Lined with many unique shops, cafes, art galleries and museums in both white walled houses and early western buildigns, Kurashiki Bikan Historical Quarater in Okayama Japan is one of the best places showcasing traditional culture. Tasting local food is a favorite things for tourists. In the old town, you may also experience how to make the red bean crepe with your own hand.
Tasting local food is one of the key elements when it comes to travel. It would also be great if the food is delicious, cheap and cheerful, the restaurant opens till late and is conveniently located. Iwasaka in Aeon Mall probably probably just meet all those criteria. It is one of the popular sushi bars conveniently located in Aeon Mall which is about 10 minutes walk from JR Okayama station. Of course there is an underground connection so that you wouldn’t have to worry about the weather. The prices of the sushi dishes ranged from ¥180 (HK$13) to ¥580 (HK$43). Many are around ¥300 (HK$22), including the steamed oysters sushi, Sakura sushi, and the massive sushi roll that I ordered. The assorted 3 kinds of seasonal raw fish sushi was ¥380 (HK$28). There are more locals than tourists which is a good sign for now. Check it out if you are visiting Okayama. This is not an advertisement! I have been to the restaurant a couple of time when I travelled to Okayama. It is just easy. Iwasaka Address: 7F…
Oroshi soba (or Echizen soba noodle) is one of the famous local food in Fukui, Japan. It is basically soba served with a lot of grated radish. The history of soba in Fukui goes back to the Edo Period some 400 years ago when the first domain lord ordered the farmers to grow buckwheat as the staple food so that the community can stay out of starvation. Today, soba remains a local favorite food and soba noodle restaurants are everywhere. Established 90 years ago, Echizen Soba no Sato is one of the premium soba companies specializing in soba noodle. The company is now running by the third generation. Since 2002, the company has started to grow their own buckwheat in Hokkaido and Fukui, completely the supply chain. Their business has grown beyond just selling soba noodles as well. They have made other products as well. One of the interesting things is the soba ice cream! When you visit Fukui, not only you may taste Oroshi soba, but also try to make some for you and your friends and family. It…
Kutani ware is one of the traditional Japanese potteries with over 350 years of history. Kutani is the name of the village where porcelain raw mineral was discovered, now part of Kaga, Ishikawa Japan. After the discovery, the first lord of Kaga spearheaded the production of porcelain by learning from China and building kilns in the 17th century. There are several styles of Kutani ware but the main features are the vivid color: bluish-green and the “5 colours”, using green, yellow, red, purple and navy. Kuntani ware was designated a traditional craft in 1975 and now available in Kanazawa, Komatsu, Kaga and Nomi-shi.
Fruit picking has been a popular activities for tourists because many orchards or farmlands offer all-you-can-eat-fruit-picking package that you can pick the seasonal fruits you like in the farm. Depending on the location, the most common and popular fruit is strawberries which are available between December and May every year. In Kaga Fruitland in Ishikawa prefecture, fruit-picking is available year round. Here’s the schedule: Strawberries: Mid December to May Cherries and blue berries: June Grapes: July to October Apples: mid October to early December There are different packages for fruit picking. Advance booking is required. There is a time limit of 30 minutes for strawberry picking and 40 minutes for cherry picking. Please check out the website www.furulan.com.
Locating just about 10-15 minutes on foot from JR Kiso Fukushima Station, Nagomian Hidatei is a Japanese restaurant that offers traditional Japanese cuisine with creative twist in a centuries old building. The ambience was excellent, food was great, the owner and staffs are friendly and speak English! Thumbs up (Like)!
Soba has been one of the most traditional food in Japan, dating back to the Jomon Period (14,000-300 B.C.). While there are different saying about the place of origin, Nagano was the first location mentioned in some historic documents of the Edo Period（1603-1868) producing soba. So when you visit Nagano Japan, don’t miss the chance to taste the soba noodles. Soba noodles can be served either chilled with a dipping sauce, or in hot broth as a noodle soup. Chilled isn’t really cold. Soba noodles are rinsed with cool water after cooking and served on a bamboo sieve. Dipping sauce called Tsuyu is served on the side. Some soba shops are very particular in making their own dipping sauce which gives flavor to the noodles. While many restaurants serve the dipping sauce in just a small cup and room temperature, others provide a pot of warm dipping soup that you may consume as regular soup as well. In Matsumoto, Nagano Japan, soba noodles are served in hot pot style.
Tokachi in Hokkaido Japan is rich in agricultural products and farming. Vegetables, wheat, beans, beef, pork and dairy products are all very famous. Fresh vegetables from the farm in Hokkaido is the key selling point of Tokachi Farmers Restaurant and I believe it. Food was good even deep fried.
Things become precious if they are limited in supply. The Tori. Hana. Yuki. soba restaurant in Jozankei, Hokkaido Japan is a family run business that only sell 50 bowls of soba noodles a day. All ingredients are carefully selected by the owner who care about the natural taste and fresh ingredients. The Yasaiten-soba (vegetable tempura noodles) is the most famous as it has been featured in a magazine. The chef’s recommendation, however, was pork soba when I went. It opens at 11am every day except every 1st, 3rd and 5th Mondays. If the Monday happens to be a public holiday, it will close the next Tuesday. So you bet it is a challenge and probably only open till lunch time. Address of Tori. Hana. Yuki.: Minami-ku Jozankei Onsenhigashi 2-chome, Hokkaido Japan. Tel: 011-598-5755
Travelling is full of pleasant surprises if you take a closer look and explore. On my way to Hokkaido University, I saw this historic building with an open courtyard and a roll-up banner featuring food menu. Then I stopped to take a look at the building and menu, thinking it may be a good option for lunch or dinner. After visiting Hokkaido University, I went back for a lunch. It was a good decision.
