Enjoying Hokkaido’s famous soup curry at Garaku Chitose Branch

22 August 2023

Our plan for our arrival day in Hokkaido is simple. Collect our rental car from Toyota-Rent a Car at the airport, check into our hotel, savour one of Hokkaido’s local cuisines during dinner and rest early. I did not fancy a long drive after picking up our rental car at the airport and chose to stay in Chitose instead of Sapporo as it is only a 5 minutes drive from Hokkaido’s New Chitose Airport.

We arrived in the evening after a 10-hour flight from Singapore that included an hour stopover in Taipei. Our hotel at Chitose is the Queen’s Chitose Hotel, a business hotel with free parking and good clean rooms.

Hokkaido has long been known throughout Japan for its food and soup curry is one of the great Hokkaido dishes that visitors should try. The dish is totally different from regular, thick Japanese-style curry with rice. The curry is watery, making it more of a soup dish than a curry. Hence the name.

There are many soup curry restaurants in Hokkaido serving this dish, each with their own secret recipe for the curry broth.

Garaku serves one of the best soup curries in Sapporo. I read somewhere that the primary reason behind the popularity of GARAKU is its original soup.

“The soup bouillon is made from flavours extracted by slowly boiling pork, chicken, and vegetables combined with a Japanese-style ‘dashi’ soup of dried skipjack tuna and mackerel further flavored with 21 different spices”.

Prior to our trip, I found that there is a branch of the popular restaurant located in Chitose. That was where we went for our dinner.

Unlike the main branch located in Sapporo, there are ample free parking spaces and no queue at the Garaku restaurant in Chitose.

Upon entry, I could smell the familiar smell of fragrant curry spices.

Waiting to be seated at the Garaku Chitose Branch even though there is no queue.

The decor of the restaurant is quite homely and warm. A chandelier with antelope horns hangs from the ceiling at the lobby area with wood panels and a small cactus garden.

Once seated, we were quickly served cups of iced water (typical of all Japanese restaurants in Hokkaido) and given an English menu.

We wanted to try the popular and limited quantities “Roasted Tender and Moist Pork Squares” and were not surprised to find that they were sold out.  All three of us ordered the “Yoichi wine fed pork shabu shabu with 7 kinds of mushrooms” instead.

    

Next, we were to choose the spiciness levels. As shown in the menu, 01 (not spicy) to 05 (very spicy) does not have additional charges. Those who breathe and eat fire can opt to pay extra yen for spiciness level from 06 to as high as 40!

All three of us chose level 05.

Rice is served in a separate bowl and we could also choose the amount of rice we wanted. The small (100g of rice) and medium (200g of rice) options have no additional charge while an additional 110 yen is charged for the large option with 350g of rice.

We chose 2 medium and 1 small portions. On hindsight, we should have chosen 3 medium portions as Sam has a good appetite.

We also have the options to add toppings. 

After a short wait, our soup curries with rice were served. Although this was our first time trying this dish, our expectations were high.

Love at first sight!

Our first soup curry in Hokkaido - Yoichi wine fed pork shabu shabu with 7 kinds of mushrooms. 

Hokkaido-grown rice, blended with 5 main healthy cereals and flavourfully finished with tumeric.

In addition to the 7 kinds of mushrooms, the beautiful bowl of yummy goodness included a boiled quail egg, broccoli, potatoes, a slice of crunchy lotus root, slices of carrot, some green sprouts and red paprika.

First sip the broth and taste the spices within. Unlike South East Asian curries, the curry broth has no coconut milk added and is hence watery in comparison. However, the spices within still pack a punch and are full of flavour.

Even although I am used to South East Asian spicy food, I was perspiring throughout my meal. Partly because there is little or no air-con in the restaurant during a hot summer night but mostly because I tends to perspire when I eat spicy food. Spice level 05 is very spicy! I think level 03 or 04 would have been ideal for me. 

I am normally not a fan of mushrooms but I enjoyed the fresh mushrooms and vegetables that came in the bowl. Especially delicious was the deep fried broccoli with its charred smoky flavour.

We finished every drop of the broth in all our bowls.

Before leaving, we actually bought a small bottle of Garaku’s premixed curry spices to bring home. I doubt we could recreate what we ate at home but we could always try.

