Ai Nishimura
Administrator of the blog "My Diary," which began in 2004. A writer who has traveled to all 47 prefectures and loves local culture and history.
Author of Shimane's "Geography, Place Names, and Maps" Mysteries (Jitsugyo no Nihonsha), My Town is the "Number One in Japan" Dictionary (PHP Institute), and Prefectures Explained in Neko Neko Japanese History (Jitsugyo no Nihonsha). Official blogger for Suntory Gourmet Guide, official top user for Retty, and official platinum blogger for Excite.
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Board the Okhotsk express train and head to Asahikawa. The Asahikawa station building has undergone a beautiful transformation.
The Okhotsk express train leaves Abashiri Station in the evening. If I miss this train, there won't be another one until the next day... so I boarded the train with some tension. But I was relieved to be able to board safely.
The first time I came to Asahikawa was 14 or 15 years ago, before I had even become a writer. I remember being surprised by how cold it was in the frigid cold of December. I came back about six years ago. It's a city with a lot of fond memories.
Asahikawa Station has been rebuilt into a station building with a natural and warm feel. It is the second largest city in Hokkaido after Sapporo, and has been reborn as a highly artistic station, befitting a place where woodworking and crafts are thriving.
It was a fun first time in Abashiri. After finishing with Rainbow, I took the train to Asahikawa. I boarded the Okhotsk limited express train.
The vehicles are clean and the lighting is very bright.
It was dark and I couldn't see anything outside the window. But on the way, the conductor came to the car to turn the seats around. I wondered what he was doing, and then we turned back. Before I knew it, we were driving through a steep mountain pass. We all turned the seats around and headed for Asahikawa.
Arrived at Asahikawa Station. It looks different from the Asahikawa Station I know.
Wow. Asahikawa Station has been completely renovated. It has been renovated so beautifully. Asahikawa is a city of furniture. They are really good at woodworking. The station building has been elevated and reborn as a modern station building.
Hoshino Resorts OMO7 Asahikawa. Guest rooms overflowing with flowers and plants, supervised by a garden designer.
On this night, we stayed at OMO7 Asahikawa, which just opened this spring. We were greeted by a birch object that is typical of Hokkaido, and the spacious lobby was equipped with various features to make our trip even more enjoyable.
The rooms are garden rooms that were inherited from the Asahikawa Grand Hotel before it was renovated, and were designed by a garden designer from Ueno Farm in Asahikawa.
It had a romantic feel, as if you were in a flower garden, and the dusty colors gave it a calming feel.
Our accommodation for the night was Hoshino Resorts OMO7 Asahikawa.
It was late and the lobby was quiet. The hotel has just under 250 rooms and was renovated and reopened this spring.
The birch motif gives it a Hokkaido feel.
The pendant light in the lobby. If you look closely, you'll see that it's a bowl of ramen from a famous ramen restaurant in Asahikawa.
Maps of the surrounding area and recommended spots are displayed in a very handcrafted style. OMO7 Asahikawa offers the "GO-KINJO" service. This is a community-based service where you can walk around the park on foot with a guide called an OMO Ranger, who will introduce you to some shops.
The tap near the front desk.
If you look closely, you can see that the bear is holding a salmon in its mouth.... When you turn on the tap, "haskap juice" comes out.
The room we stayed in that day was the Garden Room, a softly designed room surrounded by illustrations of greenery and flowers.
Supervised by Ueno Farm in Asahikawa City.
From the wallpaper and picture frames to the fabrics and furniture, the space is all about botanical design.
Amenities include L'Occitane's Verbena series.
There were also hair care products. Judging from the abundance of amenities, this room is definitely geared towards women.
Eat "Shinkoyaki" and "Charcoal Grilled Shiretoko Chicken" at Asahikawa Furarito.
In Asahikawa, we stopped at two stores. Both were located in small streets called "Furarito."
At "Ginneko" we had "Shinkoyaki". It is half a chicken grilled over charcoal, and you can choose between sauce or salt, or you can have half and half. The restaurant is crowded with many people even in the daytime. Shinkoyaki, a local Asahikawa gourmet dish, is highly recommended.
Another restaurant, Fukuro-tei, serves Shiretoko chicken and kasube. Kasube is a type of ray that is commonly eaten in Hokkaido.
Time flies by as you chat with the friendly people of Asahikawa.
The next day, the final day, we will spend the entire day traveling around Asahikawa.
Asahikawa nightlife. At the entrance to Furarito, a street packed with small restaurants, is the long-established restaurant Ginneko. You can eat Shinkoyaki, a specialty of Asahikawa.
I'm a silver cat, but I'm a raccoon dog. I won't just walk right by... No, I won't. I'm entering the store!
First, we have the appetizer of pickled vegetables.
This restaurant uses forks instead of chopsticks. I wonder if it was modern in the past. Chopsticks are also provided, so please ask for them if you need them.
Orders for yakitori keep coming in one after another. The restaurant fills up in no time.
Hatokan. Sake heated over an open flame.
This is Shinkoyaki. Half a chicken is grilled unglazed over charcoal. You can choose salt or sauce to season it.
You can also have half salt and half sauce. Since it's half meat, you can enjoy both thigh and breast meat. The meat is firm and fragrant when cooked, and it's very filling. The sauce is sweet and spicy, but it's not too sweet, so you can really taste the soy sauce, which is a characteristic of Asahikawa, where soy sauce culture is deeply rooted.
Finish off with a piping hot chicken soup with a clear, odorless taste. Asahikawa's specialty, Shinkoyaki, is a dish you should definitely try at this Showa-era retro restaurant.
It's rare to see an alley like this these days, and it's a moving experience to be in Asahikawa at night. I head to another shop in the same row.
We went to Fukuro-tei, where the menu features ingredients from Hokkaido and local areas.
There are many owls in the store. Owls are considered to be auspicious birds that bring happiness.
There are also small dishes and izakaya small plates.
Shiretoko chicken. Simple but delicious. You can also enjoy the crispy skin.
Dried kasube overnight. Kasube is a type of ray that is hard to find in the Kanto region. It is a dish that goes well with alcohol, with its cartilage texture and concentrated flavor.
The contents published are accurate at the time of publication and are subject to change.
