65th SAPPORO SNOW FESTIVAL （さっぽろ雪まつり）

The 65th SAPPORO SNOW FESTIVAL （さっぽろ雪まつり） has just started today (Feb. 5th-11th), and I checked it for a tour from tomorrow.

There are several booths serving hot drinks and food free of charge! I'm sure my guests will love it!

I walked from 8 chome to 2 chome along Odori Park （大通公園）, a main venue of the festival.

8 chome
■TOMB OF ITMAD-UD DAULA (India)
If you are interested in Indian food, please enjoy Indian food stalls in this block!

■Sultan Abdul Samad Building
As I love Malaysia, I tries Malaysian food, too!

Look at this booth↓

I love Mie goreng very much!

6 chome
■Hokkaido Winter Food Park
How attempting the food court is!

Among a lot of booths, I chose this Betsukai stall, because I've stayed Betsukai （別海） for one month as an interpreter.

Do you have any idea what kind of burger it is?

Voila!
This is ..............

Scallop Burger （別海ジャンボホタテバーガー）↓
How huge the scallop is! Yummy x 2!!!

5 chome
■Winter Sports Paradise, Hokkaido!
Winter Olympics in Sochi is around the corner. I hope Team Japan will get a lot of medals there!

4 chome
■Traditional and Modern Taiwan
I really love Taiwanese food, and looked for their food stalls, but there are NO food booths here!!! WHY???? Hahaha!

3 chome
■Shiroi Koibito Park Air Jump

I was so lucky to see athletes practicing snowboarding here!

Wow! Wow! Wow!

As I also snowboard, I really enjoyed it!

I'll be back at night!!

Look at the smoking space↓
It is also made of ice!! Interesting!!

2 chome
■Palace of the Heart

It is very cold these days (the highest temperature today is -4C......)
When you come to the festival, please wear a thick jacket!

p.s.
I'll go around several festivals throughout Hokkaido for the next four days with my tour guests, and update pics in each one. Please enjoy virtual festivals through my blog!)

■Where is Odori Park, a main venue of Sapporo Snow Festival?

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!

Bally Yatai （バリー屋台）| Food Stall Complex | Yubari

We visited a unique food stall complex located in Yubari （夕張） today, which still has snow even in April↓

"Bally Yatai （バリー屋台）" is next to "Hotel Mount Racey （ホテルマウントレースイ）", a ski resort hotel, and JR Yubari Station （JR夕張駅）.

Actually almost nobody was walking on the street around here, but when we enter the food stall complex..........

Wow! Wow! Wow! They were enjoying local food and beer inside!!!

There are eight food stalls in the complex, and we can bring any dish to the center tables.

We chose "Shikanotani 3 chome Shokudou （鹿の谷3丁目食堂） first!

There are a lot of fans for their curry soba↓

The soup with slices of pork and onions entangles with soba noodles like this↓ Yummy x 2!!!

After eating noodles, we put rice and half boiled egg into the soup, and made curry risotto♪

What a great idea!!!

Next we chose "Yubari ramen （夕張ラーメン）" to eat very special ramen!!

This is "Yubari kuro (black) ramen （夕張黒ラーメン）". What is black? Do you have any idea???

Surprisingly the noodles are black!!!!

Yubari used to flourish in the coal industry, and the city promotes something black like that!!!

■Where is "Bally Yatai （バリー屋台）"?

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!

Minatonoyatai （港の屋台）| Food Stall Complex | Kushiro Fisherman's Wharf MOO

I love food stalls, because the dishes are not expensive, but delicious!! If you want to share several dishes from different stalls, how about "Minatonoyatai （港の屋台）", located on the second floor of the "Kushiro Fisherman's Wharf MOO （釧路フィッシャーマンズワーフMOO）"? This is in downtown Kushiro.

See!? There are 10 food stalls on the floor! Sounds fun!!!

We can take a seat at a stall, enjoying conversations with owners, or take several dishes from different stalls, sharing them with our friends at the center tables.

One of my friends chose "Robata Shidukawa （炉ばた 志づ川）"↓

Look at the set menu! They are so reasonable!!!

Voila! This is a sashimi set! Oops! The owner tripped near our table, and sprinkled soy sauce over the sashimi! Hahaha!

Look at the samishi! All of the fish is caught off this town, and very fresh! Yummy x 2!!!

Another friend chose "Shokujidokoro Fuji （食事処 藤）"↓

Wow! Wow! Wow! How big the grilled Atka mackerel （ホッケ） is↓ Yes! Kushiro （釧路） is one of the famous fishing towns in Hokkaido.

Anyway, I chose "Kushiromeibutsu Zanginoyokozuna （くしろ名物 ざんぎの横綱）"↓

They serve delicious fried chicken called zangi （ザンギ）, and fresh seafood. Actually I negotiated with the owner, and asked him to make an original set!

Voila! This is my own set!

Do you have any idea what they are?

I know it's controversial, but this is whale meat! Actually Kushiro is a whaling town, where we can enjoy fresh juicy whale sashimi. Yummy x 2!!!

And this is Pacific saury （さんま）. Kushiro is proud of one of the biggest catches of the fish in Japan, whose best season is fall! Naturally I should eat it!!!　
This is very fatty, and super-delicious!!!

I also ordered beef tataki （牛のたたき）↓

This is a Japanese-version of roast beef. Very appetizing, isn't it?

On the first floor of the "Kushiro Fisherman's Wharf MOO （釧路フィッシャーマンズワーフMOO）", we can enjoy souvenir shopping.

I love this stall complex!

■Where is the "Kushiro Fisherman's Wharf MOO （釧路フィッシャーマンズワーフMOO）"?

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!