After leaving Lake Mashu, I stopped by this place. It was past noon and I was feeling hungry... I didn't have high hopes, but I asked if they had any food available. To my surprise, they had ramen and udon as light meals! It had been a while, so I decided to try the udon. It was cold near the mountaintop, so the hot tempura udon helped warm me up.

Amazing view. The mochi dumplings were chewy and delicious.

I had lunch at Highland Koshimizu 725 in Teshikaga and on my way back, I saw this place and decided to stop by. When I asked "Are you open?" the lady assured me that they were using their smartphone to manage things. The place is located halfway up Mount Mokoto, overlooking Lake Kussharo. There were quite a few people there. While joking in the car about whether to have ramen, the lady coldly informed me that they only had soba and udon. But when we arrived, they did have ramen. However, it was priced at 700 yen, which seemed a bit expensive for such a place. I decided to have soft serve ice cream instead, choosing strawberry and vanilla flavors. I thought it was a self-serve machine, but it turned out to be served by the staff. The ice cream was a bit melty due to the hot weather, but the strawberry flavor was quite strong. It was surprisingly delicious. The vanilla flavor was overshadowed by the strawberry and was not as noticeable. Overall, it was a decent soft serve ice cream experience.

Day 2 of the trip, another sunny day. Today we left Lake Akan and stopped by Lake Mashu and Lake Kussharo before heading to Utoro via Shari. First, we visited Lake Mashu, known for its world-class transparency. Maybe it's because of our good deeds? Instead of fog, we were able to admire the clear sky ^^ However, not everything went smoothly, as we had a showdown with the school trip groups. The shops were crowded, and we couldn't buy any delicious food. So, we reluctantly headed to "Highland Koshimizu 725". It's about a 20-minute drive from Lake Mashu. As the name suggests, it's a restaurant on a high plateau at an altitude of 725m overlooking Lake Kussharo. The interior is filled with the warmth of wood. Unlike the bustling Lake Mashu with many tourists, here you can quietly admire Lake Kussharo. Since we came all the way here, I tried the vanilla soft serve for 300 yen. It tastes like Hokkaido. A taste of Hokkaido? Now, let's head to Shari for lunch.

Orchard Grass set off and headed straight for Highland Koshimizu 725. From morning, we enjoyed the views at the observation decks of Lake Akan and Lake Mashu. Next, we aimed to enjoy the view of Lake Kussharo, the largest lake in Hokkaido. There are several viewpoints to see Lake Kussharo, but I chose Highland Koshimizu 725 as my destination. I had seen their website beforehand and was attracted by the idea that from the 725m high point, you can see not only Lake Kussharo but also Shiretoko, and enjoy soft serve ice cream. We departed from Kawana Onsen Station and turned from National Route 391 to Hokkaido Route 102. After a while, we started going uphill and the altitude increased. We could see Lake Kussharo from the window, but at the same time, clouds started looming overhead. I had a bad feeling, but I didn't plan to turn back. Before arriving at Highland Koshimizu 725, there was a simple observation point. When we reached the observation point, we were completely engulfed in clouds. We couldn't see Lake Kussharo, not even in front of us. The visibility was about 2m, and driving in such dangerous conditions, I still managed to arrive at Highland Koshimizu 725. The situation didn't change at all, and even when we parked the car in the parking lot, we couldn't see Lake Kussharo, let alone the rest house. My son ran out, but his figure disappeared quickly. The temperature had dropped significantly, not what you would expect in the scorching summer. Unexpectedly, despite the bad weather, the building was open and there was one other couple there. The building was designed with a circular shape and large windows placed around 270 degrees. However, the magnificent view of Lake Kussharo that should have been visible from the windows was completely obscured by the white expanse of clouds. I realized that when we embarked on this trip, a typhoon had passed through the northeastern region. It seemed like we were always on the border between good and bad luck with the weather. At this point, all I could do was to enjoy the sea of clouds. Initially, I had planned to enjoy soft serve ice cream here, but I felt the need for something warm. So, I ordered a hot coffee (300 yen). It would take about 6 minutes, and I didn't mind waiting while admiring the sea of clouds. My son had found a large seat in the center of the shop and was lounging there. Eventually, the coffee was ready. At Highland Koshimizu 725, there is a spring called Chomeisu Water, and the coffee was brewed using that water. The taste was slightly less acidic and seemed a bit diluted, but it had a good richness.