"Sorachi Wine Journey" - Enjoy the charms of food and nature while tasting fine wine

10:00 Housui Winery

This winery features a wide field that creates a beautiful rural landscape, and the vineyards seen from the second floor of the winery are a sight to behold. The beauty of the vineyards is such that they were used as a filming location for the movie "Tears of the Grapes," and some of the sets used in the movie still remain on the premises, so it is recommended to combine your visit with a tour of the filming locations. The soft serve ice cream that can be enjoyed on the premises is also popular, and you can try the "grape soft serve" made with grape sauce from the winery's own vineyards. Why not start your trip to Minami Sorachi with some of the notable Sorachi wines?

Housui Winery

20 minutes by car

11:30 EKARA, a restaurant in the fields

At Restaurant EKARA, located in a field surrounded by rice paddies, you can enjoy dishes cooked in an authentic stone oven or wood-fired with vegetables from the restaurant's own farm, along with wine from Sorachi. Fresh vegetables and local ingredients are lined up on farm plates and pizzas, and you can spend an exquisite time in the countryside, surrounded by a rural landscape that shows different expressions depending on the season and time.

EKARA, a restaurant in the fields

10 minutes by car

14:00 Roadside station "Mikasa"

This is the first roadside station registered in Hokkaido. Facing Route 12, the large 10m diameter waterwheel is a major landmark for drivers. In addition to being a great place to rest during a drive, the "Food Warehouse" is a popular spot for tourists, offering a wide selection of Mikasa's food and specialty products. You can also purchase wine at the nearby shops of YAMAZAKI WINERY and TAKIZAWA WINERY, which produce wine in Mikasa City.

Roadside Station "Mikasa"

30 minutes by car

15:30 Kan Yasuda Sculpture Museum Arte Piazza Bibai

This is an outdoor sculpture museum that exhibits the works of Yasuda Kan, a world-renowned sculptor from Bibai City. It is a relaxing plaza where contemporary art blends with the wooden school building of the former Sakae Elementary School, which closed in 1981, and the nature that changes with the seasons. The former Sakae Elementary School has been attracting attention as a constituent cultural asset of the Japan Heritage "See Japan's national policy in Hokkaido! ~ Northern Industrial Revolution "Coal and Iron Port"," which was certified in May 2019. It is also an art plaza where all people living today can spend their time freely and in their own way.

Kan Yasuda Sculpture Museum Arte Piazza Bibai

10 minutes by car

17:00 Yakitori Tatsumi

Bibai city once prospered as a coal mining town, and Bibai yakitori was what supported the miners of that time. Motsu skewers use every last bit of meat, including liver, heart, and kumquat, on one skewer. It is characterized by the use of onions instead of green onions between the meat, and is simply seasoned with salt and pepper. End your first day of travel with a toast and yakitori!

Yakitori Tatsumi