I went to the geyser in Shikabe for the first time in a while on a drive. It was my first time having lunch there. It was recommended by a friend and it's a very popular restaurant! Even though we arrived before noon, there was already a line. The meal felt like a home-cooked fish stew set, and it was very heartwarming.

On September 23, 2022 (Fri, holiday) at 4:00 PM, first visit. The accommodation for this day was Hakodate Hiromesou. On the way there, we saw the famous intermittent hot spring here with my husband and wife for the first time. Before heading to the inn, I asked Chibi if he wanted to try a hot spring steam, and surprisingly he said, "Let's do it~ \( ˆoˆ )/". We tried the boiled eggs (400 yen), which were easy to make. Putting on gloves and placing them in the steamer, we waited for 8 minutes. It was just a normal boiled egg, but Chibi also said it was delicious. It felt like we were really traveling and it made us happy!

I drove east from Hakodate and arrived at Shikabe Town. The roadside station Shikabe Kanketsusen Park is a fun place to visit. First of all, as the name suggests, there is a geyser here. The water column that spouts up is quite impressive. And where there's a geyser, there's a hot spring. You can buy ingredients and steam them with the steam from the hot spring. There are also substantial meal options such as pork and hot spring eggs. I wanted something light, so I chose steamed buns and scallop buns. Be careful of burns as it's steam. Put the ingredients in with the heat-resistant gloves provided and wait. I took a bite of the fluffy steamed scallop bun. It's delicious with plenty of scallops. The steaming process makes it nice and fluffy. The hot spring bun with sweet red bean paste is delicious. It tastes even better because I steamed it myself! Thank you for the meal.

I didn't plan on eating, but I entered the Michi no Eki (roadside station) and saw something delicious. I felt like I would regret it if I didn't eat it, so I made an impulse purchase. I was not wrong. Other customers were eating the cod roe set meal, but I don't like cod roe so this was enough for me. I will definitely come back.

I tried the "Izumi-chan Mix" soft serve ice cream at a geyser that erupts every 10 minutes. It was a mix of strawberry and vanilla flavors, with just the right balance of sweetness from the vanilla and tartness from the strawberry. It was delicious, and even though I wasn't expecting much, I would definitely want to have it again when I come back.

I had some free time on April 21, and feeling the need for relaxation lately, I decided to go on a spontaneous 1 night, 2 days trip to visit hot springs and unwind. I chose my first destination, the Michishige Onsen Park at Michishige Road Station, because I had always wanted to visit this place. I had visited the intermittent hot springs here three times before it became a road station, but this was my first visit since it became a road station and added a hot spring steamer. I had seen hot spring steamers in other hot spring resorts on TV, so I had a longing to experience it myself. When I arrived, it was lunchtime, which was perfect timing. Inside the building, there were options for lunch: "oysters," "pork set (pork and vegetables)," and "eggs." The ingredients vary depending on the day, so it was exciting. I chose the first two options and also bought two rice balls (salmon and cheese with bonito flakes) from the cafeteria inside the building. I then headed to the steamer. When using the steamer, I was provided with heat-resistant gloves, plastic gloves, paper plates, disposable chopsticks, and a kitchen timer in a tote bag. I placed the oysters and pork set in the steamer basket and waited for them to steam, following the cooking times written for each ingredient. The oysters took 10 minutes, and the pork set took 7 minutes, so I added the pork set after 3 minutes of steaming the oysters. When it was ready, I enjoyed the meal. I dipped the pork and vegetables in the kombu ponzu sauce provided in the steamer and enjoyed the oysters as they were. The pork and vegetables had a subtle saltiness from the hot spring, so dipping them in ponzu sauce was a good choice. On the other hand, the oysters were naturally salty and flavorful, so they were delicious even without any additional seasoning. However, I made a mistake as a first-timer... I should have placed the oysters with the rounded side down to prevent the flavorful juices from spilling out, but I didn't, so I had a little mishap. Overall, the oysters were plump and juicy, so they were still enjoyable. It was a lesson learned for next time. Later, I purchased some eggs for dinner and steamed them as well. I kept them firm for storage, and when I had them for dinner, they had a subtle saltiness and were quite tasty. After enjoying the steamer, I had a good laugh at the "Tarako Lips Face Guard" at the entrance, then I thoroughly enjoyed the intermittent hot springs and foot bath.