Overall, our first taste of Hokkaido’s soup curry had been very positive. We would definitely try more soup curries when we visit Sapporo later during this trip.

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Hill of the Buddha, Easter Island Moai and Stonehenge

29 August 2023

I figured that our long drive from Obihiro to Otaru, via Sapporo, using the Hokkaido expressways would be too boring without a pit stop at a Hokkaido attraction. Just before reaching Sapporo, we took the exit at the Kita-Hiroshima interchange and did a 25 minutes (17 km) detour to the Makomanai Takino Cemetery, located in the southern outskirt of Sapporo city.

What could we be seeing at a Japanese cemetery?

I never imagine that I would see the Easter Island Moai statues in Hokkaido but I did. In addition, I also got to see a replica of the Stonehenge and a statue of an enormous Buddha with his head peeking out over a mound covered with fields of lavender.

As we entered the western gate of the cemetery (Google map location here), a row of gigantic Moai statues could be seen on the left side of the road.

We did not stop here. Instead, we continued inwards and parked at a large car park (Google Map location here) next to a grass and lavender covered mound known as the Hill of the Buddha.

The Hill of the Buddha is a shrine that features a 13.5 meter tall statue of the Buddha. It was designed by Tadao Ando, an architect famous for working on many creative buildings both within and outside of Japan.  

With construction beginning in October 2013 and completed in 2015, Tadao Ando built a rotunda to encase the existing Buddha statue with an opening on top that allows the head to peek out.

The statue was named Atama Daibutsu because only the statue's head (atama) peeks out from the dome-shaped roof.

The rotunda is then covered with earth to form a mound that is then planted with 150,000 lavender plants. If we had come during the lavender season, the entire mound would be covered in purple lavender flowers.

After viewing the Buddha’s head peeking out from the mound of earth, we took a short walk to the entrance of the shrine. Being in August, we did not see any lavender flowers.

A 50 to 60 meters pathway through the fields of lavender leads to a walled rectangular water feature and then into a tunnel that leads into the mound. To enter the tunnel, we had to walk around the water feature, somehow symbolising that the path to the Buddha is not direct. There is a cafe at the end of the water feature.

  A long path with lavenders on both sides leads to the entrance. 

The path to the Buddha is not straight forward. We have to circle around this water garden before entering a tunnel leading to where the Buddha is enclosed.

A 40m tunnel that amplifies the sound of your footsteps you approached the rotunda.

As we walked into the tunnel and approached the Buddha, we could first only see the feet. Then the body and finally the entire 13.5 meters tall statue sitting on a pedestal.

The sky acting like a halo around the Buddha’s head.

In this shrine, devotees could write a wish on a wooden placard called an ema, find out their fortune by taking a slip of paper called an omikuji and make message lighting to express a wish. These activities cost a fee. The proceeds are used to maintain the cemetery’s grounds.

We could also make a prayer and sound a gong placed at the foot of the stairs.

Chairs are placed in front of the Buddha. We are welcomed to sit and gaze at the Buddha statue.

We sat on the chairs to gaze at the Buddha before walking around the statue to admire the architecture and see more Buddhist statues at the side.

Relax, reflect and gaze at the calming face of the Buddha.

We went to check out the Rotunda Cafe and Store located inside the Hill of the Buddha. The soft serve lavender ice cream was sold out, so we had coffee instead.

Recharged by the caffeine, we walked from the Hill of the Buddha to the row of Moai statues that we saw earlier.

Walking to the Moai statues. Did you notice that one of the statues is different from the rest?

Moai statues are massive megaliths that are built in approximately 1400 - 1650 A.D. by the natives of Easter Island located in Polynesia. It is thought that the Moai were symbols of religious and political power and leadership and these statues represented the ancestors of the island people.

The average height of a Moai on Easter Island is about 4 meters and can weigh around 12.5 tons each. But some could be up to 12 meters tall. These replicas, in Hokkaido, are of similar sizes. 

Replicas of the Easter Island Moai in Hokkaido.

The faces on these Moai have distinct features, such as broad noses and strong chins jutting out from the rest of the body.

The Moai statue at the back – who does it resemble?

 

We walked to the replica of Stonehenge that is located a fair distant away. The weather and peacefulness of the surroundings made the walk very pleasant.

