Sounkaku Grand Hotel （層雲閣グランドホテル）①| Meals | Daisetsuzan National Park

I'm now in the Daisetsuzan National Park （大雪山国立公園）.

Today's hotel is "Sounkaku Grand Hotel （層雲閣グランドホテル）"↓

Let's take it easy!!!

This is my room. Nod bad!!

Just for reference, this is a Japanese tatami room. Which do you prefer, a Japanese or a Western room?

Look at the Ishikari River （石狩川） seen from my room! How soothing it is!!

In the winter time, it is covered with snow↓

The area has different attraction in each season.

First of all, we went to the buffet venue.

My guests were so excited to see the crab mountain! Hahaha!

I really love Hokkai Shrimps （北海シマエビ）, local shrimps available only in Hokkaido!

How about the tempra and steak corner? Yummy x 2!!

This sashimi corner looks good, but personally I recommend......

this sushi corner （勝手寿司）.

Look at the sushi machine! Amazing isn't it?  Although this sushi doesn't taste as great as ones professional chefs make, as it is fun, I made a lot of sushi by myself! Hahaha!

Don't forget ramen （ラーメン） at the end!

The frozen noodles are boiled..........

like this↓

This is my first round!

I chose a lot of crabs and Hokkai shrimps!

Ramen looks wonderful, doen't it? As I like meat, I put three pieces of tender pork on ramen! Hahaha!

About desserts, I enjoyed a lot of fruits and ..................

a new type of shaved ice （新感覚アイス）↓

"Charmmy Snow Ice （チャーミースノーアイス）" tastes condensed milk, and is shaved softly like this.

This home-made strawberry source really goes well with the dessert!

See?! It tastes wonderful!

After enjoying dinner, we enjoyed hot spring.

To be continued............

■Hotel Information

・Hot Spring→★

・Optional Tour→★

■Where is "Sounkaku Grand Hotel （層雲閣グランドホテル）"?

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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!

36th LAKE SHIKOTSU ICE FESTIVAL （2014千歳・支笏湖 氷濤まつり）| Mizu no uta （水の謌）

We went to the 36th LAKE SHIKOTSU ICE FESTIVAL （2014千歳・支笏湖 氷濤まつり） today.

Look at Lake Shikotsu!
How beautiful it is!

Let's go to the festival site!
Because ice objects are made of lake water, which is blessed with minerals, the tunnel looks light blue! Amazing, isn't it?

It was very cold today.
When we went there, the temperature there was -10C!! Just for reference, the lowest one today was -20C!!!! Wow! Wow! Wow!

First, we enjoyed "Ice Falls （アイスフォールズ）"↓
My guests from Hawaii were so excited to see water running from the top!

Let's enter "Moss Cave （苔の洞門）"↓

Tada!!!
See??? It looks like a real moss cave!!! Pine leaves are used for the art work.

At the end of the cave, kokanee salmon are decorated like an aquarium↓

We are so impressed with "Big Mountain （ビッグマウインテン）"! Can you imagine local people not professional artists create these ice sculpture???

Cool!

Let's climb the Blue Chateau （ブルーシャトー）"!

We can enjoy the whole picture of the festival site!!!

How exciting it is!!! Of course, we enjoyed the "Big Slope （ビッグスロープ）" like children!!

The festival site has a shinto shrine, too!!! When you go to the inside,

you will find the offertory box, but......

visitors don't use it. They put coins on the ice directly! Hahaha!

Last but not least, we visited "Mizu no Uta （水の謌）" for desserts!

Their cakes are all delicious. Among them,

"Tarumae san syu （たるまえ山シュー）", puff creams, are the most popular! Yummy x 2!!!

I also recommend this dessert. Do you have any idea what it is? I'll open the lid.

It looks like a pudding, but it is not a normal pudding!!

Voila!
This is "Miso Pudding （みそプリン）"!!!
I'm so happy that my guests also love the desserts!

■Where is "Mizu no Uta （水の謌）"?

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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!

Gyokusuien （玉翠園）| Japanese Tea Specialty Store | Sapporo

Do you like Maccha or Green tea ice cream? If so, let's go to "Gyokusuien（玉翠園）", a Japanese tea specialty store!! Their ice cream is also really recommendable!!!

They started their business in 1933 in Sapporo.

 It looks like a normal, typical Japanese tea store.

They have a variety of tea & tea utensils, and

you can drink freshly-made green tea in the shop.

But actually it is NOT a normal tea shop. Look at the special menu↓ They also serve green tea latte (hot green tea poured over cold ice cream), green tea sandae, ochazuke (rice with green tea) and so on. They have special seasonal items, too.

We ordered "yukimoe（雪萌え）" parfait (right)!! We were so excited before eating it :-) Hahaha!!

The top ice cream is made of milk produced in Tokachi, Hokkaido. It is not so sweet that you can fully enjoy its milk taste! Furthermore, they don't use any additives and you can appreciate the natural flavor only!!! Green tea is also used to the waffle! Perfect!!!

Like this pic↓, under the milk ice cream, there are layers of rich green tea ice cream, roasted brown rice and adzuki bean jam. They use their high-end green tea for the ice cream, and for jam they choose the best beans produced in Tokachi, Hokkaido, which is one of the best bean production sites in Japan. Wonderful!!! Yummy x 2!!!

Do you want to eat the delicious green tea ice cream????

The owner said, "We always use the best ingredients in the season to make this parfait!"

When you come here in January, mandarin orange sauce is added to the top↓

Why January only???

Tea farmers usually make orange, too. They send their delicious oranges as year-end gifts （お歳暮） to the shop owner. He cannot eat them up, and makes orange sauce from them. He doesn't add any sugar to it, just boiling oranges down... Sounds perfect, doesn't it?

This is a spring version with sakura or cherry blossom ice cream made of fresh milk and cherry petals, picked in the shop's garden.↓ Perfect!!

In May, they serve special ice cream made of newly-harvested green tea leaves. I have to go again!

■Where is "Gyokusuien（玉翠園）"

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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!