I visited the restaurant "Hokkaido Sakana Itto Directly Managed Fish Wholesaler" located on the 1st floor of a building along Showa Street, about a 10-minute walk from JR Asahikawa Station North Exit. During my trip to Hokkaido in early September, I decided to visit this restaurant in the fiercely competitive izakaya district of Asahikawa after thorough research online. The restaurant has a total of 50 seats including counter seats and table seats, and I was guided to the counter seat. I ordered a "Sapporo Classic Draft Beer" (529 yen tax included), "Assorted Sashimi," and "Sarufutsu Grilled Tsubu 2 pieces" (638 yen tax included). I started with a sip of beer, which I felt could have been a bit colder to my liking. The "Assorted Sashimi" arrived, featuring 6 types of sashimi including Sakuramasu, buri, masoi, and botanebi, all of which were incredibly delicious. As expected from the restaurant's name, the seafood was truly delicious! I then decided to pair the sashimi with a local sake, "Asahikawa Kokushi Muso Retsu" (638 yen tax included), which was a perfect match for the sashimi. The "Sarufutsu Grilled Tsubu 2 pieces" were large in size, and it was satisfying to easily remove the meat with a toothpick. The slightly bitter taste of the simmering sauce and the crunchy texture made it a great accompaniment for the sake. Although the restaurant was not very crowded at the time of my visit, the serving time for dishes was quite long. Customers who came in without a reservation after me were all turned away, possibly due to a large party booking that required preparation time. Therefore, I decided to skip ordering more dishes and instead enjoyed a bottle of Hokkaido's local sake, "Otaru Takaragawa Junmai Sake" (638 yen tax included) before settling the bill. Thank you for the delicious meal.

The menu using local ingredients was abundant and all of them were delicious. Especially satisfying was the salted Zangi. The tempura with corn and asparagus, perfect for the season, was also excellent. The sashimi platter had fish that are not commonly found in the Kanto region, which was great, but the portion was a bit small and we didn't receive any explanation about the fish, which was a slight downside. Thank you for the meal.

Asahikawa business trip meal part two. I researched Asahikawa gourmet and this place came out on top, so I decided to go. I forgot to take photos, but the appetizer was a clear soup. It was cold, so my evaluation skyrocketed at this point. 3150 yen! And they also have a counter where you can dine alone, for 3150 yen! I started with pickled fish and a boat platter. The pickled fish went well with beer... 3150 yen! As for the boat platter, surprisingly, the octopus head was incredibly delicious. I've never thought octopus could be so tasty. 3150 yen! And then I ordered gout-friendly tempura. The oysters and ankimo went well with sake... 3150 yen! The taste truly lived up to my expectations. Finally, I had the ultimate TKG for my last dish. The fluffy white part was egg white. I'm not sure if this egg white is really necessary, but I could tell they pay attention to detail. Uni, ikura, and egg yolk, all for 3150 yen! Even though I went alone, I spent around 8000 yen because everything was so delicious, but I was very satisfied! I'll be going to Asahikawa for another business trip this week, so I might go again. It seemed a bit unusual for a person in their 20s to dine alone, and they seemed a little puzzled, so please welcome me warmly next time... haha It was a 3150 yen night! Thank you for the meal.

First time in Asahikawa. The hotel recommended a restaurant to us. The place was bustling with locals, and our expectations for delicious food grew. We ordered randomly, but as expected in Hokkaido, all the seafood was delicious. Next time, I want to try dishes other than seafood.

Make a reservation for a seat at 17:00. Let's start with a toast with all-you-can-drink highballs. For appetizers, we had vinegar octopus, assorted sashimi with baba girei, Matsukawa flounder, black flounder, shark flounder, striped flounder, and autumn salmon flounder for comparison. Everything was fresh. We also had steamed oysters from Akkeshi, which were big and satisfying to eat. The tempura of true cod was fluffy and creamy. The dashimaki tamago had a strong dashi flavor. The wakasagi tempura was thick and incredibly delicious. The only downside was that the drinks were a bit slow. (October 2022)

The fourth stop for today's all-you-can-drink bar hopping is Hokkaido Sakana Ichizu, a fish wholesaler with a direct-operated fish market. Finally, we all gathered and made a toast. Since it's a hassle to order various items, I went ahead and ordered the 4500 yen all-you-can-drink option. We enjoyed a platter of assorted sashimi, boiled tsubugai, scallops, tsubu, hokke, ham salad, roast beef, hairy crab tempura platter, ikura rice, and grilled oysters, tsubugai, and scallops on a burner. It was surprisingly enjoyable. The oysters were big and had a nice texture. Of course, they were fresh and delicious. I recommend this place to seafood lovers.