Walking towards the replica of Stonehenge.

Just like the real Stonehenge that we visited in the England, we did not get to see the stone blocks up close. There was a sign that told visitors to keep off the grass. Being the law-abiding tourists, we did just that although there were some other tourists who went to see the replica up close. 

Close-up photo of the Stonehenge replica.

I think the visit to the Hill of the Buddha was worth the detour (and one extra hour of driving time) that we took. The Buddha shrine was an amazing piece of artistry from the architect that is not to be missed. Plus the bonus of seeing and snapping photos of the replicas of the Easter Island Moai statues and Stonehenge. Although the shrine and sculptures are located in a large cemetery, the area that we walked through did not have any graves. 

From the Makomanai Takino Cemetery, we drove back to the Kita-Hiroshima Interchange to continue our journey along the tolled expressway to Otaru.

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Yabuhan Soba in Otaru for lunch and Soup Curry in Sapporo for dinner and everything else in between.

31 August 2023

After the Nikka Distillery Tour and whisky tasting in Yoichi, we arrived back in Otaru train station at about 1 PM. We managed to get the last locker at the Otaru train station to dump the loads of whisky we bought at the Nikka distillery before heading out for lunch in Otaru.

Lunch at Yabuhan Soba

We walked about 5 minutes to Yabuhan Soba. There was a short queue at this well-known soba (buckwheat noodle) restaurant in Otaru. We waited about 20 minutes for a table.

The restaurant is in a Japanese-style building marked by a willow tree.

We sat in a normal table instead sitting  on tatami mats at the traditional low tables. They have an English menu that offered various dishes besides soba.

We ordered the TenKake soba which is tempura with soba noodles in soup. This could come in either hot or cold soba. We ordered the usual hot soba. Most other diners, we noticed, ordered the cold soba which is popular in the summer heat. 

Tenkake soba which is tempura with soba noodles in soup.

We also ordered some cold Otaru beer to go with our hot soba soup.

Light and refreshing Otaru beer.

This restaurant is tourist friendly. There is information in English on how to best enjoy the food.

The soba has a nice chewy texture which I like.  Overall the lunch was delicious.

After our meal, the staff came over and served us some hot water which the noodles have been boiled in. Well worth a try.

We tried the soba-yu as per custom but it was not so tasty.

Sakaimachi Street

We went back to Sakaimachi Street after lunch.  This time we could take our time to browse through the pasty shops and buy some goodies from LeTao to bring home.

Ivy covered building at the start of Sakaimachi Street.

We did not take many photos since this was our second visit in two days.

Otaru Canal

Just before heading to our hotel to collect our luggage, we made a quick detour to take a look at Otaru Canal.

Otaru Canal in the day time emits a different vibe compared to the night. It is less romantic without the gas lights but still present a pretty picture.

Gulls, ducks and the usual canal boats could be seen.

We could see a local man feeding the gulls in the air and ducks on the water.

 

Travel from Otaru to Sapporo

Otaru Authent Hotel is within walking distance to the Otaru JR Train Station. We did not forget the Nikka whiskey that we stashed in the locker there.

Trains between Otaru and Sapporo is frequent. We bought the IC cards and loaded them with money. The IC cards could be used for the JR train ride from Otaru to Sapporo, as well as public transport when we are in Sapporo.

The first part of the train ride was quite scenic as the tracks pass by the coast. Thereafter, the train got pretty crowded as we got nearer to Sapporo, the big city in Hokkaido. It was a good thing we sat near the entrance and did not have to struggle too much to get off the train with our luggage (two of our suitcases had handles that broke during this trip – became fragile after 2 years sitting in the attic during the Covid 19 travel freeze).

The Sapporo Train Station is pretty big and busy. Besides JR trains, the subway in Sapporo is also linked. Our hotel in Sapporo is the Gracery Hotel and is located in front of Sapporo Station, connected to the Sapporo Station underground shopping mall.

Soup Curry Dinner in Sapporo

After enjoying soup curry at Soup Curry Garaku on our first night in Hokkaido, we decided that we must have another meal of soup curry before leaving Hokkaido. There are many soup curry restaurants in Hokkaido serving this dish, each with their own secret recipe for the curry broth. We decided to try Soup Curry Suage, which is one of the highly recommended soup curries.

