From JR Loop Line Temma Station, head north towards Tenroku along Japan's longest Tenjinbashi Shopping Street. After about five minutes, you will see a staircase on your left leading underground, surrounded by lanterns indicating shops. Going down the stairs, you will find a large fish flag and a swimming squid sign, marking the Hokkaido Shiretoko Fishery Temma Branch, a Hokkaido regional cuisine restaurant. The lanterns are located slightly inside the building on the first floor, so be careful not to miss it as there are no signs on the street. If you see Sushiro on your right, you have gone about 20 meters too far. Head back towards Temma Station a bit. We enjoyed a relaxing meal of Hokkaido cuisine in private rooms. Hokkaido has a variety of dishes using salmon, the highest catch in Japan, which has been a food source for the Ainu people since ancient times. The Ishikari hot pot, born at the mouth of the Ishikari River, originated from fishermen celebrating a big catch by putting salmon in a miso soup pot to eat. The frozen sashimi dish called "Ruibe" originated from the Ainu tradition of thinly slicing frozen salmon that had been preserved in snow. In September, supermarkets are filled with salmon roe, and households prepare ikura (salmon roe) dishes. The name "ikura" was passed down from Russian in the Meiji era and became widely known in the Taisho era. In 1874, the "Nankin soba" served at a Western-style restaurant in Hakodate was Japan's first ramen. It became popular in cold climates and led to the creation of regional ramen varieties like Sapporo miso ramen, Hakodate salt ramen, and Asahikawa soy sauce ramen. The cloudy pork bone soup that the Ainu people used to eat is still used in the soup base. "Ikameshi" was created as a station bento at Morie Station on the Hakodate Main Line during World War II when there was a shortage of rice due to food control. While Kyoto is famous for "nishin soba," using kombu and light soy sauce, Hokkaido's version has a richer taste with dark soy sauce, resulting in a slightly sweet broth. "Zangi" is made by marinating chicken in a sweet and savory soy sauce-based sauce, known for its rich flavor. During World War I, when importing wool became difficult, sheep farming was encouraged as a national policy, leading to the consumption of sheep meat and the establishment of "Genghis Khan" as a popular dish to promote sheep meat consumption. We have edited a video of the dishes we enjoyed, so please check it out if you're interested. https://youtu.be/zoNcnRvSGwY

Today's early dinner was at Temma. We had seared mackerel, crab sashimi, grilled squid, grilled scallops, and some kind of delicious oysters. We also had fresh beer and the recommended dish of the day, which was clam, rolled omelette, and Camembert crackers. It was a good deal and perfect for people who are not picky eaters. The service was efficient and polite, and the food was delicious. I would definitely like to visit again. Thank you for the meal!

I went to the "Shiretoko Fishing Ground" Tenjinbashi store in Hokkaido. I was hoping to try some Hokkaido-style seafood. First, I had a "Premium <Fragrant> Ale" (635 yen). It was delicious! I also tried the Hokkaido specialty "Hascap Sour" (582 yen). Hascap is a type of berry, known as "Kurominougisukagura" in Japanese. I also had the "Sweet Shrimp Sashimi" (647 yen). It was a large size and very satisfying to eat. The official name for sweet shrimp is "Hokkokuakaebi". I also tried the Hokkaido specialty "Chicken Zangi" (647 yen). Zangi is similar to fried chicken, seasoned with soy sauce, ginger, and garlic. I also had the "Red Snapper Head Soup" (520 yen). It had a lot of meat and was very satisfying to eat. The restaurant is located on the B1F of the Sakashin Tenjinbashi Building, with entrances from both the Tenjinbashi side and the Tenjinbashi Shopping Street side.

I went to a restaurant with a swimming squid photo on the entrance menu. I was seated in a cozy semi-private area at the back. I ordered some drinks and enjoyed some snacks like buttered potatoes, fresh oysters, and croquettes. Although I couldn't try the swimming squid, the meal was enjoyable. Thank you for the delicious food!

I used the "Choi-nomi Techo" and went to Hokkaido Shiretoko Fishing Ground in Temma. The Choi-nomi Techo is a system where you buy a book for 1000 yen, show it to registered stores, and can order a special set for 1000 yen. The set at this restaurant includes grilled crab shell stuffed with crab meat and one alcoholic drink. I ordered it right away. It was around 8 pm on a weekday and there were few customers. The restaurant is located on the basement floor of a mixed-use building, which might make it hard to find. The order arrived in about 10 minutes. The grilled crab shell was rich with crab meat and crab miso, but the portion was a bit small. Since the set only included this one dish, I wished there was something else added to it. The set is priced at 1000 yen with an alcoholic drink, so it's not expensive, but it didn't feel particularly worth it.

