TacoCat’s Travels #175 (Japan 9.0 - Hokkaido): A Clawsome Experienc...

Hey Hive!

So if you missed the last couple of posts, we are currently recounting our final journey to Japan back in July 2019 when we decided to explore a new region and see Hokkaido in summer (since everywhere else in Japan is really hot during that period)!

Last week, we completed the three part mini-series of exploring Shikisai-no-Oka, aka Shikisai Hills where they had plenty of beautiful flower fields! We were part of a group tour going up to the hills from Sapporo and got to enjoy the views of rows upon rows of colourful flowers!

We also got to enjoy a melon buffet as part of the buffet lunch included in the tour and it was delicious!

We also explored Tomita Farm, where they had many lavender flower fields which were no doubt the supply of all the lavender products special to Hokkaido, including lavender ice cream!

After such a long day, we were really exhausted from being on our feet for so long but it was totally worth it! I'm not really much of a flower girl, but it has always been my dream so visit a flower field and see all these colourful flowers in nature. Although it did get pretty warm in the end even in Hokkaido, I'd say it was well worth the trip still.

7 July 2019. Sunday.

But we were really tired after all that traveling and walking so we made sure to get lots of rest and just wanted to relax today. But first we had a late lunch at one of the most famous restaurants in Japan!

If you've ever visited Osaka, I'm sure this restaurant will seem familiar. There are quite a few crab restaurants with the same huge crab on the signboard but we've never actually tried any of them since Sean is not a big fan of seafood.

However, since we're in Sapporo and the local specialty is crab/seafood, I thought we should try it at least once. And since it was well past lunchtime by the time we left the apartment we figured it wouldn't be crowded even on Sunday so we went to check it out.

Immediately upon entry it felt like we were out of our depth. We were served by these ladies wearing kimonos who explained to us how the restaurant worked and the bottom floor was basically a waiting area.

There was also a merchandise and takeaway counter for people to order delivery.

But we didn't have to wait long since there was practically nobody in the restaurant at 3pm. We were told to take our shoes off and store them in the shoe lockers on the first floor before being led upstairs to our table.

It was so quiet upstairs especially with us walking on the lush green carpet. Turns out the tables were all in private rooms like a traditional ryokan. It felt really fancy and I felt so underdressed; like I should be in a kimono to enjoy this meal as well.

We were led down this row of rooms and although there were different types of rooms (like premium ones with the proper chairs), I still felt really out of place even just in the basic room.

It really was like a traditional Japanese inn (or ryokan), with the tatami mat on the floor and the floor cushions. Thankfully, the tables had an indent in the floor for us to put our legs so we don't have to sit cross-legged.

It was definitely a very unique experience since we're used to Japanese fast food and noisy open restaurants with free seating.

The menu had quite a lot of options like huge kaiseki course meals, and hotpot sets, and an assortment of crab sashimi of course.

Most of the sets were of course pretty expensive, and since Sean doesn't like raw seafood we ordered something simple instead.

After we placed our order, we waited while sipping on our green tea. We also got warm towelettes like those you get on airplanes. It really felt like we were getting pampered with the first-class treatment or something. I'm sure that's not really true but the service was really good nonetheless.

It really felt like a private dining room since it was just the two of us and we weren't disturbed with the door closed. We were pretty sure there were servers outside just waiting if there was anything we needed. But there was a call button on the table so we could contact them easily.

Just a short 10 minutes later, our order arrived!

First was this crab porridge since Sean wanted something warm and almost everything was cold since it was sashimi.

Here's a video of the reveal!

And this was what the porridge looked like! It was kinda simple looking, like the type you'd eat if you were sick. But it did smell pretty good!

We also ordered 2 plates of crab sushi! One of the thick rolled sushi and the other is their snow crab sushi I think.

It didn't look like a lot, but the sushi was actually quite filling! The crab was definitely very fresh and not fishy at all! I think that was my first time eating raw crab too. I'm glad it was at such a high-class restaurant so we could taste what good quality crab is like! And it was so delicious! I really loved the sushi, and the porridge was nice and wholesome too.

I wish I had taken more pictures of the sushi but I was too busy savouring it. I was tempted to order another portion but since Sean was satisfied and didn't feel like eating any more crab I was good.

I took the chance to use the check out the restroom and just like the rest of the restaurant, it was also quite traditional. There were sandals here for customers to use to go to the restroom since it might be wet. Thankfully I was wearing socks so I wouldn't have to use the sandals barefoot.

The restroom was probably the most modern part of the restaurant since it was the normal Japanese toilet.

It was definitely a hearty meal! And I wouldn't mind going back there again just for the sushi!

The whole experience was amazing! From the impeccable service to the delicious crab, this undoubtedly felt like one of the fanciest meals we've had in Japan for sure! And the experience of dining in a ryokan-inspired room was definitely unique.

If you ever get the chance, I highly recommend Kani-Honke! I doubt that the outlet in Osaka is at nice as this since it's always very crowded there but I've never actually been in there so I can't be sure. Going at an off-peak timing was definitely worth it though.

After that we took a walk in the mall since we only briefly explored it last time, and the mall is huge! We saw some interesting stuff like these Michael Jackson merchandise:

And of course we had to check out the local B-Side stickers here in Sapporo! The black and white one actually looked really cool and showcased the local specialties like crab, milk, cheese and even had a bear like melon-kuma!

And we also saw some racy anime stickers!

If I still collected stickers like I did in my childhood I think I would go broke with all these.

We passed by this bakery shop in the mall and couldn't resist getting this chunky chocolate muffin!

And this huge muff pastry! I don't actually remember what is inside it but it must've been yummy!

We checked out the Snoopy store again to see if they had any interesting stuff and we actually bought some things this time since there was a sale going on!

I believe we bought two Snoopy shirts, one for each for us since they looked pretty nice and were quite affordable.

Since we were getting thirsty, I thought there was never a better time to try the Hokkaido natural mineral water than then! It did taste quite refreshing.

Since we were on the lookout for more snacks, we had to stop by Beard Papa to get a cream puff! They were celebrating the 20th anniversary with this special France pear puffs?

But we just got our regular cookie cream puff since that was our favourite.

We also saw this huge stand of edamame products including a milk shake, cookies and swiss rolls in the department store! It was a little weird, but we weren't that keen on trying it.