Hokkaido

[oesophagus]

I'm heading off to Niseko to do some skiiing at the end of the week (seven metres of powder!) - does anyone have any recommendations for quality bars and restaurants in that 'hood?

[Ohba]

I'm always pretty happy with the food up in Niseko; maybe it's unfair to compare with some of the minor resorts I've been to, but after Zao and Appi, which are majors, and where I thought the food was pretty mediocre, it was a relief to go back to Niseko. As with all Japanese ski areas, there is no shortage of substandard food of course, particularly at the on-slope restaurants, but the best food is very good indeed. There are a few nice options, mostly open in the evenings only (I think their staff are off skiing during the day). If you go down the hill from the Scott hotel at Hirafu, the main strip, on the left are Big Cliff and Abucha (down at the traffic lights) while on the right is Bang Bang. Big Cliff has a nice homely feel to it, and most of the stuff is pretty tasty. I think Abucha's food is even better, and Bang Bang is also very good, although it can run expensive. You would do well to book, especially at Bang Bang; I've never had much luck just walking in - it's always busy. The little ramen shop next to the Scott is also good; it goes izakaya in the evenings. If you want to eat (good) Western, there's Jojos cafe at the Niseko Adventure Centre. Nice place. I think the stuff available at Higashiyama and Annupuri is much more the kind of thing you'd expect at any ski resort in Japan.

Niseko: better food, more snow. But that's just my opinion.

[Ohba]

Very tasty. Reminds me of blackberry.

[tissue]

http://homepage2.nifty.com/otaru-yamatoya/index6.htm

Check out these donburis!

Reminds me so much of what I ate in Hokkaido last summer.

[easternsun]

is ika-meishi a hokkaido specialty? i just love it and for some reason i have always thought of it as a dish the originated there.

[Hiroyuki]

is ika-meishi a hokkaido specialty?  i just love it and for some reason i have always thought of it as a dish the originated there.

←

Ika-meshi? I thought it was a specialty of Hakodate in Hokkaido, but I have just confirmed by googling that it is a speciality of Mori Station.

http://web-japan.org/nipponia/nipponia11/spot02.html

Read (2).

I like ika-meshi too, but I would like it more if it were bigger!

[easternsun]

is ika-meishi a hokkaido specialty?  i just love it and for some reason i have always thought of it as a dish the originated there.

←

Ika-meshi? I thought it was a specialty of Hakodate in Hokkaido, but I have just confirmed by googling that it is a speciality of Mori Station.

http://web-japan.org/nipponia/nipponia11/spot02.html

Read (2).

I like ika-meshi too, but I would like it more if it were bigger!

←

great information hiroyuki! i cant believe i have lived in osaka for eight years and i have never tried a "midousuji bento" - it is on the list for my next trip to umeda!

[Kiem Hwa]

Here is some delicious Yubari Melon-Chocolates I bought recently. Our store here had a "Hokkaido Fair", I think these are from Sapporo.

They look like a melon cut in half - like a half of a round ball, the outside is a greenish color with a melon texture, with an orange center! Cute and delicious!

[Hiroyuki]

Someone named Turmeric told me that she was hooked on soup curry. I didn't know anything about it. I did some googling and found that it is a specialty of Sapporo.

http://www.sapporo-factory.co.jp/travel/en/hokkaido/

Scroll down and read under 03.

Turmeric provided me with video.

(Japanese only)

Very interesting!

[GlorifiedRice]

I hope that everyone in Hokkaido is okay after the Tsunami and Earthquake this morning...