Surrounded by people dressed for dinner in traditional pajama-like yukatas, I face a bewildering abundance: the largest and most lavish buffet I’ve ever seen.
asserted
I → surround → abundance
Such a hotel spread might not sound like much to North Americans, but at Japanese ryokans (traditional inns), buffet meals are upscale and elaborate, the choices myriad and fascinating.
uncertain
choices → sound → ryokans
I’ve just arrived at Akan Yuku no Sato Tsuruga, a ryokan and onsen in the resort district of Lake Akan, and this is just my introduction to Hokkaido’s numerous culinary surprises.
asserted
this → arrive → surprises
Before I arrived on Japan’s northernmost island, I knew only the basic facts about Hokkaido: It’s an increasingly popular place to go skiing; it’s filled with onsens (hot-spring spas); and its capital is Sapporo, where my favourite lager comes from.
asserted
lager → arrive → where
But as I road trip from the countryside to the largest city, I quickly discover much more, including a distinctive food culture, built upon the island’s natural “pantry.”
asserted
I → discover → pantry
Hokkaido is considered Japan’s agricultural heartland and also abounds in fresh seafood.
asserted
Hokkaido → consider → seafood
Since the island is primarily farmland, many of the high-end restaurants are anchored within hotels or inns, which is where I begin.
asserted
I → anchor → hotels
Back at the buffet, our tour guide, Chiyuki Okada, can sense my confusion.
asserted
guide → sense → confusion
“What can I help you with?” she asks.
asserted
she → help → you
I look upon table after table lined with fresh cherry salmon, amberjack and trout sashimi; tuna, scallop and sardine sushi; the most delicate tempura; roast pork and grilled beef and chicken.
asserted
I → look → sashimi
I confess that I don’t know what to eat with what.
asserted
I → confes → what
“I can walk you around,” Okada says.
asserted
Okada → walk → you
“Things usually begin with a small bowl of rice and branch out from there.”
She waves to the hot and cold seafood sections and explains the different soup pots, then points out a counter of tiny bowls of colourful vegetables and what look like relishes.
asserted
what → begin → relishes
“These are condiments,” she says.
asserted
she → say → ?
“You’re meant to eat them with just rice.”
asserted
You → mean → rice
I pick a rainbow of pickled plum, daikon and ginger, plus seasoned seaweed and salmon roe, which I enjoy almost more than my substantial main dishes.
asserted
I → pick → dishes
By the next evening, at the more upscale Kitakobushi Shiretoko Hotel & Resort on Hokkaido’s Shiretoko Peninsula, I am ready, diving into more unfamiliar food territory with glee.
asserted
I → dive → glee
Diners line up for plated-to-order dishes by chefs at item-specific counters.
asserted
Diners → line → counters
I follow suit and am rewarded with the most tender salmon and scallop sashimi, along with snow crab tempura and grilled beef.
asserted
I → follow → tempura
Eastern Hokkaido leans heavily on its natural bounty in more ways than one, with outdoor adventures coaxing tourists away from buffet tables and into the fresh air.
asserted
adventures → lean → air
During the daytime, visitors hit the trails or stop at scenic lookouts and waterfalls.
asserted
visitors → hit → lookouts
I head out into the landscape, hiking among the sulphur fissures of Akan-Mashu National Park, the fumaroles releasing steam from the volcanic ground below Mount Io.
asserted
I → head → Io
Afterwards, a leisurely paddle down the Kushiro River with the tour operator Matatabi brings even more peace and quiet.
asserted
paddle → bring → peace
After working up a considerable appetite, we lunch at the lodge-style Auberge SoRa on the shores of Lake Kussharo in Teshikaga.
asserted
we → work → Teshikaga
I sit down to a rich pork terrine and jellied crab starter, foamy burdock-root soup, mackerel-stuffed buckwheat crepes and pan-seared lake trout, along with asparagus, broccoli and squash sourced from neighbouring farms.
asserted
I → sit → farms
It’s all a nice reminder that Hokkaido’s food culture can reach beyond the familiar repertoire of Japanese cuisine.
asserted
culture → ’ → cuisine
Ingredient-driven food culture in Sapporo
Leaving the woods behind, I trade rolling farmland for the skyscrapers of Sapporo and a taste of Hokkaido’s urban food culture.
asserted
I → drive → culture
This is where I meet Tomohiro Sato, the French-trained chef of Bistro Brothers, a 19-seat restaurant that’s ingredient-driven but not focused on the island’s famous seafood.
asserted
that → meet → seafood
Instead, the bistro is all about umami-rich Hokkaido duck, sourced from the small city of Takikawa.
asserted
bistro → source → Takikawa
“Hokkaido has many delicious foods, so many vegetables and different meats, so many ingredients,” Sato says.
asserted
Sato → have → foods
His bistro is open from 2 to 10 p.m., specifically to catch the niche ladies-who-lunch crowd.
asserted
who → catch → crowd
“We call it Happy Hour,” Sato explains.
asserted
Sato → call → it
We dive into the house-made bread, served with three different kinds of butter.
asserted
We → dive → butter
A generous course of creamy brie and blue cheese is followed by duck prosciutto with a blood-orange sauce.
asserted
course → follow → sauce
And while duck confit is one of my favourites, we go with the roasted duck breast, the superbly tender house specialty.
asserted
we → go → breast
Sapporo’s food story isn’t all polished plates and chef-driven meals, however.
asserted
story → drive → ?
Later, we belly up to a U-shaped counter inside a tiny restaurant on Tanukikoji Shopping Street, a historic covered shopping arcade.
asserted
we → belly → Street
This is the backroom of Arco, a traditional restaurant serving one of Hokkaido’s regional specialties: jingisukan, or Japanese lamb barbecue.
asserted
This → serve → specialties
After I wrap a cooling scarf around my neck and cold beers are poured, we begin self-searing the never-ending, thinly sliced mutton.
asserted
we → wrap → mutton
The “vegetables” are really just bean sprouts and onions, done on the same grill.
asserted
vegetables → do → grill
…and 4 more, not listed.
The Aporia