I took a break during my drive in southern Hokkaido and visited "Michishirube Kanketsusen Park" in Kabechou. This popular roadside station has exceeded 1 million visitors in just 3 years since opening. It features a powerful geyser and foot baths in the "Kanketsusen Park," as well as a place to enjoy Kabechou's gourmet food in the "Kabechou Food and Delicious Food Hall." It is a base for information on hot springs and gourmet food. The location is easy to find with a large roadside station sign, even for first-time visitors. During busy times, follow the guidance of the attendants for parking. The famous "Hama no Kaasan Shokudo" featured in the media is known for its food. Today, there was already a line forming around 11 o'clock. However, my goal was the soft serve ice cream. I decided to try all the soft serve ice creams first before deciding. I headed to the soft serve ice cream section. I waited in line for a bit but soon reached the order counter. The lineup of soft serve ice creams included: Karl's-kun Soft Serve (Sesame Soft Serve) for 350 yen, Karl's-kun Mix (Sesame Mix) for 350 yen, Hokkaido Fresh Milk Soft Serve for 300 yen, Izumi-chan Mix (Strawberry Mix) for 300 yen, and Izumi-chan Soft Serve (Strawberry Soft Serve) for 300 yen. Karl's-kun and Izumi-chan are local characters, but I didn't pay much attention to that. I remembered that there was delicious sesame soft serve here. I mentioned to my companion, "There's a delicious sesame soft serve here, a rich and intense one," and they immediately responded, "I definitely want to try it." So, I ordered: Karl's-kun Soft Serve (Sesame Soft Serve) for 350 yen for myself, and Karl's-kun Soft Serve (Sesame Soft Serve) for 350 yen for my companion (on my treat). The 350 yen soft serve had a higher price compared to the others, but it had a substantial weight. The first bite revealed a strong sesame flavor, dense and rich in texture, and a fragrant aroma of sesame that made it perfect for a break during a drive. It was on the sweeter side but not overwhelming. The explanation mentioned that the eruption of Mt. Komagatake caused significant damage, but the accumulated volcanic ash eventually benefited the improvement of wetland soil and the growth of kelp. This sesame soft serve was developed with the image of the accumulated volcanic ash, and it has reached such high quality that it's worth developing and has its own fans. A must-try soft serve for soft serve hunters in Hokkaido. Thank you for the meal.

I went to the Kakebe Kanketsusen Park Onsen Mushiyu at Michi-no-Eki Shikabe in Esashi District, Hokkaido in September 2020. Inside the shop, I bought the onsen steamed products and put them in the steamer to enjoy being steamed with the hot spring steam. The steamed products included eggs, pork, oysters in shells, and crab buns. I chose the pork set for 820 yen, which was like a regular steamed shabu-shabu. I also found the "Shrimp Tsukudani" for 620 yen in the shop, which was amazing! It had a unique texture with a sweet and salty rich flavor. It was delicious! The fisherman who goes out to sea is 90 years old, and the 85-year-old woman cooks it. I highly recommend trying this exquisite dish! Overall, I would rate the onsen steaming experience 3.2 and the Shrimp Tsukudani 4.0. Thank you for the meal!

A large portion of tarako (cod roe) sits atop a bowl of rice, exuding a strong aroma. The extra-large saury simmered in soy sauce is plump and delicious with every bite. The limited-time sweet shrimp rice bowl sold out quickly after opening. The pork set steamed in hot springs is accompanied by crunchy vegetables, and it's nice to soak in the foot bath while gazing at the intermittent spring.

This is a roadside station at the Deer Park Intermittent Hot Spring Park. Inside, there is a shop, as well as Hamano Kaasan Restaurant and Koitano Okazuya. As for the unique offering of the roadside station, they cook eggs and clams using the heat of the hot spring. It is a fun and interactive system.

I went to the hot springs in Shikabe. I stopped by a roadside station. I bought some Wakasagi tsukudani from a nearby town and the tororo kelp from here. The tororo kelp is also really good quality. The Wakasagi is delicious and additive-free. The staff were friendly, making it a great roadside station.

