When you think of Furano, the beautiful lavender fields come to mind, making it a representative tourist spot in Hokkaido. South of Furano is a roadside station called Minamifurano. Surprisingly, this roadside station has a Montbell store on its premises. It seems that there were various incidents leading to the establishment of this roadside station, including the arrest of the mayor for collusion. But now, it is being operated energetically. Inside the roadside station, there is a huge stuffed bear that is quite impressive. And there are also suspiciously rare Ito fish swimming around. It feels like Ito fish are kept in various places as if they were common. I ordered a soft-serve ice cream. It was delicious soft-serve ice cream of Hokkaido quality. The waffle cone was a nice touch, crunchy and very good. Why not stop by on your way to Furano? Thank you for the meal.

Soft serve ice cream topped with a mix of five berries sauce is a delightful treat. The sauce has a nice balance of acidity from the berries and sweetness from the ice cream. Enjoying it under the hot sun is simply amazing. Served in a cup for 400 yen, but I wish there was a bit more in it! It disappears too quickly on a hot day. Another delicious meal, thank you!

I found a restaurant serving "cold ramen" at a roadside station in Minamifurano Town, so I decided to try it. Lately, it seems like there are many "cold" options available. After waiting for about 10 minutes, the dish arrived. It had asparagus, chashu, menma, and plenty of ice cubes. The soup was properly cold, and the noodles were medium-thick and curly, which I like. Enjoying cold ramen on a hot summer day was a nice change of pace. Another delicious meal today.

After quickly checking the construction progress at the Obihiro site, I stopped by for a snack at 3 o'clock. I parked my car, went inside, and headed straight to the local produce corner. Last time I visited, I bought the "corn pudding" and the "niwatori farm pudding," so this time I bought the "buttered potatoes" and the "?" (soft castella). I ate the "?" which was soft and delicious, but unfortunately, I threw away the receipt so I don't remember the name. I enjoyed it so much that I finished it in one go. I would like to buy it again next time.

On the way from Obihiro to Furano, I took a break at a roadside station. The spacious and bright interior was filled with Furano's specialty products, as well as products from the sister city of Kunigami District, Okinawa Prefecture. There were also goods featuring Minami-chan, the mascot of Minamifurano. I bought a cute bottle of pudding from the Niwatori Farm, which had a gentle sweetness and a smooth texture. It was delicious! Inside the roadside station, there were two stuffed bears on display. I learned that female bears have a moon bear-like white fur pattern. I didn't know that such bears existed even among bears! Thank you, Minamifurano, for the wonderful meal.

I tried some delicious country cookies that looked really good! I bought "Niwatori Bokujou" country cookies (walnut) and they are so tasty!! I definitely want to eat them again ( ´ー`) I'm also curious about the pudding, so I want to go buy it again soon (*´∇｀*)

The packaging is cute with a chicken mark! The flavor was rich and delicious. The caramel's crispy aroma was also good! I took the empty bottle home and turned it into a vase. ♥

I went to Michi-no-Eki Michi Furano! I've been here a few times already. Heading towards Asahikawa, I stopped by to use the restroom and take a short break. Inside, they have a wide variety of food available. The butter potatoes and pudding seem to be popular. They have two types of potato chips called "Furano-chi" - one with light salt and one with seaweed salt for 120 yen each. It's cheap! I tried the light salt one. The salt is mild, and you can taste the sweetness of the potatoes. It goes well with beer. It would make a great souvenir, don't you think? Thank you for the meal, Michi-no-Eki Minami Furano!

The day after the road station tour with my junior, we revisited the same place we went to the day before, Minami Furano Road Station! Since it was lunchtime, we went to the restaurant on the opposite side of the station's shop. There were no other customers there. I ordered the "Katsu Curry" (850 yen). It was simply delicious and the katsu was crispy. I like this kind of simple meal.

This is a review of a stop at Michi-no-Eki Minamifurano. This place has a shop that offers a variety of local specialty products. I bought the "Vanilla Pudding" (333 yen) and the "Niwatori Bokujou Pudding" (324 yen) as souvenirs this time. The taste is not too sweet, but delicious! This was the right choice. There were other varieties available, so I will definitely go back to buy more.

During the consecutive holidays, the parking lot was full. However, there was no traffic congestion as the leading car was doing its best on the road. In times like this, soft serve ice cream is a must. It was slim and smooth, with a slightly yellow buttery flavor. The cone was thin and crispy, providing a refreshing taste. It was delicious.

The North Liner bound for Asahikawa Station from Obihiro Station has a rest stop. During the short 10-minute break, you can use the restroom, purchase drinks from the vending machine, and check out the local products corner. I found a unique "Toba Farm Hand-Squeezed Mini Tomato Juice" made from mini tomatoes at a farm in Minami-Furano. The juice is packed with the sweetness and flavor of about 14 mini tomatoes. It's my first time trying tomato juice made from mini tomatoes, and it was deliciously sweet and flavorful. The secret to its taste lies in the fact that the mini tomatoes are fully ripened on the vine before being harvested. Although it's a bit pricey at 324 yen for 80ml, the quality and taste justify the cost. People used to commercial tomato juice brands may be surprised by the taste of this juice.

"I purchased 'Haskap Mini ¥345,' 'Furano Melon Sweets ¥194,' and 'Ninguru Forest Meringue ¥198.' The Haskap has a unique acidity and sweetness that is really delicious. It's not easy to find locally, so I'm glad I tried it. The meringue is really light and slightly fragrant. It melts in your mouth instantly with a hint of sweetness. The melon sweets, when chilled, have a rich melon flavor. Delicious."

I did not like the two types of boiled corn.

A few years ago, I had some delicious "Berries" ice cream at this roadside station. I stopped by again after a few years, but I couldn't find Berries anywhere among the outdoor shops that used to be there. I was disappointed. However, my husband comforted me by saying, "There's no Berries, but they have soft serve ice cream with 8.5% milkfat." So, I went inside and found it. I ordered the rich soft serve ice cream called Ferina, made with fresh cream, in a cup for ¥350. My husband chose the local soft serve with mini tomato sauce for ¥430. The Ferina was incredibly rich and creamy, almost like buttercream, but it melted smoothly in my mouth without being overwhelming. It was a new sensation. The tomato sauce was surprisingly thick and rich, more like a pasta sauce than a typical sweet and tangy tomato sauce. My husband was impressed. This amazing and rich soft serve ice cream, Ferina, is actually made by a manufacturer in Kanagawa, not Hokkaido, so you can enjoy it even outside of Hokkaido. It was a special treat that saved me from my Berries disappointment. Thank you for the delicious experience.

I bought a handmade souvenir, which is stylish and delicious. I purchased a pudding from the chicken farm. It is rich and tasty.

The haskap juice was delicious.

In July 2018, on the second day of my trip to Hokkaido, after finishing sightseeing in the Furano area, I stopped by the Michi-no-Eki "Minami Furano" before heading to my accommodation in Obihiro. It was my second visit here, about 4 years since my last visit. Last time, I was impressed by the White Corn I had here (I also remembered I forgot my wallet in the car haha). This time, I bought a mini tomato juice at the store. It's Toba Farm's hand-squeezed mini tomato juice for 324 yen. I brought it back home and chilled it before drinking. The taste of Hokkaido produce is just different. The balance of tomato acidity and sweetness was good (I could really taste the sweetness). It was a refreshing and easy-to-drink juice, and it was delicious. Thank you for the meal!