I was concerned that the order for draft beer was not catching up. It was better than the reviews. I enjoyed Hokkaido-like ingredients and dishes such as potatoes, asparagus, and Genghis Khan. Although the restaurant's name includes "fish," the fish was also very delicious. The shirako was delicious.

I entered the restaurant and was greeted warmly. Without looking at the regular menu, I ordered from a separate paper menu. I had Maruemon oysters, which were small but delicious. I also enjoyed some NARASHI sake from Hiroshima, which I think I tried for the first time. The brewery is planning to build a new facility in Chitose City, Hokkaido, which I am looking forward to. I also tried Steelhead trout salt-grilled, which was juicy and tasty. I tried different types of sake, but the most delicious one was the Shizu Junmai Ginjo, which had a fruity and slightly sweet taste. I hope to try more new types of sake next time.

We arrived in Asahikawa after traveling from Wakkanai, Otaru, Nayoro, and Shibetsu on our tour of Hokkaido. It might be the coldest stop on our tour! We were looking for a cozy izakaya to enjoy some seafood and stumbled upon Sakana Itto. The staff were very friendly and we opted for the 2-hour all-you-can-drink option, along with a large sashimi platter, pickled mackerel, and the recommended pork cheek. The sashimi was fresh and delicious, with two types of flounder included. The pork cheek was tender and well-seasoned, pleasing even our members from mainland Japan. Great experience overall!

Last time, I visited during the peak hours so the food was a bit slow... but it was delicious, so I made a reservation for the opening time this time (5 pm) and the usual girl in a yukata was waiting for us ☺️ welcoming us. It was a relief, haha. By the way, this time there didn't seem to be any seating restrictions for COVID-19 measures... Last time the appetizer was slow, but this time they brought it right away and I was happy~ They said it's the last order for the all-you-can-drink~ but I don't like that, so I didn't use the all-you-can-drink option, but with the food log coupon, we could have oysters, either raw, grilled, or steamed, for each person~ I thought they would be small oysters, but I was totally wrong... I took a picture so I'll post it... My hands are not small. Other dishes included grilled clams, grilled blue mussels, warm tofu, sashimi, fried baby scallops, scallop butter, scallop sashimi, and we also took home fried chicken... and the highlight was the gout tofu✨ This gout tofu was so rich in crab miso flavor that it felt like you were eating crab miso rather than tofu, with plenty of salmon roe on top, it was satisfying and I felt like I could develop gout from it. All seats allow smoking, which is a great service for my husband and me. Please try it out with the coupons, everyone!

I occasionally revisit this place and it's been a while since I wrote a review. It used to be listed on Hot Pepper, but since the pandemic, it's now on Tabelog and I feel like there are more customers now! (They make sure to space out the seating properly). I visited shortly after the request for closure was lifted, so I wonder if they have some delicious Japanese sake in stock? I asked the owner and he brought out some freshly stocked ones for us to try. First, we had two types with Aoki Onoe labels: - Azuma Tsuru Junmai Ginjo Suisei - Bunkajin Junmai Ginjo Suisei Azuma Tsuru had a sour and spicy taste, while Bunkajin had a rich umami flavor that I really enjoyed. Since the distributor is "Sake Sake Ogawa," I wonder if these are only available at liquor stores? The "Aoki Onoe" letters were written by Ogawa-san's mother and they are beautifully written. The highlight of the day was the daily special: - Live sea cucumber (748 yen including tax) We ordered it as sashimi and it came with a little sea cucumber vinegar. I had never tried sea cucumber as sashimi before, but it was sweet and delicious! We also had: - Tokyo Ningyocho "Keyaki" seared beef tongue (1188 yen) I'm not sure if this place is famous, but it was really good! The crispy texture is irresistible. I usually have fresh oysters here, but today I went for something different: - Akkeshi Fresh Oyster Fry (858 yen) They were fried to a decent size and came out crispy and delicious! They were the kind with the upper shell removed, but they were so good! I enjoyed trying out different types of sake that I hadn't tried before with the all-you-can-drink option, and I ended up getting a bit drunk after a long time.