On Friday around 5:30 PM, I visited for the first time. The spacious restaurant still had plenty of empty seats. I ordered a sashimi platter with five kinds of fish: sea bream, salmon, sweet shrimp, tuna, and yellowtail. The tsubugai (whelk) with wasabi was a nice palate cleanser. The Genghis Khan stir-fry came out sizzling hot on a hot plate. I was drawn in by the "swimming squid," but unfortunately, it wasn't available due to poor fishing conditions. By the time I left around 7 PM, the restaurant was starting to fill up with reserved party guests. The majority of customers seemed to be in their 20s and 30s.

I used a coupon for a 3500 yen all-you-can-drink course, and the food was served in just the right portions for 90 minutes. There were empty seats, so we weren't rushed and were able to enjoy an additional order for a total of 4 hours.

Private rooms with all-you-can-drink options and a wide variety of seafood dishes are great! However, there is a limited selection of meat.

The staff were friendly and the overall taste was good, but the dishes seemed a bit overpriced. The oyster fry was disappointing.

It was delicious.

When I requested to experience the feeling of Hokkaido, the Tenman Inn Hokkaido restaurant was recommended and booked for me. Upon entering, I spotted swimming squid, and was seated at a large table. I started with a toast of draft beer. The squid dish was priced at over 6000 yen, but when calculated, it seemed reasonable for over 400 grams. It was said that if someone else ordered, we could split the cost. I ordered fried chicken and tried the Hokkaido famous dish - Jagabata with squid salted fish roe, which was quite good. While waiting for the squid dish, I enjoyed a highball and reflected on the day. Before I knew it, it was dessert time, and I ended up overeating the cheesecake-like dessert. Overall, the Tenman Inn Hokkaido provided a somewhat Hokkaido-like experience, but more of a casual imitation. The spacious seating allowed for a leisurely chat. Thank you for the meal.

I visited the restaurant on the night of 2/24! I was intrigued by the "Swimming Squid" sign posted near the entrance, so I decided to check it out. Despite it being Premium Friday and restaurants usually being busy, the inside of the restaurant was surprisingly quiet... Where are the staff? That was the initial feeling, but a customer who was already inside noticed us and called a staff member for us! (*´∀人) Thank you very much! When we were seated, there was a scallop shell with a scallop fortune... it was a fortune of "average luck" (￣▽￣;) Nevertheless, we checked the menu! When we tried to order the Swimming Squid, we were told that due to rough seas, there was no Swimming Squid available today (|||´Д｀)ｶﾞｰﾝ They offered to prepare regular squid sashimi and grilled squid or squid tempura at half price! So, we placed our order for that! The Swimming Squid is priced at 1,580 yen for 100g, and since the squid we had was 200-250g, I think it was around 1,580 yen this time. We also ordered other items on the menu! Tsubugai with wasabi dressing 518 yen, a set of three sake appetizers for 980 yen - sweet shrimp salt koji pickles, edamame, and marinated cod roe with tarako Chicken Zangi 580 yen After eating the squid sashimi, we had the grilled with salt option! They brought us drinks and appetizers as soon as we ordered. The appetizer was boiled bamboo shoots and taro. They had delicately crafted lily roots to resemble cherry blossoms! It was very spring-like and nice (*^ーﾟ) The dishes arrived in about 5 minutes! The Tsubugai with wasabi dressing was to my liking! The squid, both sashimi and grilled with salt, had quite a large portion, but we managed to finish it between the two of us! Well, I ate most of it (^ー^;A It was so delicious (*´∀｀*) Also, the Chicken Zangi was tender and even more delicious than I had imagined (*´∀｀*) Finally, we ordered the dessert "Souffle Pancake" for 720 yen! It arrived in about 5 minutes! The balance of the ice cream on top and the slightly warm souffle was delicious (*´∀｀*) Thank you for the meal! (*´∀人)

When I entered the restaurant, there were 2-3 groups of customers but no employees in sight, and there was no bell to call for service, so I had to wait at the entrance. Finally, an employee emerged from the kitchen and led us to a corner booth. We decided on what to order and tried to ring the bell, but there was no response. No matter how many times we pressed it, it seemed like the battery was dead. The employee was still nowhere to be found. I waited for about 10 minutes. The menu had a limited selection, even though it was an izakaya. The stir-fried octopus looked appetizing, but it was tough and hard to swallow. The sticky rice cake? had a slimy texture and strong flavor, which was disappointing. The fried rice was soggy and mediocre. The biggest surprise was the hokke fish. It was very large, which was impressive, but it was tough and had a fishy taste, another disappointment. I usually finish everything on my plate, but this time I left so much uneaten, which was a first for me.

The swimming squid sashimi was super delicious!