We made our way to Soup Curry Suage4 which was supposed to close at 7.30 PM. Just as we arrived at the restaurant at about 7 PM, the staff stopped accepting people in the queue. Japan is known for their excellent service culture. Turning customers away 30 minutes before stated closing time is so strange.

After a quick check with Google Map, we found another soup curry restaurant nearby. Sapporo Tiger Curry is located inside Akarenga Terrace, just across the road junction from where Soup Curry Suage is located.

The restaurant is actually a stall in a food court located on the 3rd floor. We ordered from the Japanese menu using Google Translate. In addition to the usual chicken, there are soup curry with hamburgers in the menu and also vegetarian options.

We unknowingly ordered one that came with some horumon (fatty innards)! We did not eat the fatty innards and ordered an additional topping of chicken curry.

Vegetarian soup curry for my wife who wanted something lighter.

The curry was quite good, full of flavour! 

After our dinner, we went to check out a store in the mall selling outdoor gear. I was looking for small day pack to replace my current Northface bag which is aging and also a little heavy.

I found and bought this Montbell day pack that meets all my requirements (super lightweight, rain cover, waist straps that can be stowed, adjustable chest strap) for a good price.

Montbell is a excellent local brand and this bag is lightweight and packed with features that I need.

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Exploring Sapporo – Odori Park, Sapporo Beer Museum and shopping at Tanukikoji Street and Sapporo Station.

1 September 2023

The plan for the day was to explore Sapporo in a free and easy manner, do some shopping at Tanuki-koji Street and have dinner at Susukino. I had some interesting sights mapped out on Google Map, such as Odori Park, Sapporo TV Tower, former Hokkaido Government Office, and Sapporo Clock Tower.

After breakfast at the Gracery Hotel, we took a short walk to Odori Park. Sapporo is easy to navigate, with the streets running in the North-South and East-West direction in a grid pattern. Located in the heart of Sapporo, the iconic Odori Park stretches east to west for 12 blocks (approximately 1.5km).

 

 

Odori Park and the Sapporo Clock Tower

We started at the eastern end of Odori Park where the Sapporo TV Tower stood. The tower has an observation deck with supposedly nice views of the park and the surrounding city.  We did not pay to go up to the deck but spend time relaxing in the green park and snapping photos of the tower. 

 

We were a late for the summer festival, so the park was quiet. We saw some workers preparing structures and tentage for an event. Autumn festival perhaps.

Some locals were out with their dogs, enjoying the green park in the middle of the bustling city.

Me fooling around up the Black Slide Mantra. The sculpture itself is a slide made of black stone.

After enjoying some peace and quiet at the Odori Park, we followed signage for our next destination - Tanuki Koji Street. We missed going to the former Hokkaido Government Office with exhibits on Hokkaido history but we did not mind that. 

Tanuki koji Shopping Street

Out first sight of Tanuki koji Shopping Street at Nishi-7-chome.

Opened in 1873, the Tanuki Koji shopping arcade is one of the oldest shopping streets in Hokkaido. Tanuki koji is an approximately 1 km long covered street with around 200 shops that runs east to west in downtown Sapporo, south of and parallel to Odori Street. The roofed arcade starts at Nishi-1-chome and ends at Nishi-7-chome.

A familiar signage. Unfortunately this Singapore themed eatery was not opened for business.

The real shopping starts from here – from 6th street onwards.

The shops are selling cosmetics, clothes, souvenirs, snacks, etc.

One of the more interesting stores is  Tanukiya. An iconic large Japanese raccoon marks the entrance. Tanukiya is one of the largest class souvenir store in Sapporo. Its spacious floor is filled with local specialties of Hokkaido, famous branded confectioneries like Shirokoibito, Royce, Rokkatei chocolate, T-shirts, lavender, beauty and health products.

And there is tax free shopping too. Tax free shopping in Japan is so so convenient. Just need to spent above 5000 yen, show your passport and the 10% sales tax on the goods would be deducted up front at the tax free cashier counter. However, the goods have to be brought out of Japan and the store will seal the items in a transparent plastic bag for custom officers to inspect at the airport (but we usually just pack them into our checked luggage).

One of the must visit shops. We bought some chocolates and Hokkaido foodstuff to bring home.

