains without damaging the fragile ecosystem. It is free to use, wheelchair accessible and open for entire season (late April to late November).

Apart from the elevated boardwalk, there are 3km-regular "ground" trail that lead around the beautiful five lakes and take about 40min. to 90 min. to walk on your own.

However, due to the lareg number of visitors here, the access to the nature trail is regulated as follows (from 2011).

May 10 to July 31:
During the bear activity season, visitors have to join a tour group led by a licensed nature guide. The guide cost is around 5,000 yen and ten people can join one group. The admission fee is 500 yen per person.

August 1 to October 20:
As bears are not active in this season, visitors can walk on the trail on an individual basis without guides. However they have to take a short lecture (video↓) and the admission fee is 250 yen per person.

The rest of the season:

Visitors can walk on the trail without guides nor admission fees. But the trail may get closed due snow or bear sightings.

There are two one-way hiking courses; a 3km (90 min.) course to all five lakes, and a 1.6km (40 min.) course to the first and the second lakes only.

＊Notice＊

The trails may be closed due to snow or bear sightings.

This time we chose the short course. Here we go!

This is a second lake! How beautiful it is!

This is a first lake! The mountains are reflected on the lake and it is like a picture!

We went back to Shiretoko National Park Nature Center to see shika deer. Behind the facility, there is a photo spot of shika deer. They are "always" spotted there and we can easily take pictures of them.

See! There are several shika deer here!

Look at one of the deer! A crow is on the back!

Hahaha!

■Where are "Shiretoko Five Lakes （知床五湖）"?

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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!

Salmon/ Trout-Run Observatory （サケ・マス遡上観覧施設）| Onnebetsu River （遠音別川） | Shiretoko

Located near Oshin-Koshin Falls, Onnebetsy river is a recommendable spot to observe salmon/ trout run from August to October. At the time, there are so many salmon in the river that the color of the water looks very black!

We visited here at the early November, which is a little bit late to see salmon run. We were wondering whether we could see salmon here now or not..............  Anyway, let's downstairs to the river!

It's a beautiful river!
Well, well, well, where is salmon?? We should look for it!

We've found it! But not a lot.
The driver said, "Come here! There are a lot of salmon here!"

We went to a bridge along Route 334.

Yes! there are a lot of salmon here! Happy to observe salmon run here in November!!!

■Where is "Salmon/ Trout-Run Observatory in Onnebetsu River （遠音別川サケ・マス遡上観覧施設）"?

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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!