Weekend solo outing series. I aim to be a serious pro at this, so I even go camping alone. Last summer, I heard that a campsite was opening at "Hakenzan Kitchen & Marche" where I went to buy apple gin. So, I planned to have a lunch of mackerel sandwich and beer. Finally, the other day, I executed the plan!! A girl eating lunch alone at the tent site after setting up (lol) As you may understand if you have seen my previous review, the mackerel tempura and bread are really delicious. The weather was nice, and eating mackerel sandwich and a classic (I brought the classic because it's camping, but they also sell beer) in the great outdoors was simply the best. I also bought Niagara Dry, which was delicious. It's slightly dry and has a refreshing taste, making it perfect as a mealtime drink. I didn't buy it this time, but I also recommend the popular Niagara Brut. I still love the mackerel sandwich here. Next time, I plan to try the pizza. Thank you for the feast♪

I rode my bike for over 20km to come to "Hakkenzan" to eat soba noodles. After that, I had shaved ice, bought some bread, and then wandered around "Hakkenzan Winery". In a separate building on the premises, there is "Hakkenzan Kitchen & Marche" where they sell wines produced at the winery, local processed foods, seasonings, and also have an eat-in space. I bought a "Gelato Single @380" and paid with PayPay. It was quickly served in a cup. The label said it was "rich matcha gelato aged slowly in the tunnel of the Toyohira-kyo Dam". I sat at a table on the wooden deck outside and enjoyed the smooth texture and gentle sweetness of the gelato. The matcha flavor was not too strong, making it suitable for everyone. I wish I had just bought a bottle of wine since I don't really like domestic wines. You can also camp on the premises, walk around the grape vineyard and biotope, and enjoy Nordic walking with Nordic style or snowshoes. There are plenty of activities such as hiking on Hakkenzan Mountain (in summer), playing park golf at the adjacent park golf course, or horseback riding at the riding club. In spring, the mountain cherry blossoms and skunk cabbage add color, and in autumn, there are plenty of things to see such as autumn leaves. In addition to grape cultivation for wine, they also grow apples and table grapes, and make juice and jam. Playing in Minami Ward is not just about Jozankei, so be sure to stop by here too. It's highly recommended. Thank you for the meal.

A restaurant located at the foot of the majestic Hakensan mountain with a great view. It's best to visit on a sunny day. The curry has a tangy tomato flavor, making it easy to eat even in the summer. They offer plain and cheese naan. The spring limited edition grape sprout tempura is served with herb salt. It has a simple taste without the strong flavor of udo leaf tempura. The mackerel sandwich contains deep-fried mackerel with thinly sliced lemon to balance out the oiliness of the fish.

After the rain stopped and the sun came out in October, I couldn't climb Mt. Hakken this year. At least, I can visit this winery around the end of 2022. It was past lunchtime and I was thirsty~ I ordered a beer for 500 yen, a coffee for 400 yen, and wine salt for 540 yen. The interior of the shop was decorated for Halloween, with firewood ready. Having a beer while looking at Mt. Hakken is the best! I explored the shop and found that there were fewer items compared to summer. However, I found white wine salt. It is quite nice as a wine snack, but sprinkling this salt on an olive oil salad like aglio e olio. This is delicious♪ I found something good! Thank you for the meal (╹◡╹)

Recently, the popularity of Hokkaido wines seems to be increasing, and there are several wineries in Sapporo as well. I took the Jotetsu bus Kappa Liner to visit Yakenoyama Winery on the way to Jozankei in Minami Ward. When I got off at Yakenoyama Chuo-guchi bus stop, I saw the towering Yakenoyama mountain with steep rocky cliffs near the summit. A 10-minute walk from there led me to the winery. The surrounding area is lush with greenery. Once you step further in, you can definitely feel that there might be bears around... Yakenoyama Winery sign. The stylish brown building houses a shop and a cafe corner combined. It was a good idea to make a reservation. They had a tasting set of red, white, and rose wines. It was nice to be able to drink wine without driving! Fresh wines. I still prefer white. My family of five ordered various dishes. The salad bowl was huge! Thick-cut fried potatoes. The curry bratwurst. The sausages were pre-cut. This dish was also very generous. We ordered Margherita and cheese pizzas. The crispy crust made them perfect for snacking. For dessert, we had a cheese platter. After eating, we took a stroll around the area. Different grape varieties were planted in rows in the vineyard. It's a lush area, but it feels like there might be wild animals around, so it's a bit scary as it gets dark... Since the bus back has few departures, we made sure not to miss it and headed to the bus stop. Wine tasting day trips are fun. It's only an hour away from Sapporo city center, so I recommend it.

