On the second day of the Soba Samurai Training Journey, I stopped by a roadside station on the way to Kushiro. At the station, I tried the sweets from the long-established shop "Wagashi-ya Sarashina", which has been in the town for over 100 years. The sweets are made with about 50% buckwheat flour, giving them a pleasant soba flavor. The filling is finely textured and not too sweet, matching well with the soba-flavored dough. I was surprisingly satisfied, even though I didn't have high expectations. If you love soba, you should definitely try these sweets when you visit here.

I had an Ezo deer burger. It was surprisingly delicious. The burger, with a moist and tender patty, was unexpectedly tasty. Whether it's actually Ezo deer or not is another question, but this burger is great. There are many disappointing places at roadside stations, but this one is good.

I wasn't very interested in Michi no Eki (Roadside Stations) before, but it's actually nice to be able to experience various local specialties from different towns. There are over 120 Michi no Eki in Hokkaido, and they serve as great landmarks for exploring the vast region. So, I decided to visit all of them! The first Michi no Eki on my list is the Mashu Onsen Michi no Eki! I tried their soft serve ice cream, so maybe I should buy some craft beer from the inn. I found a craft beer called Abashiri Beer, even though this place is not in Abashiri. I bought the Abashiri Golden Ale and Prison Black. The Prison Black Stout looks just like a stout should. And the taste? It's excellent! Possibly the best stout I've ever had. It has a roasted aroma, a hint of caramel-like sweetness, a refreshing bitterness, and a light mouthfeel. The balance is perfect! The Golden Ale is also of good quality, with a nice balance of bitterness and sweetness. I ended up drinking them all after soaking in the hot spring. Abashiri Beer, you impress me! Although I talked mostly about Abashiri Beer, it was a great experience at Mashu. Thank you for the delicious beer!

We made a stop on the way to Kawayu Onsen. This place was interesting with a large shopping area. There are also restaurants and foot baths, making it a well-equipped facility. As we got closer, we noticed a wide variety of kelp products displayed.

This is a place at the roadside station "Kamishiro Onsen" where hamburgers and other items are sold. It seems that the popular item is the "Ezo Deer Burger". There are several types of hamburgers, all priced around 600 yen. I ordered the simple "Kamishiro Pork Hot Dog" for 600 yen. I paid in advance and waited with a numbered ticket. While waiting, I noticed many people buying "fried potatoes" on this hot day. After about 5 minutes, my number was called. There are seats inside where you can eat, but it was crowded so I ate outside. The hot dog had plenty of ketchup and mustard on it. It was served on a slightly warm, soft bun with lettuce, tomato, and sausage inside. The sausage wasn't crispy but juicy and delicious. The facility also offers rice cakes, bread, ice cream, and Western sweets, making it a lively roadside station.

After a long time, we traveled to the eastern part of Hokkaido, towards Lake Akan. One of the sub-themes was wanting to eat Ezo deer meat. My partner found a roadside station in Lake Mashu on their smartphone. We passed by Mt. Io and the Mashu Lake Observatory, and then descended to Teshikaga where the station is located. Ezo deer. A precious game in Hokkaido. I prefer it over beef. I had an Ezo deer burger, which had a mild flavor. I felt the sauce could have been toned down a bit to bring out the deer's essence more. We were blessed with good weather throughout the trip. At Mashu Lake, the conditions were the best I've ever seen. I've only experienced misty Mashu Lake once before, but today was quite amazing. With no wind, the lake surface turned into a real mirror reflecting the clouds. It was the best Mashu Lake experience of my life! I got so excited at Mashu Lake that I forgot the details of the Ezo deer burger (tears). I'm sorry. Thank you for the meal.

For lunch, let's stop at a michi-no-eki (roadside station) at the halfway point to our destination and grab a quick bite to eat! I had a pork cutlet burger, while my partner had a Mashu pork burger. As expected in a tourist spot, the prices were a bit high, but the portions were huge! The cutlets were thinly sliced and stacked a few layers high, with plenty of vegetables. It was delicious!

From Nemuro to a one-night trip to Lake Akan National Park, staying at Lavista Akan River, and visiting Lake Akan on the way. How about stopping by a roadside station? The recent roadside stations seem to have a modest selection of goods, but this is still Hokkaido! They have rare items for sale that made both my daughter and me excited. We decided to stop by here again tomorrow on our way to Lake Mashu. And on the way back, we had lunch at a cafe in front of the roadside station, but I will review that next time. Now, let's go shopping! The day before, I decided to buy Haskap berries in large and small sizes for 900 yen and 160 yen, respectively. Baby mangoes for a surprising 2000 yen, Bear's Head mushrooms for 1500 yen, Hokkaido bear-shaped cakes for 730 yen, and an Ezo honey set for 500 yen. We ate the Haskap berries with yogurt, which was slightly sour but delicious. My daughter made jam with the large pack. Baby mangoes in Hokkaido? I saw them on TV before. They were small or dropped, not suitable for sale, but they were fully ripe and delicious. I brought half of them back to Kyoto. The Bear's Head mushrooms caught my attention during a previous trip to Shiretoko. It is a rare mushroom that is steeped for about 20 minutes and then consumed. It grows by absorbing the sap from 20,000 white birch trees over 10 to 15 years. It is called the forest's diamond and is said to have antioxidant, immune cell activation, anti-cancer, and allergy suppression effects. When I searched online, 100 grams cost around 3,000 yen, but this was 1,500 yen. The Ezo honey set is cultivated only in Hokkaido and is used as a raw material for beet sugar. Ezo honey is a blend of beet sugar liquid and sugar syrup, containing inositol. It mixes beet and caramel flavors, resembling golden honey. The beet oligo is a blend of beet sugar liquid and raffinose, similar to honey but with a nutty aroma. Now, what should I use them for? I also wanted to buy bear oil, which I heard is effective for wounds, but it was too expensive, so I gave up. When I looked at the photos, I saw there was a sample available. I should have tried applying it to a wound caused by a tick bite. But overall, I made good purchases and had a great time!

