I visited MUKAWA Shiki no Kan, a roadside station, and it was amazing! They have a free rest area, a coffee shop called Shiki, a restaurant called Tanpopo, a sports plaza, MUKAWA Onsen Shiki no Yu, and Hotel Shiki no Kaze. It's great that you can enjoy everything here. The station seems to be themed around dinosaurs, as in 2003, a Hadrosauridae dinosaur tail bone from about 72 million years ago was found in Mukawa Town, which seems to have inspired the theme. They have a wide variety of Shishamo and dinosaur-themed goods that are colorful and cute. I tried some Hokkaido corn tea, Yoi Tomake, Hokurenka Haskap, Hokkaido grilled scallops, and authentic kombu umeboshi for the first time. Yoi Tomake is a famous Hokkaido snack that can be a bit sticky, so it's best to eat it in an environment where you can wash your hands easily. Hokurenka Haskap has a chewy texture with a Haskap flavor, which was delicious. The grilled scallops are reasonably priced and perfect as a snack with alcohol. The authentic kombu umeboshi, although not a local product of Mukawa Town, was simply delicious. The straightforwardness of the delivery was impressive. Overall, everything was delicious. They accept credit card payments. Check out my blog for more details: https://zan3tho.com

I visited to eat real shishamo, but it was not the season for it. They had frozen ones, but I couldn't buy them because they wouldn't last. I settled for shishamo fry instead. I plan to revisit after October. The facility also offers accommodations, day-use hot springs, and a space to eat your own bento box. It seems like a place where you can make the most of various activities.

The Michi-no-Eki "Shiki no Yakata" in Mukawa Town also has a natural hot spring facility. I used it for the first time in a while and purchased the recommended scallops by the front desk. They were moderately sweet and soft, with a rich scallop flavor. It's a rare delicacy that goes well with alcohol.

Family went to eat together. On the way back from visiting the grave, we stopped to eat soft serve ice cream at Karasugawa Shiki no Yakata. The kids had shishamo chocolate soft serve ice cream, while my wife and I had regular soft serve ice cream. It had been a while since we last visited, and they had a variety of items for sale. It was delicious. Thank you for the meal!

In October 2021, I revisited a "Michi no Eki" (roadside station) that I had visited once during my solo assignment in Tomakomai. Since the high-spec road from Tomakomai to Mukawa is free (and will eventually become a highway), I came to bathe in the hot springs attached to this roadside station. At that time, I had free time on weekends, so it felt like a hot spring tour, but the hot spring at this roadside station wasn't particularly memorable in terms of water quality. This roadside station also has a "hotel" in addition to the hot spring facility. For some reason, there are separate pages for the store and the roadside station, so I will also review this roadside station here. Also, the "dining hall" and "coffee shop" at this roadside station have separate pages on Tabelog. It's a roadside station where you can review four places in one location.

I tried hard to stamp my card. I ordered the Shishamo Soy Sauce Sundae Soft Serve for 500 yen... it was expensive but I gave it a try. The Shishamo on top made it difficult to eat with a spoon. The combination of soy sauce and soft serve was not that great. The soft serve itself was delicious though. I think I'll stick to eating Shishamo on its own. I bought the Shishamo Chocolate as a souvenir for the kids, hoping it would be a hit.

In June 2019, I took a leisurely drive from Sapporo, circling around to the Pacific side and heading to Obihiro~(*´∀`)♪ I'm aiming to complete the Michi-no-Eki stamp rally this year, so I can't avoid stopping at "Mukawa Shiki no Yakata", "Sarabred Road Shimukappu", and "Mitsuishi" Michi-no-Eki. First, I have to go to "Mukawa Shiki no Yakata", no ifs, ands, or buts!! (laughs) Inside the store, the standout feature is the "WARUI SHISHAMO" corner, with a special display set up. Is this Mukawa Town's mascot character, I wonder? I was drawn to the playful focus on heels and ended up buying a mug cup (laughs). I also picked up some "Mukawa Shishamo Soy Sauce Flavored Rice Crackers" and "Blended Rice" before heading to the hotel front desk/ register, where I was greeted by a sight even more eye-catching than "WARUI SHISHAMO"!! ＼(゜ロ゜)／ The woman at the front desk/ register looks just like Saeki Asami, super beautiful!! (*´∀`)♪ I couldn't believe there was such a beautiful lady in Mukawa Town...it's like a surprise out of the blue (laughs). The Mukawa Shishamo Soy Sauce Flavored Rice Crackers...they taste pretty normal. My wife said, "Not good... (；一_一)", but I didn't find them that bad (^_^;) It's weird to say "my wife said" like that, right (laughs)? If you don't expect them to taste like shishamo, they're decent. The Blended Rice...I was lured by the "No Washing Required" label and bought it. I didn't read the label properly and it turned out to be a blend with brown rice. Well, that happens, I guess. Genmai Genmai, what a pun (laughs)! The taste is better than I expected, but it still has the unique texture of brown rice. Well, that makes sense.

Is this place familiar to you? It seems like you always stop by here. When you're on your bike, you almost always stop here, right? I came here today aiming for the hot springs, but it seems like it's really crowded, so I decided to skip it (laughs). Oh well, I'll just drop some money here instead. I usually don't buy anything, but how about getting some shishamo soy sauce? It's a bottle with shishamo and shiitake mushrooms inside, and you pour soy sauce in yourself. Shishamo is the specialty of this town, after all. Regardless of disasters or anything like that, I want this town to thrive. You just pour soy sauce at home, right, and then put it in the fridge for about a night? Hmm, one night isn't enough for the flavor of the shishamo to come out. Maybe about a week for it to really stand out, right? The flavor of shishamo is like fish flavor. It won't stand out with just natto. Even if you use it for sashimi, it's like fish on top of fish, a bit counterproductive. Maybe egg over rice is the best option? Or maybe pouring a bit of shishamo soy sauce on freshly cooked rice is the best way to go (^▽^)/ There are refill packs for the bagged shishamo too, so next time you stop by here, give it a try!

