Since my birthday is in August, I have been going to Shikabe for five consecutive years to eat sea urchin. The sea urchin is delicious, and the other dishes are also very tasty. There are days when the sea urchin bowl costs 8,000 yen for lunch, but this inn offers a lot of delicious food at a reasonable price. Breakfast is also recommended. Thank you for the meal. See you next year!

The breakfast had a good variety, starting at 7:30. There were dishes like fresh shrimp sashimi, butter chicken curry, but the pickles, vinegar dishes, simmered dishes, stir-fries, and salads with vegetables were especially delicious! The quality of the breakfast was quite high, with a flavor that adults would enjoy. It seemed like the owner prepared everything alone, and the attention to detail was impressive. I would definitely want to come back again. On the way out, a dog saw us off and even opened the front door for us. What a surprise!

I tried the Seki-dan uni at a guesthouse for the first time. The parking lot was in an empty space across from the entrance. An old dog greeted us at the entrance. The retro interior gives off a nice atmosphere. Dinner starts at 6 pm. On the day of our visit, there was a fresh batch of Bafun uni available for an additional 4000 yen per person, but we decided to pass. After relaxing in our room, it was finally time for dinner. A luxurious spread of dishes was served, and then the uni appeared! It was a huge portion! It was double the usual serving, but we were satisfied. The sashimi, mozuku seaweed, octopus, and other dishes were all delicious. But the uni was the star! Unlike Murasaki uni, Seki-dan uni doesn't contain magnesium chloride, so it had no unpleasant smell or bitterness. It was incredibly fresh and delicious! We quickly ordered more rice and made uni bowls. By the way, you can get refills of rice from the rice pot.

On the second day of my Hokkaido trip, I stayed at a nice inn called Iitani in Shakotan. For dinner, I had a seafood feast with a platter of purple sea urchin and two servings of hairy crab. The sea urchin and crab were delicious, but the tuna was the best! The elegant dashi broth in each dish really brought out the flavors of the seafood, showcasing the sophistication of the ryokan. The last drink was a gin called HONOHO, which was only available here. It cost around 5,000 yen per bottle and had a rich aroma with a great blend of botanicals. The heir of the inn was very polite and attentive, making the experience even better. Thank you very much!

I had breakfast at a buffet style restaurant. Everything that was available was homemade and very delicious. I had the tuna sashimi and made it into a tuna bowl. The sushi was also freshly made, and the vinegared rice paired perfectly with the tuna. The omelettes were also delicious, each one carefully made right in front of me. The melon for dessert was very sweet. The yogurt was Caspian Sea yogurt. The coffee was also very good. There were various cup designs to choose from, which was fun. Thank you for the meal.

I had dinner during my stay. Various dishes were served, and they were very delicious with good portions. The sashimi, grilled fish, and scallops were especially tasty. The drink menu was also extensive, and I enjoyed various options such as shochu, sake, and highball.

This inn has an old-fashioned atmosphere with a traditional Japanese house feel, but it is very clean and well-maintained. There is no strange old smell, so I was able to relax comfortably. The fish dishes were satisfying and the sashimi was delicious, especially the fatty tuna. They also had a good selection of drinks for tasting. The corn rice at the end was perfectly cooked and aromatic, and I ended up eating until I was full. It was delicious. Thank you for the meal.

In the town of Shikabe in Hokkaido, there is a charming building that has been in use since the Edo period when it thrived as a herring fishing village. The food, from the appetizers to the dessert, was all delicious, especially the fluffy white fish stew that melted in the mouth. The sea urchin served was plentiful and satisfying. The breakfast the next day was surprising with a wide variety of dishes, all of which felt good for the body. It was a delightful morning to find sea urchin rice served for breakfast. The food and atmosphere were both excellent, and the young owner was friendly and engaging, making our vacation very enjoyable.

My friend asked me to take them to eat sea urchin, so after two years, we stayed at Iitada in Shakotan for one night with two meals included for 15,000 yen per person in a double sea urchin course. This time, I consulted with my friends staying at the same inn and added an option for a plate of Buffun sea urchin in a sieve (3,600 yen per serving for 4 people). With Murasaki sea urchin and Buffun sea urchin, we were in a state of excitement when faced with three plates of sea urchin, with their indescribably delicious sweetness and creaminess. It was pure bliss! Apart from the sea urchin, the other dishes were also very delicious, especially the fluffy steamed dish, which was my favorite. The menu included: Appetizer: Homemade sesame tofu, three delicious broths: Nagomi cheese, sliced Shakotan herring, Shakotan konago, Sashimi: Fresh bluefin tuna, Shakotan octopus, Shakotan flounder, Seasonal item: Fresh Shakotan sea urchin, Grilled dish: Shakotan cherry trout with miso, Edamame soy sauce pickles, Vinegared dish: Kaki from Suto, Steamed dish: Fluffy steamed white fish, crab silver paste, Tobikko tempura, Fried dish: Fried Shakotan sweetfish, colorful vegetable vinegar dish: Mozuku vinegar, needle ginger Soup: Clear soup, somen noodles, white sesame seed rice dish: Long fog moon from Nagano, pickles, Dessert: Ice cream. I definitely want to come back to stay next year. I am grateful to the friend who asked me to take them and the friends who accompanied me! Thank you very much!

