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Monday, March 19, 2012

Mashike (増毛) Half Day Walking Tour

As a tour guide, I made a model course for a half-day walking tour in Mashike.
Mashike is a small town, which had been flourished in the 18th to the mid-20th century, when a lot of herring were caught off this fishing town.

This is JR Mashike Station, a terminal station of Rumoi main line. Look at the station sign, which is vertically written, and very classical!

Although this is now a quiet station without a station master, it was packed with a lot of customers during the halcyon years.
This station was used for a famous scene in "Station", a Japanese movie, whose lead is Ken Takakura.

Just in front of the station, we will see "Inn Tomitaya (旅館富田屋)" constructed in 1919. This was chosen as a location for "The Catch (魚影の群れ)", a Japanese movie released in 1983.

Go straight the Mashike Port Street (道道増毛港線), we will find "Sushi Matsukura (寿司のまつくら)", and enjoy

a northern shrimp bowl or

a seafood bowl! Yummy x 2!!! The seafood here is unbelievably delicious!
*Detailed information→Please click here!

After eating lunch, let's enjoy something historical, agian!
This is Itsukushima Shrine (厳島神社), constructed about 250 years ago.

Shrine foo dogs and stone lanterns are original.

The wooden tablets, its ceiling, and drawings are very beautiful!

Go up to the same slope, and we will find "Mashike Elementally School (増毛小学校)", constructed in 1936.

This is the largest and oldest existing wooden elementally school in Hokkaido, and surprisingly it is still used!

The gym is also wooden! Wow!

Go down the same slop to the Mashike Port Street (道道増毛港線), and we will find the residence of the Honma Family (旧商家丸本間家).

Taizo Honma, from Niigata, established a kimono boutique in 1874, then expanded his business to a general store, the transportation industry, the herring fishery and a sake brewery. He was a super rich merchant!

The trade name was cave in each roof tile. Wonderful, isn't it?
Basically this is a Japanese-style building, but we will find Western room ornaments such as pendent lumps in a guest room.

The admission is 400 yen. Please enjoy this national important cultural asset.

How about "Restaurant Shimagwa (志満川食堂)" across from the residence?

It used to be a shipping agency, and now is a restaurant.
While the residence of the Honma Family is a Japanese-style architecture, this is half-Japanese and half-Western building structure.

When you come to Mashike, you must visit here!
"Kunimare Sake Brewery (国稀酒造株式会社)" is the northernmost sake brewery in Japan, founded in 1881by Taizo Honma.

You can join a sake brewery tour and

try all of the sake. Sounds perfect, doesn't it? Actually we drank a lot! Hahaha!
*Detailed information→Please click here!

The tour is almost finished.
How about drop by "Cafe Umizaruya (カフェ 海猿舎)"?

Their coffee, smoothie, and cakes are recommendable!
*Detailed information→Please click here!


Northern shrimps caught around here are very delicious!

We can buy local fish here at reasonable prices!
*Detailed information→Please click here!

Please fully enjoy Mashike, a historical fishing town!

■Where is Mashike (増毛)?

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!

Kunimare Sake Brewery (国稀酒造株式会社)| Mashike

"Kunimare Sake Brewery (国稀酒造株式会社)" is the northernmost sake brewery in Japan, founded in 1881.

Their facilities have been nicely preserved and

we can feel the 19th atmosphere!

Let's enter it!

Before the brewery tour, we enjoyed the souvenir corner inside.

They sell a wide variety items, of course, including sake, but

Look at the sake kasu (sake cake) ice cream! Yummy x 2!!

I've found another ice cream here!

 This sake bag is very cute!!!

Aprons and happi coats with the company logo look cool!

Do you know Kiyomi Mikuni (清三 三國), a famous French chef? He is from Mashike, and they sell his products including curry soup.

Wow! They also sell sake ramen!

We have to buy some of their sake after tasting all of them at the end of the brewery tour!

The sake brewery tour started!
First, the history of this brewery was explained.

Taizo Honma, from Niigata, established a kimono boutique in 1874, and then expanded his business to a general store, the transportation industry, the herring fishery and a sake brewery.  At that time, this town was flourished because a lot of herring was caught around here. Although the demand of sake was very high, it had to be imported from Honsyu, the main island of Japan. Therefore the price of sake was very high. Taizo brewed sake himself so as to meet the demand of the fishermen working for him.

Look at the most delicious pyramid in the world! Hahaha! We use this special sake in auspicious occasions such as wedding ceremonies.

Then we learned how to make sake.
Rice, an ingredient of sake, is riced and steamed here

River-bed water from Syokanbetsu Dake (暑寒別岳) is used for sake in this brewery. This is super-soft water, which has little minerals, and perfect for sake-making. We tried it!

There are sake tanks.

This is a presser in use.

This is the original version, which was used in the 19th century.

We observed freshly-pressed sake!

Voila!
It's tasting time!!!! We can try all of them!!!

Wow! Wow! Wow! We were so excited to try each of them, and compare with each other!

I love daiginjyo (大吟醸), the highest grade sake. Actually we drank a lot! Hahaha!

How wonderful the tour is!

Last, but not least, we took some pics with this drunken beer!

■Where is "Kunimare Sake Brewery (国稀酒造株式会社)"?

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!

Saturday, March 17, 2012

Endo Suisan/ Minatomati Ichiba (遠藤水産 港町市場)| Fish Wholesaler/ Retailer | Mashike

"Endo Suisan/ Minatomati Ichiba (遠藤水産 港町市場)" is a 57-year old fish wholesaler and retailer in Mashike, selling fresh seafood caught off Mashike.

Just behind the retail space, some workers were packing fresh seafood.

Voila!
All of them are local fish!

How about dried fish?

Mashike reminds a lot of people of fresh seafood such as octopus and

northern shrimps! Of course, I bought some!! Hahaha!

They also sell processed seafood! Perfect♪

Here are the seasons for some of the local fish in Mashike.

Northern shrimp
Throughout the year except Feb.
Octopus    
Throughout the year
Salmon
Sep. to Nov.
Cod
Dec. to Feb.
Squid
Jul. to Dec.
Sea urchin
Jul. to Aug.
Abalone
Oct. to Dec.
Scallop
Throughout the year


■Where is "Endo Suisan/ Minatomati Ichiba (遠藤水産 港町市場)"?

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, March 16, 2012

Cafe Umizaruya (カフェ 海猿舎)| Mashike

After eating delicious seafood bowls and shrimp tempura at "Sushi Matsukura (寿司のまつくら)", we went to "Cafe Umizaruya (カフェ 海猿舎)" to relax and get local information.

This is a small, but very cozy cafe.

As I don't drink coffee, I was checking the dessert menu........... They serve different cakes depending on the season.

Those two look very delicious!

This freshly-made grapefruit smoothie is like sherbet! I love it♪

This chocolate pound cake with walnuts are made by "SKANPIN (スカンピン)", a popular bakery in Mashike. The ice cream with vanilla beans are very tasty, and goes well with this rich pound cake!

We've got several useful local information from the owner, and started the city tour! 
Let's go!

■Where is "Cafe Umizaruya (カフェ 海猿舎)"?

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!