In June 2019, after checking out of New Akanko Hotel, I first visited the Michi-no-Eki (roadside station) "Mashu Onsen". Located in Kawakami-gun, Teshikaga-cho, this roadside station features a specialty product sales corner and a takeout corner. This time, I bought a set of 3 Mashu Aronia for 660 yen from the store. The Mashu Aronia is a baked confectionery from "Fuzuki-do" in Kawakami-gun, Teshikaga-cho, Kawadoko Onsen, which I have received as a souvenir before. Now, let's try the souvenir. This baked confectionery is filled with plenty of Aronia, and the moist dough combined with the sweetness and sourness of Aronia was delicious. Thank you for the meal!

Teshika Town's cow milk (non-homogenized milk) is delicious. It is a well-balanced non-homogenized milk. The roadside station has a clean foot bath. Lake Mashu was covered in mist, while the Blue Pond looked just like in the weather forecast!

The pork bowl at Popotei with stunning views is outstanding.

Delicious hamburger. I don't mind deer meat either.

I ate the "Cream Fairytale Jarrett Milk and Sakura Mochi 12 Variety Assortment" for 400 yen.

I would like to express my condolences to those affected by the recent Hokkaido Eastern Iburi earthquake. After enjoying a canoe ride in the Kushiro Marsh in the early morning, I stopped by "Michi no Eki Mashu" in the town of Teshikaga. At this roadside station, the staff can communicate with the Mashu Lake Observatory and provide helpful advice on recommended viewing spots based on the weather and time of day, which is a great service for Mashu Lake sightseeing. I also visited the direct sales section inside the roadside station and came across the elusive "Mashu Melon." Known as the "phantom Mashu Melon," this melon is in limited supply and sells out quickly. This area is the northernmost limit for melon cultivation, and the large temperature difference between day and night during the harvest season is said to produce sweet, delicious melons. When the staff recommended the melons, I couldn't resist and ended up purchasing two for ¥5,000. I also discovered Melon Soft Serve for ¥700, where half a melon is topped with soft serve ice cream. This was a luxurious treat to enjoy while savoring the sweet taste of melon and Hokkaido soft serve ice cream, making it a worthwhile experience in Hokkaido. The Mashu Melons I bought were delicious and sweet when ripe, but I found the Furano Melons I purchased in Furano during my trip to be even sweeter and more delicious. It's natural for agricultural products in this region to vary in quality from one to another, but personally, I preferred the Furano Melons over the Mashu Melons.

On the first day of our Hokkaido trip, we planned to visit three lakes by rental car from Kushiro Airport, but unfortunately the weather was not good for sightseeing, so we canceled the plan. Instead, we went to this roadside station after having lunch at Covosan, aiming for a foot bath with a roof. The roadside station stood out with beautiful flower beds. The foot bath with hot springs felt good, and the building was lovely with stained glass. The foot bath can be used anytime, 24 hours a day. On the right side after entering the building is the sales corner. The items we bought are as follows: - Tancho Boros (280 yen) - Fuku Fuku Boros (280 yen) - Minced Cat Paw Kombu (350 yen) - Grated Kombu (400 yen) - Small plate (400 yen) - Ezo Squirrel Postcard (100 yen) Tancho Boros contains 30 round boros with Tancho cranes depicted. They have a shelf life of about 3 weeks. Fuku Fuku Boros, the sister product of Tancho Boros, is a limited edition item with 25 boros in a long round shape depicting two types of owls. It has a slightly less than 3-week shelf life. Both have a simple and nostalgic taste, and are cute. They are fragile, so they were put in another plastic bag for us, and we were able to take them home safely. They are small and light, making them great as souvenirs to give to others. Minced Cat Paw Kombu is made from minced cat paw kombu from Akkeshi. It has a shelf life of about 11 months and we have not tried it yet. Grated Kombu is made from kombu harvested in July and sun-dried. It is chopped and contains the necessary minerals and vitamins for a day in 5g. It can be soaked in water for 30 minutes and used in salads, simmered dishes, miso soup, pickles, etc. It is compact and has simple usage instructions on the back of the bag, so we bought many of these as souvenirs for our friends. When we tried it at home, it was a bit salty but made a good snack on its own. Adding it to a pot with finely chopped green onions, bonito flakes, and wheat gluten, bringing it to a boil and adding soy sauce, made a quick soup. This way, you can easily consume 5g. It has a shelf life of about 11 months. The small plate is printed, but it was cute with a cat design so we bought it. It is from Mashu Tamu Kiln. We bought the Ezo Squirrel postcard to give as a souvenir to Ezo Squirrel Coffee Shop. We hope they don't already have the same one... The gallery and tourist information center on the left side of the entrance had a relaxed and stylish atmosphere, resembling a Western-style building.