【First visit on March 15, 2021】This construction project was a tough one with a short and intensive schedule, but the work will be completed during this 2-night, 3-day business trip starting from this day. There will be a couple more day trips for submitting completion documents, etc. I really liked the convenience of access to Sanrok at Hotel Liberté Asahikawa 3rd Avenue where I stayed for 2 nights the previous week, so I decided to stay there for the last 2 nights as well. I checked into the hotel around 5 pm on this day, did some work on my PC, changed into casual clothes, and got ready to go out. (laughs) I was originally thinking of going to a long-established yakitori restaurant about a 2-minute walk from the hotel for dinner, but I felt like having seafood such as sashimi. I had made a reservation for 6:15 pm at "Hokkaido Sakana Itto Direct Fishery" which I had bookmarked on Tabelog. I sat at the counter, ordered all-you-can-drink alcohol, and started with fresh oysters from Akkeshi ordered raw from the Tabelog coupon screen. It was brought to me along with boiled whelk as a starter, and although I usually prefer steamed oysters if I want to eat a lot, raw oysters are still delicious! (^q^) Next, I ordered pickled mackerel, locally sourced beef tataki with grated daikon and ponzu sauce, and fresh red snapper tempura, and switched to highballs and draft lemon sours. I added sea cucumber sashimi, butter-grilled live scallops, marinated squid, and a local dish called "Chap Yaki" from Asahikawa, and had about 3 cups of cold sake. All the seafood was fresh, well-cooked, and not too heavily seasoned, which I honestly thought was skillful! I indulged in my desires, so the bill ended up being quite high. (^_^;) Well, I finished the tough job successfully, so I consider it a reward to myself. Thank you for the delicious meal. #Asahikawa business trip #Solo gourmet on business trips #Asahikawa dinner #Asahikawa solo dining #Asahikawa izakaya #Sanrok gourmet #Hokkaido Sakana Itto Direct Fishery #Akkeshi raw oysters #Pickled mackerel #Locally sourced beef tataki with grated daikon and ponzu sauce #Fresh red snapper tempura #Sea cucumber sashimi #Butter-grilled live scallops #Marinated squid #Asahikawa local dish "Chap Yaki" #Delicious

I made a reservation through Tabelog and visited the restaurant. I hate making phone calls, so being able to make a reservation online is the best. Since it is run by a fish market, the fish here is quite affordable. The sashimi assortment for two people is only 999 yen. Add a sake tasting set for 1000 yen and you can enjoy it fully. The sashimi is served in a boat-shaped platter with herring, cherry salmon, sweet shrimp, black halibut, white fish, and sea bream. All of them are fresh and delicious. The cost performance is really high. The grilled oysters from Senpouji are huge! The fragrant aroma, the taste of the sea, and the richness of the oysters are amazing. And the sake goes down so smoothly. Even though I have another reservation at a different place, I couldn't resist adding some fried smelt to my order. This also goes well with sake. The staff recommended the most popular sake, and it was my favorite too. It was so delicious that I could have just stayed at this restaurant. The menu's gout series was a big hit.

Here is the English translation of the restaurant review: "I'm a frequent visitor to this place, and they have changed their appetizer! Previously, miso soup was the standard, but now they offer a daily small dish. We visited as a pair, so we each got a different dish: Chinese glass noodles and salmon salad. As usual, we enjoyed a tasting set of three types of sake to mix things up. I rarely look at the drink menu, but this time something caught my eye and piqued my interest. Wasabi shochu highball - Wasabi shochu "Tsunto" is occasionally seen, but what exactly is a wasabi highball? You can have it with hot water, water, or your preference, but I decided to try it on the rocks. It's a normal first-class shochu on the rocks with wasabi used for sashimi, allowing you to melt your desired amount and drink it. Huh...? It's delicious!! It has a refreshing and invigorating taste. The owner recommended it, and I think it might be based on kombu soy sauce? I tried drizzling their homemade sashimi soy sauce, and wow! It turned into a soba soup-like flavor (laughs). For those who are currently avoiding dining out, they offer appetizer takeout or even home cooking services. "

I had a hard time choosing among the izakayas in Asahikawa, but I was surprised to see the waitresses working hard in yukatas. The place was bustling, and I was able to get a seat at the counter. Since I had already tried uni and ikura donburi at the market in the morning and bought some hokke for delivery, I ordered a sashimi platter, hokke, Hokkaido croquette, and more here. The tofu in the salad was delicious. I was impressed when a delicious fish broth miso soup was served as an appetizer!

