It’s been a few years since the last time I’ve been to Hokkaido. The memories of the trip leaves me with many feelings… but the most dominant one of all is longing. The fresh savory kaisendon of Hakodate’s morning fish market, the creamy cool touch of soft serve ice cream made of Hokkaido cream, and the umami rich miso ramen from Sapporo’s Ganso Ramen Yokocho stir deep feelings of desire that haven’t been sated since the onset of the pandemic in 2020.
Salmon, Crab, and Sea Urchin kaisendon with side of miso and pickled squid.
Butter corn miso ramen
After thinking about these delicacies for years, we have finally decided to make our prodigal return to the northern island of Japan to revisit and explore new dishes and exotic flavors. After much deliberation, the cities that we want to visit are:
Chitose 千歳市
Chitose is an easy choice because of the long trip from the United States to Japan will take approximately 15-22 hours pending the location of the layover. The goal is to take an easy day near the airport and get some rest while enjoying the local snacks.
Sapporo 札幌市
Ganso Ramen Yokocho
Sapporo is the 5th largest city in Japan and the largest city north of Tokyo. The unique agriculture, seafood, and livestock products along with a more relaxed cityscape make Sapporo a great place for urban exploration and stopping at many small snack shops.
Otaru 小樽市
Otaru is a small port city north of Sapporo that’s well known for their glass wares and their beautiful canal scenery. Most people travel past Otaru on the way to the Nikka Whisky distillery in Yoichi. Otaru is also linked to the greater Kanto by an overnight ferry that travels daily to Niigata. This city has is known for having a small town feel and garnered my attention when I heard about their amazing castella cakes and potato mochi.
Noboribetsu 登別市
Hell’s Valley in Noboribetsu
Noboribetsu is a hot spring town known for the famous Jigokudani, or Hell’s Valley. Each of the onsen resorts / ryokan here sport many varieties of kaiseki. Kaiseki are traditional Japanese dinners that offer many courses and often highlight the season with local ingredients and are often presented in elaborate and beautiful presentations.
Lake Toya 洞爺湖
Lake Toya is a circular caldera lake approximately 10 km in diameter. This is the most outdoor focused region we will visit and boasts many outdoor hiking trails and beautiful natural scenery. We expect the many resorts around this area will sport different types of cuisines.