After lunch, I had a separate stomach for dessert. The "Red Wine Salt Milk" for 380 yen was not what I expected - it was milk gelato sprinkled with red wine salt. I couldn't quite tell if the salt had a wine flavor or not, maybe it was just for color?

Let's take a stroll in Jozankei and have lunch! I'm not confident in finding a restaurant around here, so let's head to the planned stop, "Yakennzan Winery," for lunch. The rain that was falling on the way from Sapporo has stopped, and we can see blue skies now. The winery is so nice! As someone who grew up in the middle of Osaka, I'm not a fan of the countryside, but I'm really satisfied with a little bit of nature. I usually do photosynthesis in neon districts, so the countryside is not my thing...but I love nature during the daytime. I feel sorry for our driver, M-chan, but I couldn't resist trying the wine tasting set. The special Bolognese sauce pasta, 5-cheese and wiener pizza, sabasando, sabasando, was a hit! The mackerel is thick and the coating is crispy. The pasta is gently seasoned, and the Bolognese sauce is not overpowering. The pizza has a crispy crust. The wine has a wild flavor with mountain grapes. The stylish interior of the restaurant has a clean and pleasant atmosphere. The cozy winery made me feel warm and fuzzy. Thank you for the meal!

Today is the first day of my two-day weekend! I finished the early visit to the grave and had delicious udon noodles. In front of the udon shop where I was sitting, there was a poster for the "Hakkenzan Winery." I asked my wife, "Do you want to go?" and she said, "Let's go!" So, the two of us went. We relied on the car navigation system to get there. When we entered a long tunnel, we couldn't hear the FM radio, which was unusual. We arrived at the winery and found that the parking lot was spacious. There was even a second parking lot! Inside, it felt different from other wineries I've been to. The shop was a bit disappointing, but we ordered gelato since they didn't have soft serve ice cream. I had the "Furano Damaged Green Tea" gelato, while my wife had the "Red Wine Salt Milk" gelato. We originally planned to eat in the car, but a staff member suggested we eat inside, so we moved to the terrace seating. My gelato was average, but my wife found hers too salty. She was interested in the "Red Wine Salt" at the shop. Overall, the air was refreshing, but it was crowded with many Japanese tourists.

I wanted to go here and on this day, I reached the summit of Mt. Hakkensan! It's an adventure climb that I do once a year. This mountain is known for having climbers slip and fall every year, so I had to be careful not to lose my balance. I've been walking every day to train for this (lol), so I was happy that I made it to the top faster than I expected. The sun was shining while I was on the mountain. It was hot, hot, hot... After descending, I headed straight here. It's a winery with a cute red building. Inside, there's a market with fresh vegetables and wines. They had this rare "Okahijiki" that I used to eat a lot in Kanagawa as a salad, but it was delicious boiled and served as a salad here! I was disappointed that there was only one left. There are box seats in the back and even further back, there's a terrace. They have a great selection of pizzas and salads. I ordered: - Mackerel Sandwich 980 yen - Apple Juice 410 yen - Beer 480 yen - Komatsuna (Japanese mustard spinach) 100 yen - Ooba (perilla) 100 yen - Okahijiki 150 yen When I sat on the terrace, I was shocked and screamed! Guess what! Mt. Hakkensan was towering right in front of me! It's such a happy sight to see Mt. Hakkensan from outside, sitting down, fitting in the viewfinder, and all in sight. It's a low mountain but quite an adventurous one. Looking at the summit, I felt a sense of accomplishment, like "I made it there!" (╹◡╹) (Whenever I descend and look at the mountain, I always think this) The mackerel sandwich was delicious, with fried mackerel and vegetables sandwiched between buttery bread. And enjoying a beer while looking at the mountain was just too perfect. It was a healing and amazing place. Thank you for the meal ^ - ^ I will definitely visit here again, along with climbing Mt. Hakkensan. (╹◡╹)

Opened in the spring of 2020, despite the challenges of the Corona pandemic, the restaurant is currently operating as usual at the end of June. One of the two types of local dam curry served at this restaurant is the "Toyohira Dam Curry." Today, I ordered this dish. The rice faithfully recreates the gently curved embankment, while the curry, filled with minced chicken, flows abundantly. Grilled chicken, fried potatoes, asparagus, and bell peppers are artistically arranged downstream of the dam, creating a colorful dish. The curry is spicy and slightly sweet, and I personally think it could be a bit spicier. It would be ideal if the level of spiciness could be chosen. Give it a try at least once!