Well, what to buy? Chocolate tart? Chocolate crunch? Crème brûlée cookie? I chose the chocolate crunch. The office lady Sachan seems to be enjoying the autumn season, haha. The donation box at the register has a lot of 1,000 yen bills in it. It stands out if you put in a 10,000 yen bill, so I used loose change instead. (^^; Shishamoneko Chocolate Crunch 650 yen. Thank you for the delicious meal! (^^)v

After enjoying the shishamo at Mukawa, I headed to the Michi-no-Eki nearby. It is a large and impressive building with a hotel, hot spring facility, and training gym. As I arrived at the entrance, I noticed a souvenir corner on the right and a reception area on the left, which seemed to still be used as an evacuation center. The town of Mukawa experienced a strong level 6 intensity during the Eastern Iburi Earthquake in Hokkaido, leaving deep scars. The souvenir corner displayed various local products from Mukawa and other parts of Hokkaido. The store was dimly lit, perhaps due to power saving measures, creating a quiet and unique atmosphere compared to typical Michi-no-Eki. I purchased the following items: - Shikinokan Shishamo Senbei (180 yen): Oval-shaped senbei with the words "Shishamo" written on it. The ingredients list included "shishamo," but it was unclear whether the senbei contained shishamo or used shishamo soy sauce. The senbei itself had a gentle and delicious taste. - Salted Banana Chips (270 yen): Eye-catching packaging with a seductive banana-like lady saying, "We use Okhotsk salt." The phrase is quite unique. The chips were surprisingly delicious, with a sweet and salty banana flavor that was addictive. I also bought: - Iso no Ka Musubi (300 yen) - Octopus Tongue Roll Smoked (540 yen) - Hidaka Boiled Dashi Kombu (300 yen) I hope for a speedy recovery and a return to a lively atmosphere. It may sound cliché, but I pray for a swift reconstruction. Thank you for the meal.

I am in Mukawa Town for work... I stopped by a roadside station for a toilet break, but the aftermath of the earthquake is still evident. There are people continuing to live in evacuation at the roadside station, and several disaster relief vehicles are parked in the parking lot. Along the national highway on the way, there are buildings with all windows shattered here and there, leaving visible marks. The hot spring bathhouse attached to the roadside station is also closed due to the earthquake. In the store, local specialty products are displayed, including fresh shishamo for sale, but they need to be refrigerated and cannot be taken home. I bought "Dried octopus made by fishermen @600" and "Salmon jerky @300" (tax included). I took them home as snacks for drinking. The dried octopus made by fishermen from Yoshimura Smokehouse (Mukawa Town) is soft and good as a snack, although a bit salty. The salmon jerky from Maruden Co., Ltd. (Erimo Town) has a lower salt content and is preferred by the elderly, but the salmon flavor may be mild. Today, I enjoyed drinking at home after a long time. Thank you for the meal.

This is a roadside station located along the Chitose-Mukawa Line in Mukawa Town, Hokkaido. I didn't plan to stop by as I had visited before and already got my stamp, but I ended up using the restroom here. Since I was already here, I decided to purchase some sake that I had debated on buying last time, along with some snacks and tea. The sake, paired with some dried fish I bought nearby, had a nice dry taste that I enjoyed. The snack I bought, shishamo rice crackers, didn't have a strong dried fish flavor, despite being made with shishamo broth. It seems that shishamo doesn't have a strong enough flavor to stand out in the snack. Overall, souvenir shops and roadside stations always make me feel like I have to buy something, probably due to the touristy atmosphere.

This day was the second day of a 1-night, 2-day trip to Shizunai, Hidaka Town. The day before, I visited two of my favorite restaurants, a izakaya and a sushi restaurant, both of which have a rating of 4.5 stars. It was a trip where I stayed for a long time at one place, which is something I can't imagine doing now. On the second day, I visited Mitsuiishi Konbu Mori Onsen, then had grilled shishamo at Ono Shoten Kanedai, followed by sushi at Otoyo Sushi before heading to a roadside station. I bought sparkling shochu from Kagoshima and heated oysters from Kunimori, both of which are not local products from Mukawa. I really wanted shishamo but it was too expensive. The heated oysters from Kunimori are known for their creamy texture, so I bought them. They were delicious and creamy when steamed for a few minutes. I have only seen this sparkling shochu product and have never tried it before. In Kyushu, it was common to drink sweet potato shochu after drinking beer at social gatherings. However, now that I am no longer in Kyushu, I don't drink shochu when dining out because I think it's a waste. This sparkling shochu is still sitting in my warehouse. I wonder if it's still good. I'll have to try it soon!

The salty taste of the shishamo with soy sauce, pickled herring, bamboo shoots, and kelp was delicious and paired well with rice. Thank you for the meal.

The roadside station here is large and fun, with a variety of products for sale. There are many local specialties, all of which look delicious. There is a character called Shishamo Neko, and I thought, "Oh, Mukawa is famous for shishamo," so I bought a handkerchief for my daughter, only to find out that it was actually born in Tokushima. It must be because it's cute. I found Shishamo Senbei, which is made by Kyowa Seika in Tomakomai. I feel like I've seen their signboard before. I was surprised to find out that Shishamo is actually one of the ingredients in the senbei. I thought it was just shaped like a shishamo on the senbei. It's big and has a satisfying crunch, plus it lasts a long time. It would make a great souvenir.