I joined a friend's invitation to visit the Shakotan Peninsula in search of sea urchin, and it was worth it! There are about four fishing grounds in the area, where you can always enjoy fresh sea urchin. The red sea urchin (Ezo Bafun Uni) in the sea urchin bowl was so delicious - sweet and creamy with a rich flavor. It was heavenly without any condiments, but you could also enjoy it with wasabi or on top of rice. I indulged in plenty of sea urchin and ended up eating a lot of rice, which I don't usually eat much of. The meal was a feast with various dishes like homemade sesame tofu, local herring sashimi, tuna, octopus, and more. The crab cream croquette and fluffy steamed dish were particularly delicious. The breakfast buffet the next day was also excellent, with a variety of handmade dishes. I especially enjoyed the sea urchin rice and toppings like green onion and cod roe. The omelette made on request with cheese and ham was also delightful. It was a great value for the price, considering the quality and quantity of the food. I also enjoyed the private baths and the outdoor baths. It was a wonderful stay, thank you!

In search of summer sea urchin, I headed to Shakotan-cho in Hokkaido. I went straight from the airport by rental car to Iitada-san's place. When I arrived, the early group was already starting their dinner. I was in the late group, so I passed the time in a stylish corner room on the second floor before heading to the dining room. When I sat down, the sea urchin was already waiting for me. There were two colors of sea urchin, red and white, placed on a basket. When I tasted them, hmm, the flavors were different! Both were sweet, rich, and delicious! The sashimi, both the texture and taste, were different and delicious. The simmered dishes, soups, everything was delicious. I was pleasantly surprised by the homemade nami cheese as a hidden flavor. I really liked this cheese. After the meal, I took a bath and then relaxed in my room while drinking coffee. The gentle sound of the waves from outside was nice. I woke up in the middle of the night and when I looked out the window, the lights of squid fishing boats swaying in the dark sea created a fantastic sight. The next morning was a buffet. Everything was delicious, but I particularly liked the fish, milk, and sea urchin rice. It was a very lovely inn with great food. I would like to come back in winter next time!

This time, in March 2017, we headed towards the Shakotan area. If there are no open restaurants, we can always book accommodation, right? I met up with my husband who was skiing in Niseko, and we headed north together! We stayed at a lovely inn that was renovated from a 100-year-old fisherman's building. The food was amazing too! We were excited, but we ended up arriving late because we spent too much time relaxing in Shiraoi during the day, and it was already dusk when we arrived. As soon as we arrived, we were told to eat quickly before the cook left. We had hairy crab as a surprise addition, sashimi like cherry salmon, a small dish of firefly squid, grilled mackerel with miso, chawanmushi, and abalone as an additional plan, but it turned out abalone was already included for each person! We also had grilled abalone as part of the original plan. I had butter-grilled abalone as an additional dish, while my husband had sashimi. We were already full, and we thought the basic plan was enough. But then, they brought out rice and soup as the finishing touch. The rice turned out to be ikura rice, and even more surprising, the rice was cooked with sea urchin! What a luxury! The soup was not a regular bowl but a small donburi filled with sanpei soup with chunks of grilled saury. We were defeated! We should have checked in earlier and eaten at a more relaxed pace, but the amount of food was still overwhelming. The breakfast buffet in the morning was also amazing, with simple yet delicious dishes. It made us wonder if the amount of food was too much for the number of guests. Maybe they also serve staff meals. For breakfast, they even had botamochi for the spring equinox, and they packed some for us to take home. We stayed in the main building with the Live Abalone Grilled Plan for 13,900 yen for two people, with additional charges for hairy crab and drinks. The basic plan was 12,500 yen, and even without the additions, it was incredibly luxurious. I would love to go back again!

We have been regular customers of the Minshuku Iitada for a long time. We made a reservation for the sea urchin season months in advance, and finally were able to visit after the travel restrictions were lifted. The sea urchin served here was piled high on the plate, just as rumored. It was truly delicious. The buffet-style breakfast was also amazing. Be careful not to overeat at this delightful inn.

The food was delicious.

Staying at this inn in Shakotan! This trip, planned months in advance, turned out to be very enjoyable. There are plans to stay in the main building and plans to stay in a separate cottage. Since we were a large group, we stayed in the cottage. It was great to be away from the main building and be able to chat freely until late at night. The highlight of staying here was the "uni" (sea urchin). We chose the plan with double the amount of uni, and to our surprise, we were each given a blue sieve like in the picture! It was so luxurious. Even though it was the end of August, the uni from Shakotan was delicious! We ended up eating too much and it was a luxurious situation to have leftovers! The other dishes were also very delicious. Breakfast was a buffet with plenty of homemade side dishes, so we were very satisfied. However, this inn does not have hot spring facilities. There is a private bath, but it is small. There was a private bath in the cottage, so it wasn't a problem, but as a hot spring lover, I always want to be able to easily soak in a hot spring. In terms of enjoying the food, this inn was excellent. We had a great time. Thank you for the wonderful meal! ♡

Iiida, a cozy inn located at the edge of the Shakotan Peninsula, about 46km from Yoichi Station on the Hakodate Main Line, is a traditional Japanese inn that has been renovated from a building that was originally built by a local fishing magnate a hundred years ago. The wooden structure with burnt brown walls has high ceilings, indicating its former grandeur. We opted for the Standard Plan at 11,800 yen per person, which includes two meals in a traditional Japanese room in the main building (with sea urchin included from June to August). Although the "Double Sea Urchin Plan for 13,050 yen" seemed tempting, my companion does not eat sea urchin, so we settled for the Standard Plan. The room in the main building was spacious, about eight tatami mats in size, with only a fan for cooling as there was no air conditioning. However, we were pleased to find Wi-Fi and a refrigerator in the room. Dinner was served at the dining area from 6 pm and included various dishes such as sesame tofu, local seafood, and sea urchin. The lack of hot dishes made the overall dining experience less satisfying. The next morning, we enjoyed a homemade buffet breakfast with about 30 different dishes, although again, the absence of hot dishes was noticeable. After packing our belongings and bidding farewell to the inn's friendly dog at the entrance, we left with mixed feelings about our stay.