On a nice day around June 2020, feeling bored, I decided to go for a little drive with a neighbor lady. We ended up at Hakkensan Winery because she saw it written somewhere and got excited. We tried some wine tasting and I had the Dam Curry, which was shaped like the dam of the area. The curry had a mild flavor with a hint of sweetness, while the sausages were flavorful with a slightly spicy and sweet sauce. The sausages had a good texture and released a lot of umami flavor when chewed. If you visit this place, ask the chef if they are Sugapon!

I thought the winery had changed, but a new building was built in front of the winery. The products were moved to this new building from the old one, which now only had a viewing platform. In addition to wine, vegetables grown here were also sold, and there was a small market and a restaurant where you could enjoy pizza. I bought some vegetables at the market, and although I was full, I couldn't resist trying the gelato made with Hakodate milk. It was delicious. I also tried the matured matcha gelato, which was surprisingly good. They also offered red wine salt to sprinkle on top, which added a nice flavor. I wanted to buy the salt at the market but forgot. Eating ice cream on the terrace was a simple joy. I plan to come back to buy the red wine salt when I go for pizza next time. Thank you for the wonderful meal!

The restaurant opened on May 7th, 2020♪ The chef here is a friend of Totoro's, so I was told they would contact me when they opened, but it was actually quicker on Tabelog (sweat). Due to the influence of the coronavirus, they couldn't open with their full menu, so they are mainly doing takeout for now. The menu includes pizza, gelato, soft serve ice cream, and local specialty products from nearby farms and orchards. I tried the pizza first, with two types: Margherita with Hakkensan beets and fresh herbs, and a five-cheese and sausage pizza. Both were delicious, but I preferred the five-cheese one! The coffee is reasonably priced at 300 yen and easy to drink. The gelato comes in four flavors, and I got a special assortment. The milk gelato made with Hakkensan's rich milk is intense and recommended for milk lovers. The aged dam matcha is elegant and smooth, while the milk cream cheese has a subtle cheese flavor. The blood orange gelato is light and not too sweet. Finally, I got soft serve ice cream to go, which was rich and creamy. The staff are all beautiful, and the old man is happy. I didn't buy the recommended umeboshi from a nearby orchard this time, but I plan to visit when they have Haskap berries at the end of June.

The other day, I visited this place and bought some agricultural and specialty products. First, I purchased "Fukimiso," which is fuki buds seasoned with miso. It was soft and had a strong fuki flavor. I had never tried it before, and although I didn't find it particularly delicious, I quickly finished it because it became addictive. The "Spicy Nanban Sauce" is a versatile sauce with various suggested uses, but I found it to be my favorite. The leaf onion is a product made from the leafy part of onions grown deliciously. I tried grilling it lightly over charcoal, and it was soft, sweet, and tasty. I also recommend the umeboshi pickled in rock salt made at E-chan's family's home. I will try the Totoron next time.

5/2020 ★ Gelato Double 480 yen Located in the mountains of Minami Ward, the Yatsurugi Mountain Winery has opened a new restaurant where you can enjoy local vegetables and meals! (*’ω’ﾉﾉﾞ☆ﾊﾟﾁﾊﾟﾁﾊﾟﾁﾊﾟﾁ☆.。.:*・゜However... due to the impact of the coronavirus, they have changed to shortened hours and takeout-only service. What bad timing! (ﾉД`) I visited on a rainy day when the rain was pouring down. It's a good distance for a short drive, but it seems like it will be crowded on sunny days. The selection of vegetables for sale is limited and not very cheap, so I didn't find anything I really wanted. Let's review the takeout menu. Pizza/Gelato/Soft Serve/Ice Coffee only. No glass of wine available. I was looking forward to that a little ( ´-ω-) Gelato Double 480 yen Choose 2 out of 4 flavors: - Yakyu Gakuen's rich milk - Blood Orange The milk flavor is delicious (๑˃́ꇴ˂̀๑) I'm happy that I can eat the soft serve from Yakyu Gakuen in gelato form! The Blood Orange is refreshing and good for cleansing the palate. I want to come back when the restaurant opens and enjoy freshly baked pizza while drinking wine. Thank you for the meal! (^ω^)

During my visit in July 2020, I tried the two types of curry available here, which also have different appearances. There is a pork curry shaped like the Lake Jozankei Dam, and a chicken curry shaped like the Lake Toyohira Dam. Since I had the pork curry last time, this time I decided to try the chicken curry shaped like the Lake Toyohira Dam. However, I didn't feel like eating chicken curry, so I used a special magic trick to make it disappear before eating. It's a secret magic trick, so I can't reveal the details or show any pictures! (laughs)