Mega Don Quijote store at Tanuki koji Shopping Street.

Another interesting store is the Mega Don Quijote. Don Quijote is easily the largest store, occupying 5 or more levels, and selling all sorts of stuff. It is open 24 hours a day. We bought a new suitcase to replace the old one with the broken handle.

Lunch at Fugetsu Okonomiyaki Restaurant

There are many restaurants along Tanuki-koji Street. We decided to have my son try the okonomiyaki. Okonomiyaki (literally means ‘grilled as you like it’) is a savory version of "Japanese pizza" or "Japanese pancake" and the ingredients and taste varies from region to region within Japan.

My wife and I had our first okonomiyaki in Hiroshima and then later in Kyoto and Osaka and we enjoyed this dish.

Waiting for a table outside the Fugetsu Okonomiyaki Restaurant. Note the light blue new suitcase we bought.

The restaurant serves okonomiyaki, monjayaki and yakisoba. Okonomiyaki, hailing from Osaka, features a thick batter loaded with cabbage and ingredients mixed together. Monjayaki, from Tokyo, has a thinner, runnier batter and a melt-in-your-mouth texture. Ingredients are first cooked separately, and then the batter is added.

We ordered the wagyu okonomiyaki (1650 Yen) and deluxe seafood okonomiyaki that came with Hokkaido pork, Squid and Shrimp (1430 Yen).

The raw ingredients for our orders. Look at the marbling on the wagyu beef!

It was interesting to see the food being cooked by the staff in front of us. The friendly waitress stopped at each stage of the cook to allow us to snap photos before proceeding to the next step.

The thick pre-made batter with cabbage is first placed on the sizzling hot plate and the ingredients (seafood or beef) placed on top.

We were provided with paper aprons that protected our clothes from the oil from the sizzling hot plate.

Flipped and cooking the other side.

One of the key characteristics of okonomiyaki is the thick, sweet brown sauce that is drizzled over the savory pancake.

Mayonnaise sauce being added.

Adding bonito flakes to the seafood okonomiyaki. I love to see the flakes dancing on top of the hot food.

Bonito flakes on top of the seafood okonomiyaki (left) and bacon on top of the wagyu oknomiyaki.

We also ordered a seafood yakisoba (fried noodles) that came with Hokkaido scallops, squid, shrimp and green toppings (1540 yen).

Seafood yakisoba.

Surprisingly, we were able to finish all the food. The food is that good and we were hungry.

Shopping at the malls in Sapporo Station 

We decided to go back to our hotel to dump the shopping bags and the new suitcase that we bought before heading to explore the shops and malls in Sapporo Station. There are lots of shopping at this train station, including the underground mall, Daimaru departmental store, Esta mall, APIA, Stellar Place, etc. One could easily spent the whole day just shopping inside.

The Dairmaru Department Store at the Sapporo Station opposite our hotel (the Gracery Hotel Sapporo).

We spent more time at the newly opened Bic Camera store located at the Tokyu building (they used to be at the Esta Building). This is a multi-storey mega store offering electronic, computer, pharmacy, alcohol and household products.

We browsed through the toys section and managed to buy some toys for our grandson.

One of my son’s favourites when he was a child - Ultraman figurines.

A worthy item to buy and bring home is the alcohol product, especially whisky. Since we had already bought some whisky from Nikka Distillery, we only bought an additional bottle of Glenlivet 12 years. There is tax free shopping in BIC Camera too!

Local whisky on sale at excellent prices.

There are imported whisky at good prices too.

Sapporo Beer Museum

My son actually did not join us for shopping at Sapporo Station until later. He wanted to buy a limited edition Sapporo Beer T-shirt so he walked to the Sapporo Beer Museum by himself before rejoining us at the Bic Camera store.

Hokkaido is the birthplace of beer in Japan. Sapporo Beer, one of the oldest and most popular beer brands in the country, has been brewed in Sapporo since 1877.

This red brick building used to be a brewery. Now it is the Sapporo Beer Museum.

Touring the beer museum.

Sapporo Beer Museum is also known for their beer garden and restaurants serving the famous “all-you can-eat” Genghis Khan BBQ Mutton buffet.

We skipped the tempting Genghis Khan BBQ this time and went to have dinner at Susukino instead.

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