While exploring the Hanazono area in Otaru, I stumbled upon a charming restaurant! The interior had a nostalgic Showa-era vibe as it has been around for 50 years. There was even a room dedicated to Yujiro Ishihara with lots to see! The food was delicious, and the service was exceptional. I had a great time there! Thank you very much!

Yujuro Ishihara also came to this long-established seafood izakaya. I read online that it's better to make a reservation in advance, so I called ahead before heading there. I arrived at the restaurant at 7:00 PM on Friday. The atmosphere was indescribably nostalgic, like a Showa-era retro vibe from Hokkaido. There was a corner dedicated to Yujuro Ishihara, with photos and memorabilia displayed. Inside the restaurant, there was a wood stove, a large sled in the center, a bear fur that looked like it could be worn by hunters, and various other objects filling the space. The tatami seating area and the tables at the counter were made of single planks, especially the counter was thick and stylish. It was quite crowded, and I was seated at the counter. The friendly owner asked for a little time because it was busy. I had the Matsue pickles, assorted sashimi, buttered potatoes, the restaurant's namesake "kasube," and hokke fish among the owner's recommendations. I was so engrossed in eating, chatting, and drinking that I forgot to take pictures after the initial sashimi platter. The sashimi included unique fish, and the "yago" was especially delicious with its chewy white meat. I later learned that it's a high-end fish, and I was impressed it was included in the platter. I also enjoyed Otaru beer, sake, and various other drinks, making it a very satisfying night in Otaru. I look forward to revisiting and trying more dishes, especially the specialty "Troika hot pot" here.

A hidden izakaya located a little away from Otaru Station with a peculiar setting. The interior and atmosphere are strange. The dishes are not elaborately prepared, but you can feel the warmth of home and local flavors. The simmered kazube, a specialty of this restaurant, is a must-try. However, forgetting to order it was a big mistake.

Three of us were attracted by the local cuisine of Hokkaido and visited this restaurant. The atmosphere of the restaurant is unique and seems to attract people who love drinking. We enjoyed the Toroi, sashimi, and other dishes. We plan to come back again to enjoy a leisurely drink!

This is a local cuisine restaurant located in the back of the drinking district of Arashiyama Shinchi in Otaru. The atmosphere inside the restaurant is like a traditional izakaya and very nice. Even though it was cold season, they had a wood stove on which kept us warm. They offer not only Otaru's local beer and sake, but also homemade sake, all of which are delicious. The dishes were also all delicious. Starting from the specialty simmered kelp, to herring sashimi, sashimi platter, and grilled fish, all dishes made with local ingredients from Otaru were great. Located in the back of Arashiyama Shinchi, it's quite a hidden gem but I think it's recommended for tourists as well.

I went to the "Yukiakari no Michi" event currently being held in Otaru. It is taking place from February 8th to 17th, 2019. After visiting the Tengu-yama venue, I returned to the town where I enjoyed the snow lights along the canal. It was beautiful this year too. Then, I decided to eat something before heading home, so I visited "Kasube" restaurant. My wife said, "It feels nostalgic, right?" but I don't remember coming here before with anyone. Well, I just agreed with her saying, "Yeah, it feels nostalgic" (laughs). I only took a few photos. The famous Toroyka hot pot was very light, the sausage was like kielbasa, and the buttered potatoes were just buttered potatoes. We had a few drinks and enjoyed the meal. Thank you for the delicious food. Next time, I will visit for some fish dishes.

I was satisfied with the atmosphere, food, and the master's personality.

The atmosphere is fantastic with a Showa retro vibe. The food is delicious, incorporating local dishes, and the portions are generous, making it great value for money.

