23 and 24 August 2023
Asahikawa was where we stayed on Day 2 and 3 of our road trip in Hokkaido. After a day of exploring the sights around Furano and Biei, we checked into Mimatsuso Ryokan in the evening. Mimatsuso Ryokan is a rustic 50-year-old ryokan located in the midst of Asahikawa.
After checking in, we went to explore the pedestrian-only walking street before the shops close at 6 PM. A sign showed the temperature was 32 degree Celsius. It had been a warm summer day in Hokkaido.
This street is located within walking distance from Mimatsuso Ryokan. It starts from the Asahikawa JR Station and AEON Mall Asahikawa and goes on for about 13 blocks northwards from the station.
Southern end of Heiwa Shopping Street with Asahikawa JR Station in the background.
We were a little late. Most shops were already closed or about to close, except for the eating places.
There are many eateries serving various Asahikawa cuisines near our ryokan. Our plan for our first dinner at Asahikawa was the famous Jingisukan or “Genghis Khan” where lamb and mutton are grilled on a round cast-iron grill that resembles an ancient Mongolian army helmet.
Jingisukan Daikokuya Asahikawa is the most popular mutton BBQ restaurant in Asahikawa and that was where we went. Locals and tourists flock like sheep to this restaurant to try their lamb specialties.
We arrived at 7 PM and as expected, there were already people waiting and queuing. We are to register for a queue number from an electronic tablet and wait for our number to be called.A dedicated waiting room is available right across the street where customers could have drinks or ice cream while waiting. Our queue number was 120 and they were just calling number 70s. We knew we are in for a long wait!
Instead of waiting, we executed Plan B and went to Furarito Alley to look for some izakaya (gastro pubs) or yakitori (grilled chicken) restaurants.
This alley is located within walking distance from our ryokan. It is supposed to be a late-night drinking and dining alley with many small restaurants such as izakaya, ramen shops, sushi restaurants, yakitori joints, and liquor stores on both sides of the walkway. Only a few of the restaurants were opened on this weekday night.
Dinner at Yakitori Professional Gin'neko
We came across a yakitori restaurant called the Yakitori Professional Gin’neko. The restaurant is a traditional yakitori chicken restaurant with the local Asahikawa specialty of shinkoyaki or "grilled young chicken."
Gin’neko, or Silver Cat, is an excellent yakitori restaurant located in the Furarito (Fraleet) Alley in downtown Asahikawa.
This place is small. There were only 8 or 9 counter seats and two small Japanese style floor tables which could seat a maximum of 4 persons per table. We were lucky in that there was no queue but we had to sit cross legged on a Japanese style low table. This was not very comfortable for aged people with stiff joints!
There is an English menu. The guy who served us speaks a little English and was helpful to recommend and explain the dishes to us. The restaurant serves only grilled chicken and pork and the grilled dishes include various body parts of the pig and chicken. He told us the half grilled chicken is their specialty and can be done 2 ways - with sauce and with salt and pepper.
The local Asahikawa specialty of grilled shinko yaki or "grilled young chicken" is the restaurant’s speciality dish.
There are skewers of chicken ovaries, gizzards, chicken liver, chicken skin, pork tongue, pork liver, minced chicken etc in the menu. All grilled over a charcoal fire.
The restaurant imposes a cover charge of 250 Yen per person which included an appetiser of pickled zucchini. In addition, each person must order at least 1 drink as this is a drinking place.
Enjoying our Sapporo beer while waiting for our food to be served.
The atmosphere inside is casual and friendly. There is no air-conditioning in the restaurant, so it was quite warm inside despite the fans.
While waiting for our food to be served, we went to take a look at the chef grilling the chicken over a smoky charcoal fire.
Chef at work in Yakitori Professional Gin’neko.
The grilled half young chicken served 2 ways - with salt & pepper and with tare (soy-sauce). The chicken is tender, delicious and is a highly recommended dish.
“Chappu” or Pork Loin with onions and tare sauce. Juicy and tender meat. It was so good that we ordered another serving of this dish.
Tabasaki or grilled chicken mid wings. We ordered the last 3 wings for the night.
Grilled Pork Liver with Onions on a skewer with tare (soy-sauce) is very good.
Must drink the local Sapporo beer when in Hokkaido.
All the above grilled food goes very well with a glass of cold Sapporo beer. Overall, Sliver Cat or GIn’neko is a gem of a yakitori restaurant in Asahikawa.
Dinner at Jingisukan Daikokuya Asahikawa.
We did not give up on having dinner at Jingisukan Daikokuya in Asahikawa. On our second evening at Asahikawa, we went to this restaurant again. This time, we went relatively early at 5 PM (30 minutes after the restaurant’s opening time).
Our queue number was 40 and they were calling 34. We waited only 15 minutes before we were shown to our table located on the second floor of the building.
Walking up the stairs to the dining room located on the second floor of Jingisukan Daikokuya.
Diners had to remove shoes and sit cross legged on traditional Japanese low tables. The dining room is fairly large and already buzzing with early diners enjoying their BBQ.
Service is efficient and customer oriented. I noticed that the staff provided picnic chairs for the elderly who are uncomfortable sitting on low tables and even a baby bouncer for a couple with a young baby on the next table.
Although there are many all-you-can-eat Jingisukan restaurants in Hokkaido, this restaurant serves ala carte menu.
Ordering is easy as there is English menu.
We ordered the first set that came with rump, shoulder and tenderloin and vegetables and additional portions of tenderloin and shoulder loin and a portion of kimchi.
Each table is equipped with a round cast-iron grill that resembles an ancient Mongolian army helmet. Jingisukan is made by placing vegetables around the sides of the grill while lamb meat cooks on top of the small mound in its center.
The staff demonstrated the process and we were free to grill the rest of the meat ourselves.
The lamb meat is tender and juicy if we do not overcook the meat (ideally 30 seconds on each side). The grilled meat is best eaten dipped in salt and pepper or in a special BBQ sauce provided.
Personally I loved some fat with the meat which adds extra flavour after grilling. Hence, the ribeye and shoulder loin would be my favourite cuts instead of the tenderloin which is tender but lean.
Eating in a Jingisukan restaurant is an oily and smoky experience. Although each table is equipped with a suction device above the grill and paper aprons were provided, our clothes and body smelled of oil after dinner.
Suction device above the grill will remove some, but not all, of the smoke and oil.
The restaurant also serves their own craft beer which was quite nice. This came in bottles, was quite dark in colour and tasted good with the grilled lamb.Our dinner came up to be 10500 yen for 3 persons which was good value for money.
After dinner, we went shopping along the walking street and ended up in Aeon Mall, with shops that stayed opened till 10 PM. Here we saw some of the cutest puppies and cats in a pet shop.
This chihuahua puppy was following me around the display case and begging me to bring it home.
Puppies cost around 300,000 yen to 500,000 yen. If only we could buy one and bring it home.
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