To heal the fatigue of daily life, I went to a seafood izakaya with two younger colleagues, a ballerina junior and a colleague from Teine Ward. The ballerina junior, who transferred to Asahikawa for the first time this year, is now working as a saleswoman after leaving the ballet industry. She gracefully spun around in a promotional costume, making us laugh. She came to Asahikawa with the Teine Ward colleague, who works at another branch. We called him over and the three of us headed to the izakaya. The match started right at 6:00 PM. The restaurant, with a big fish flag waving inside, put us in a seafood mood. We decided to try the "mendako" menu, which includes ponzu sauce, tempura, and kelp grill. The junior colleague chose the kelp grill, which she had never tried before. I tried to turn her into a food blogger by taking pictures of her with the dish. So, how was the mendako she tried? "Hmm... it was a bit different from what I imagined," she said with a sad expression. I told her she could order another plate. We also ordered a potato salad that came in a mortar. The Teine Ward colleague, a former boxer, took charge of mashing the ingredients. He knocked out the potatoes in one go. "It's done!" I gave him a perfect score of 10 (laughs). The dishes were all of high quality. As we enjoyed various dishes, the mendako tempura arrived. The ballerina junior, how was the taste? "It's delicious (^^)," she said with a smile. I was glad to see her smile return. We had a lively conversation and left at 8:34 PM. The younger colleagues seemed satisfied as well. It was a seafood izakaya with good food. I'll definitely visit again if I have the chance.

I went to a new restaurant, but it was a bit disappointing, so I decided to give it another try here! - Appetizer: Fish broth for 390 yen. It was too salty this time, unlike the last time when it was delicious. - Sake tasting set for 1000 yen. I felt bad for changing two of the sake bottles that were mainly from Hokkaido, but I preferred different ones. The ones I tried were: - Hanzo Special Junmai, a chilled original sake with a sharp taste. - Eikun The North, a sake brewed with Hokkaido rice at a Shizuoka brewery, with a strong acidity. - Asakura Special Junmai, a chilled sake with a rich and spicy taste. - Grated mushroom with ponzu sauce for 480 yen. I ordered a 3-piece platter for drinking enthusiasts, including kusube no nuta and mefun. Mefun is not my favorite, but this one had no bitterness, just a salty taste that goes well with sake. - Whole Pacific saury sashimi for 880 yen. It was early in the season, so the fat content was light, but the fish was fresh and delicious. - Minamikata Junmai Ginjo (large cup) for 680 yen. I really like the taste of this one. - Yellowtail collar for 780 yen. It was huge! Lately, whenever I see collar on the menu, I can't resist ordering it. It had a good balance of fat and salt, and it was delicious. Overall, this is a recommended restaurant for seasonal dishes and Japanese sake!

The affiliated "Yakutoya" in MoriYoko has closed, leaving only one branch. It was nice to be able to easily drop by for a casual drink set! The appetizer miso soup wasn't too salty today (laughs). ◆Sake tasting set for 1000 yen ・Sayaka Junmai Sake This sake from Akita's Asakura Shuzo is brewed with rice from Mukawa-cho, Hokkaido! Fruity and easy to drink♪ ・Yokoo's Sake Junmai Sake This one is new to me. It has a unique taste and is a bit spicy. ・Bunkajin Junmai Ginjo I've had this a few times before, it's fruity with a strong acidity. ◆Hokkaido squid marinated in the open sea for 580 yen It came with big chunks too! It's rich and delicious♪ ◆Akk

I visited this restaurant on a long-awaited Friday night craving for fresh seafood. The interior is decorated with fisherman's flags, creating a lively atmosphere. I started off with a Sapporo Classic beer to quench my thirst. The appetizer was a delicious fish head soup. For my main dishes, I ordered fresh sea urchin from Akkeshi, oysters from Senpoushi, and grilled Pacific saury with mentaiko from Akkeshi. The sea urchin was rich and flavorful, the oysters were large and succulent, and the grilled saury with mentaiko was a perfect match with the sake I ordered. To finish off the meal, I had a bowl of Ezo chirashi rice topped with a variety of fresh sashimi. This restaurant is a great place to enjoy fresh seafood from Hokkaido!

Asahikawa drinking tour ended at what I thought was the 7th place, but surprise, surprise, it was actually the 8th place "Hokkaido Sakana Ichizu Directly Operated Wholesale". By this point, I can't remember who made the choice, but I know it wasn't me. There were no customers. I ordered a "tasting set of 3 types of Japanese sake". By this point, I figured, sake won't make much of a difference, right? One of them was delicious, but I couldn't tell which one. The "clams" were so-so, maybe a freshness issue. The "green turban shell" was something I hadn't had in a while and it was delicious. It's rare to find a green turban shell that isn't tasty. It must be time to call it a night after 8 places, my legs are wobbly from climbing all those stairs. It was a fun day, thank you very much for today.