I went to Otaru. When it comes to eating in Otaru, many people seem to eat sushi. It is said that even people from Sapporo, which is less than 40 minutes away, go to eat sushi. However, what I wanted to try apart from the highly rated sushi was the local cuisine. And I found a restaurant here. First of all, I had a hard time finding the restaurant. If you are coming from the sea side of Otaru Station, please turn right before crossing the JR railway tracks. (In terms of direction, it's southwest maybe) Once you pass under the JR viaduct and enter a somewhat desolate shopping street, you may get lost. Now, when I arrived at the restaurant, the exterior looked somewhat suspicious. Upon entering, it was not just suspicious but rather a creepy space. As soon as you enter the restaurant, it looks like it's smoking as if it's being smoked. And between the kitchen and the counter seats, there is a large boat that looks like a fishing boat. In addition, there are other items such as a troika, which is not just an interior but seems to be a "living proof". And on the walls, there are plenty of photos and articles from when Yujiro Ishihara visited. Perhaps they had a relationship beyond just a visit. In such a unique atmosphere, I tried two dishes. ・Kasube no Nikogori The "kasube" in the restaurant name refers to the skate. More precisely, it is a dish made by simmering the cartilage part of the fin of the skate that has been dried and sweetened for a long time. Since it was my first time eating skate, the excitement of the "first experience" naturally did not stop. The taste is simmered in a soy sauce base and is a bit salty. It's a taste that you want to eat with white rice. The characteristic texture of the cartilage is crunchy. It seems to be a dish from Hokkaido and the Tohoku region, but there don't seem to be many restaurants where you can eat this ... ・Troika Nabe This seems to be an original hot pot dish of the restaurant. It is a hot pot dish with plenty of vegetables and seafood in a flat pot. Unlike the kasube, it has a quite light taste. Especially with plenty of scallops, it has a strong Hokkaido flavor. And the shrimp was even pregnant~ This is a restaurant where you can experience a unique space and dishes that can only be eaten here. If you have a sense of curiosity, I recommend visiting this place.

In the run-down entertainment district of Otaru, tucked away behind a guard-gated alley, Kasube has remained unchanged since the Showa era. An elderly couple runs the place, with the wife being particularly friendly and kind. The interior of the restaurant is like a wonderful Ainu folk museum or a nostalgic Showa-era diner. Highly recommended dishes include Kasube's simmered tofu and Troika hot pot, named after the owner's birthplace in Karafuto. While new and clean restaurants are nice, if you want to experience a time warp, be sure to visit this place.

Due to strong winds, I arrived at the restaurant 40 minutes earlier than my reservation time. There was one customer at the counter seat who kindly became my conversation partner. I kept looking around the restaurant, admiring the autographs and photos of famous people. The owner mentioned that her husband, who is a painter, was classmates with Yujiro Ishihara, and he had a charming presence similar to the live-action version of Captain Okita from Space Battleship Yamato. As I left, I shook hands with the owner, feeling energized. The craftsman who used to make rice cakes is no longer there. While there are options for hot sake, the sake served here is perfect for a northern-style izakaya and goes down smoothly.

I visited Otaru to meet a friend I had known in the past. My friend is someone I met in Kanagawa Prefecture, and we had a lot in common, so I consider them a friend. I arrived in Otaru without knowing the city, with snow still on the ground. I met up with my friend in front of the hotel I had booked, and we took a taxi together. The friend and I had made plans to meet up after contacting each other beforehand. The friend mentioned a good restaurant, so we went there. The restaurant had a retro atmosphere that I loved, with color papers covering the walls and a fireplace in the corner. There was also a sign for "Troika," which the owner explained was from the time when they ran a cafe. The word "Troika" itself may have nostalgic meaning. The restaurant also displayed color papers and items related to the actor Yujiro Ishihara and his sister Mariko Ishihara. The owner was apparently a classmate of Yujiro Ishihara. The restaurant had a ship in front of the counter, which turned out to be a real ship. I asked for permission to take a photo and was allowed. I was more focused on reuniting with my friend after many years, but the restaurant captured my heart. I ordered "Kasube no Nikogori," a dish I hadn't eaten in years, and it brought back nostalgic memories. The taste was just as I remembered from my childhood. The restaurant also served other unique dishes like KinKi, which required advance reservation. It was a special place that offered dishes not found in regular restaurants.

In April 2013, we visited Kusube-san for the first time in over 10 years. This restaurant, run by a couple, has been around for about 50 years and is extremely famous in Otaru (at least among older people). The interior of the restaurant has a nostalgic atmosphere, with a dirt floor that seems to smell of earth, and horse-drawn sleighs and fishing boats on display. The ceiling is adorned with flags celebrating a big catch. The owner is originally from Karafuto (Sakhalin) and moved to Otaru as a child. The restaurant is filled with autographs from famous people, and it seems that the late Yujiro Ishihara's wife is a regular customer, as they receive a New Year's card from her every year. When we visited with our family, we were served their homemade salted fish roe as a complimentary dish, which is a must-try. Sprinkling it with Nanban seasoning makes it even more delicious! While the menu lists various dishes, it's best to ask directly as some items may not be available depending on the season. The owner is usually quiet, so the customer service is mainly handled by a friendly lady who resembles Kyoka Suzuki (??). The balance between the couple seems to work well. When you visit, be sure to order their signature dish, the "Troika Nabe"! The name's origin is unclear, but it doesn't actually contain tuna or squid. This square cast iron pot is filled generously with shrimp, scallops, bamboo shoots, cabbage, and more, topped with two half-cooked eggs that you mix in. The seasoning is just salt, but the flavors from each ingredient blend together beautifully, creating an indescribable deliciousness. The gentle yet incredibly tasty broth is truly delightful! This is a dish that you must try! We also tried sashimi (tuna, surf clam), Hizunamasu (a type of pickled fish), grilled sea urchin, and simmered Kusube, all of which were simply delicious. However, the salmon roe bowl that my child ordered, recommended by the lady, lacked flavor to the point where I thought, "Is this real salmon roe?". At one point, two women from Taiwan visited, and as they were having trouble communicating, I had to call my relative (who is fluent in Chinese) to help out. It seems that this restaurant also attracts tourists from Asia. Despite the lack of reviews, the interior, the lady, and the food all have a lot of character, so I wanted to introduce this place. I'm not sure how many more years they can continue due to their age, but I think it's a great restaurant. Thank you for the meal.

