I had ramen for lunch at a restaurant directly connected to the Jusan Ropeway. The spicy miso ramen, their specialty, was not as spicy as it looked, and the miso flavor was mild and easy to eat. The presentation was inspired by a volcanic crater, making it a visually appealing dish that tourists would enjoy.

The name of the restaurant, "Funka Tei," is quite bold and daring. However, the area around Showa Shinzan where it is located gives off a dull impression, almost like an ordinary quarry site. The restaurant had a sign for ramen outside, but oddly there was no ramen on the menu. I decided to play it safe and ordered soba instead. Even though it was likely dry noodles, it was surprisingly tasty, not just because of the atmosphere. Perhaps the soba is not readily available in mainland Japan due to transportation costs. This reminded me of a time when I visited Rishiri Island and the convenience store there had many items sold out due to a one-day ferry cancellation. It made me realize the challenges of living on a remote island like Hokkaido.

At Mt. Showa Shinzan, there is a 60-minute free time. We split into groups to visit the bear ranch, take the ropeway, or go for a walk. The bear ranch is a common sight in Hokkaido. You can feed the bears for 700 yen and there is also the option to walk in the snow at the mountaintop via the ropeway. However, I decided to have coffee time at a café instead. The coffee at the breakfast buffet wasn't very good, so I enjoyed a more drinkable coffee to make the most of my time.

【2019/02/17】After taking the Showa Shinzan Ropeway up to Mt. Usu and coming back down, we stopped here for lunch to kill some time. We ate a big breakfast earlier, so I (who usually doesn't eat breakfast) and two others who weren't very hungry just had drinks. The remaining two ordered the pork belly plate and sauce cutlet bowl. I chose the shiso juice, which was refreshing with a nice sourness. It would probably be even better in the hot summer, but it was a cool and perfect drink for the body after winter sports (probably something different). ("Northern Land - Parting for a While Edition")

I felt like I was being comforted by homemade ramen at this restaurant. 😊

Volcano ramen, delicious.

Visited Showa Shinzan during a trip to Hokkaido with my mom friends and stopped by the volcanic ramen shop. When in Hokkaido, miso ramen is a must, but the scallop ramen was also tempting, so we ordered a few different kinds to share. Miso ramen, sesame miso ramen, and seafood salt ramen. I honestly didn't have high expectations based on the appearance of the shop, but wow, this seafood salt ramen was amazing! The soup was delicious, light, refreshing, and rich with a great seafood flavor. It was so good, it was beyond my expectations. I was truly impressed. If I have the chance to go back, I would love to have a bowl of ramen all to myself. However, the lava egg was a bit disappointing.

There is a dining spot near the bus stop at Showa Shinzan. Showa Shinzan, formed by the volcanic activity of Mount Usu, still shows a brown rocky surface. There are several souvenir shops and dining spots in front of the Showa Shinzan bus stop. Among them, this restaurant has the most beautiful exterior. I decided to stop by to kill time before catching the bus. The beef croquette costs 150 yen and has a distinct beef flavor, while the potatoes are still fluffy. They are served freshly fried. The french fries might be a bit undercooked. It's nice to have them served fresh. I finished with a glass of draft beer. There was some English written at the entrance: "Full house is. It takes latency." This is some impressive English that almost reaches the level of being inducted into the Hall of Fame. It would be nice if they were a bit more sensitive to the words they use. Probably means something like "The seats are full. You will have to wait." However, the dining spot was only half full.

Returning from another business trip to Otaru, I had some business to attend to at Showa Shinzan. It was lunchtime, and I decided to try the "Volcano Ramen" at a restaurant near the erupting Usu volcano. The menu was simple, with options like "Lava Egg." I was intrigued by the unique naming but wished they had more creative names like "Volcano Ramen" or "Eruption Ramen." The restaurant was filled with Asian tourists wearing bright colored clothes. It was a hot day, so I opted for the "Oil Soba" instead of hot ramen. The staff recommended mixing the sauce thoroughly before eating. I enjoyed the crunchy texture of the green onions and the delicious sauce. Despite the name, the dish was not greasy and was surprisingly refreshing. I felt at ease surrounded by Japanese-speaking customers. Overall, the Oil Soba at this restaurant was a delightful and satisfying meal that I would love to have again.

We stopped by Mount Usu on a tour. We had the option to reserve shabu-shabu for 2000 yen or pork hot pot for 1300 yen, but we decided to try the signature dish, the eruption curry, based on our research. We had the red beef curry for 960 yen, which was delicious and plentiful. The weather was a bit rainy at times, but we enjoyed the views of Lake Toya after climbing Mount Usu with the group discount of 1300 yen (1450 yen). The scenery wasn't particularly special, but we usually climb wherever there is a trail.

I usually don't like eating at tourist attractions, so I always try to find a restaurant away from the main area. However, this time I didn't have time, so I decided to look for a place inside the facility. Inside the Volcano Pavilion, I saw a sign that said "Volcano Ramen." I was a bit hesitant, but when I looked at the menu, it seemed pretty normal, so I decided to give it a try. I had soy sauce ramen first, and then tried the miso ramen. They had lava eggs, so I added one to my ramen. It was seared on the surface, giving it a unique touch. The ramen was delicious and I was relieved that I didn't have to worry about high tourist prices and disappointing taste. I could enjoy my meal here without any worries.

During a business trip to Hokkaido in March 2012, on the way to Muroran, I had lunch at a place called "Funkaitei" at the foot of Showa Shinzan. My acquaintance from Muroran chose the "Toya Akushi Curry (980 yen)" while I opted for the "Miso Ramen (780 yen)". When the "Miso Ramen" arrived shortly after, I honestly didn't have high expectations as I suspected it might be more geared towards tourists. However, it turned out to be surprisingly delicious! The noodles were medium-thin curly noodles, and the soup seemed to be a mix of chicken and pork bone broth. It had a nice richness, but the miso flavor was lighter than expected. The simmered egg was tasty, but I was disappointed that the chashu was quite thin. (I had to resist adding garlic as I was on a business trip! What a shame!) Since it was near the Usuzan Ropeway station, I assume many shops are open during the tourist season, but there were many closed shops during this time. I showed up in a suit at a tourist spot in the dead of winter, so the staff mistook me for a travel agency employee. The photos of Showa Shinzan from that day are already posted in my diary. Please take a look if you're interested!

On the third day of the Hokkaido tour, we visited Showa Shinzan. Originally, we were supposed to take a ropeway to Mount Usu to see the crater and have lunch at this restaurant. However, due to a typhoon, the ropeway was not operating, so we ended up visiting a bear ranch instead. It turned out to be more enjoyable than expected. Since there wasn't much to see at the bear ranch, we ended up with some extra time and killed it by browsing the souvenir shop inside the building before lunch. The lunch menu options were "Salmon Chan-chan Yaki" and "Seafood Three-color Donburi" when we booked the tour. I chose the seafood donburi, while my companion chose the chan-chan yaki. When it was finally time for lunch, we sat down in the restaurant and opened the lid of the seafood donburi to find a disappointing sight. The seafood toppings were very sparse compared to the picture in the tour brochure, although there was plenty of rice. The taste was nothing special, except for the miso soup with a strong scallop flavor. The chan-chan yaki, on the other hand, had a good portion size and tasted decent. Since we had already visited the souvenir shop before lunch, we ended up taking a stroll to another souvenir shop in a slightly distant location after lunch to pass the time.