While driving in the southern part of the country, I stopped by a roadside station as I was getting hungry. They had a dish called "tarako set meal," which is a boiled fish set meal with rice topped with tarako, for 1000 yen. They also had a barbecue-style option where you can warm it up in a hot spring, with 5 oysters for 1000 yen. I didn't need 5 oysters, so I found a scallop curry for only 600 yen. It was cheap. I decided to go with rice and added one fried oyster for 150 yen as a topping, half with tartar sauce and half with curry. The scallops were baby scallops and there were quite a few in the curry. There were no other ingredients, but it was delicious in its simplicity. I thought I might have leftover rice, but the curry portion was more than it looked, so I finished it at just the right time. There was never any leftover white rice. Overall, the meals at this roadside station are a bit pricey, but this place offers reasonably priced options. I would recommend it.

I boarded a bus for the first time and started moving. I ended up drinking beer as usual. I arrived at Shikabe Kanketsuen Park, a roadside station. I found a delicious-looking dish called "Chawanmushi with Sea Urchin" at the store and bought it along with a beer. The Chawanmushi itself was delicious, and the sea urchin on top was a nice touch. The beer was also good. Next up is lunch! It was delicious! Thank you for the meal!

Visit date: September 9, 2018 (Sunday) around 11:30 AM There are various places that offer soft serve ice cream made with local ingredients, but this one was quite unique. I ordered the "sesame soft serve." It was my first time trying gray-colored soft serve. I was a bit unsure if sesame and soft serve would go well together before trying it. But when I took a bite, the aroma of sesame came through. Then the sweetness of the soft serve spread, and surprisingly, the combination of sesame flavor and sweetness was not bad at all. Finally, I felt the nutty aroma of sesame. It was quite a high level of sesame flavor. Sesame is not a local ingredient of Kabuto, but the color of the soft serve was inspired by the local character Karl's-kun. By the way, Karl's-kun is said to be based on the volcanic ash from Mt. Komagatake. Although I don't have a photo, the menu on the wall listed it as "Karl's-kun Soft Serve." The meal menu also seemed to have a good reputation, so I would like to visit again. Thank you for the meal.

The "Premium Tarako Rice Bowl" made by the people known as "Hama no Kaasan" is a nostalgic dish that reminds me of my hometown. It consists of a whole piece of tarako on top of a bowl of rice, served with a side of simmered fish. All this for only 1000 yen is unbelievably cheap! The tarako is delicious, and I rarely get to enjoy a whole piece at home without getting scolded by my wife. The simmered fish has a soy sauce base with ginger as an accent, making it a perfect match for the rice. Just be careful not to overeat, as it can lead to some discomfort later on. In addition, they also offer fresh squid sashimi and freshly caught fish sashimi at surprisingly affordable prices. In the town of Kabu, which is also a hot spring town, you can enjoy seafood steamed in the hot spring steam, such as oysters and scallops. The oysters steamed in the hot spring have a sweeter taste and are also delicious! I highly recommend visiting this "Michi no Eki" (roadside station).

I decided to enter Hakodate via Route 278 instead of Route 5 because I had too much time to spare. Driving on a sunny day is pleasant, with the sun making the sea look beautiful. Just one more thing to complete the experience! Now, here's a quiz for you: "What is the one thing that needs to be completed?" Here's a hint: 1) It has a firm texture and is full of milkiness. 2) I started eating it on the terrace on a nice day and it started melting, causing me to panic. So, the answer is in the picture!

This yellowtail is more delicious than the medium fatty tuna! When I peeked into the fish store, the delicious suji-ko and yellowtail sashimi looked tempting. Even though I wasn't very hungry after eating, I negotiated to have just half of the yellowtail prepared, and they agreed! While they were cooking, and it happened to be a weekday, so I think it was just good timing, so please don't demand this as a regular service at the store. I tried a bite, and the fat melted in my mouth and the flavor was amazing. The owner kept asking me, "How is it, delicious, right?" but I'm sorry, it's really delicious... There was no fishy smell at all. This yellowtail and the scallop fry are both caught locally. The "Premium Tarako Rice Bowl" also looks super delicious, but for those who can eat a lot, it might be worth adding an extra dish at the fish store.

The Soft Cream Hunter had strawberry and vanilla soft serve ice cream. It was okay, nothing particularly special. The roadside station was small but had a lot of souvenirs. I bought some kelp to take home.

The foot bath costs 300 yen and you can also try delicious "dashi" broth! I had steamed vegetables and eggs, and both the salt and ponzu sauce were incredibly tasty! ✨

I bought it right after they opened. The deep-fried anpan from this trendy-looking side dish shop was delicious. They also have onigiri and set meals that all look tasty.