Otaru City Hanazono-cho. In the light rain, I wandered around for about 〇〇 minutes... In a hard-to-find street at the back. It is located at the end of a street called "Arashiyama Shinchi". Inside the restaurant, there are counter seats and table seats, with a large boat at the counter. Is it in the way? I thought as I sat at the counter. The interior was dimly lit and slightly smoky. With no music, it felt quiet. It was close to 9 pm when I visited, so there were about four or five customers at the counter. I ordered a beer right away. Sapporo beer is popular around here. The appetizer was homemade salted fish roe. It was very spicy... because of the salt (laughs). It was perfect as a side dish for drinks. When I asked for recommendations from the seasoned menu, I was suggested "Kasube no Nikogori". They said they would make it cheaper because there was only a little left. As an Osaka native, I didn't know what "Kasube" was (laughs). I was told it was a stingray, but the appearance of the dish was different. "It's full of collagen," said the owner. The soy sauce-colored Nikogori had a rich flavor as expected (laughs). The texture was somehow crispy?? The meat was tender, but why?? It seems the bones are cartilage, which makes it crispy. The second dish was "Uni Tamago" - scallop shells filled with sea urchin, egg, and scallop in a broth-flavored dish. Of course, it had a strong salty taste (^_^;) It would be delicious with rice. The third dish was pickled daikon (this was complimentary). Homemade is great. The fourth dish was "Scallop Butter Yaki" - it was plump and delicious. The fifth dish was "Grilled Hokke" - if you come to Hokkaido, you have to have Hokke! But why wasn't I too impressed? (laughs) The sixth dish was "Shishamo" - the Shishamo here is different from what people in Osaka eat. This was the real Shishamo. It had plenty of eggs, and I ended up eating it as it is!! The owner has been running the restaurant for 45 years. It was a busy day today... The customers were half tourists and half locals, and they all come after researching. She said she was a classmate of that Yujiro Ishihara guy... There should have been a picture of him in the restaurant, but I was too tired from the long journey and missed taking it (+_+) This restaurant is hard to find. If you enter the wrong entrance, you'll end up circling the one-way streets in the city with your car (ーー;) There is a sign on the telephone pole, but it's easy to overlook (laughs). And the taste is strong! If you're looking for a deep restaurant in Otaru, this is the place to go!

Nightlife in Hanazono 1-chome, Otaru City. The retro hotel along the canal, a taxi ride away for only 500 yen (as of 2012!), adds to the desolate feeling of a quiet night in a regional city. In the back alleys of Hanazono, a sign is visible at the far end of a building. Upon entering, you find the owners, a mother and father, chatting leisurely. When mentioning a reservation, they respond warmly and prepare a cozy family dining area. The menu offers delicious dishes like octopus sashimi, butter-grilled scallops, and hokke fish. The atmosphere is lively, with the mother sharing stories of running the business for 48 years. Enjoying Otaru wine and various seafood dishes, the experience is delightful. The father, a classmate of a famous actor, shares anecdotes about the restaurant's popularity. The night ends with a gift of Otaru wine and warm wishes for the family-owned restaurant to continue thriving for years to come.

Otaru Hanazono is located in a very hard-to-find place. I was taken here by a friend from Otaru over 10 years ago, and I often visit when staying in Otaru. It is tucked away in a narrow alley off the main street, and when you enter, you are greeted by a nostalgic earthen floor. An old small fishing boat is filled with nets, buoys, and dried fish hanging around. It gives off a cozy atmosphere of a seaside town. Sitting in a sunken kotatsu and enjoying seafood dishes while looking around the restaurant is wonderful. The calm flow of time here is truly unforgettable.