This is a work trip around the entire Hokkaido (maybe 2 laps? lol). Started work in Asahikawa in the morning and now heading to Kitami. Should I take the toll-free highway to Enbetsu from Asahikawa, or should I get off at Kamikawa and go through the Ishikari Pass? Always a tough decision (^^;) This time, due to lunch arrangements, I decided to get off at Kamikawa and go through the Ishikari Pass. When I asked my companion what they wanted to eat, they said, "I feel like having a set meal." Shall we head towards the station area? So we headed towards Kamikawa Station. Come to think of it, there was a restaurant I went to a long time ago. They have various set meals, ramen, and soba. Let's go there, shall we? And so, we decided on "Kuidaore Akashi" for our meal. It's been a long time since I last visited. In fact, I was stationed in Asahikawa from 2009 to 2011, before I started using food blogs and review sites. I visited this place a few times back then. It's a bit nostalgic. I ordered soy sauce ramen and a small bowl of rice. I just felt like having ramen (lol). It was ready in less than 10 minutes. Let's dig in! The soup is made with seafood broth, with a prominent bonito flavor. The noodles are smooth and thin. The thinly sliced chashu has a slight chewy texture and just the right amount of meaty aroma. I also had the small bowl of rice and now I'm full! It was a delicious meal. Thank you. I was able to visit after a long time, and I could also write a review for a place I visited but hadn't reviewed yet. I'm satisfied. Now, off to Kitami! ===========

In November 2022, I had lunch at a restaurant called Akashi in Kamikawa Town. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I decided to give it a try. I was seated in a raised tatami seating area and ordered the salt ramen with extra chashu. The soup had a strong seafood broth flavor, which was quite different from the ramen I've had in Kamikawa before. It was very light and had a Japanese twist to it. The chashu wasn't my favorite, but overall, it was a delicious bowl of ramen. Thank you for the meal.

Mitten Ramen with Char Siu for 980 yen. The char siu was so delicious, I was impressed! The brand pork char siu was piled high on top, it was a sight to behold and tasted amazing. Thank you for the meal!

Visit date: July 23rd (Tuesday) I visited Upper Kawa Town for work. It is about a 1-hour drive from Asahikawa and boasts the title of the best ramen in Japan. My morning work went smoothly, and it's now lunchtime. I quickly searched on Tabelog and found that there aren't many lunch options in Upper Kawa. So, I decided to try a place I haven't been to before! The restaurant is located across from Upper Kawa Station, and I parked my car at the station's public parking lot and entered around 12:10. The place was almost full, and I was led to a large room that seemed to be set up for a lunch party. I made some space by moving the chopsticks, cups, and plates in front of me and ordered the miso ramen and fried rice set since they claim to have the best ramen in Japan. It arrived in just over 20 minutes. The portion was small, with bean sprouts, small slices of pork, bamboo shoots, and green onions as toppings. The soup was salty and lacked flavor. I wondered if they didn't use MSG. The noodles were white, low-water content noodles from a local company called Miwa Shoji. I then tried the fried rice, which also lacked flavor. Despite the salad that came with it, the price of 980 yen seemed a bit high. Thank you for the meal.

A dining and izakaya located in front of JR Kamikawa Station. The exterior looks beautiful, so it seems like it was recently built. It used to operate as a famous establishment at Kamikawa Town Station, offering station bento, Akashi-style dining, and a restaurant called Kado for a long time in this area. I searched on Tabelog for an early lunch before an afternoon meeting, and it said the opening hours were from 10:00, but the curtain was hung up after 11:00. Until then, a sign saying "preparation in progress" was displayed. When I asked the staff, they said they usually open at 11:00, but if they are busy with catering orders, the opening may be delayed a bit. I have updated the basic information on Tabelog. The interior of the restaurant only had table seats, and even though I was dining alone, I was seated at a table. The restaurant was spacious and jazz music was playing. A nice touch! I ordered the vegetable stir-fry set meal (700 yen). Since Kamikawa Town is known for ramen, the ramen here looked delicious, but as a food blogger, I always order items that don't have photos uploaded. As I was the first customer of the day, it arrived quickly. The rice was served in a small bowl, unfortunately lacking luster despite it being the new rice season. The side dishes included thick omelette and cabbage pickled in herring, along with salty miso soup. The miso soup was too salty. The vegetable stir-fry was topped with pickled red ginger, resembling yakisoba. Why? They also offer catering services, which have the same contact information as the Akashi cooking department. It was a satisfying meal.

The pork ramen was delicious! The soup was light but still had a strong flavor. The chashu pork was amazing - it was my first time trying "taste pork" and I was surprised by how big the slices were. The pork had a fragrant aroma, a sweet taste when chewed, and was very satisfying to eat. I would definitely come back when I visit Kamikawa again. Thank you for the meal! ( ´ ▽ ` )

Soy sauce ramen for 650 yen. With my wife. We stopped by on our way back home during the Bon holidays. Every ramen shop in Kamikawa-cho is crowded.

During lunchtime in Kamikawa-cho. I didn't know any restaurants in Kamikawa-cho. I searched on Tabelog. It seems that ramen is delicious in Kamikawa-cho, but I have been into set meal restaurants recently, so I went to Akashi for a meal. It was located across from Kamikawa Station. There didn't seem to be a parking lot at the restaurant, so I parked at the public parking lot near the station. It was around 11 o'clock, but they were already open. I was guided to a semi-private room, which was beautifully renovated and had a very calm atmosphere. There were no other customers around, so I could relax. Jazz was playing in the background, and the interior with white and brown tones had a stylish feel. The menu is extensive, ranging from noodles to set meals, and rice bowls. From that, I ordered the mixed fry set meal for 800 yen. The set meal was served without much of a wait, and it looked delicious, but was it just average? It included one fry each of shrimp, squid, oyster, chicken, and pork fin. It was nice to have tartar sauce on the side. For some reason, the side dish was sauce yakisoba? It was delicious as it was freshly fried, but it was average and nothing particularly stood out. It was not bad at all, but it didn't have any distinctive features. It was just a delicious set meal. Since Kamikawa-cho seems to be known for ramen, maybe I'll try ramen next time?

It's lunchtime in Kamikawa, I'm at work. We were supposed to go to a restaurant that my companion wanted to visit, but when we got there, the lady outside said they were closed for prep work. So we ended up at a nearby place called "Akashi." The restaurant was quite busy, but not as crowded as I expected given the snowy season. We ordered the tempura set meal, and even though the tempura didn't look very appealing, it was actually crispy and well-fried. The meal took a bit long to arrive, about 25 minutes. Overall, it was a decent meal, and I ended up enjoying the tempura, especially the squid. But next time, I'll make sure to try the ramen that Kamikawa is known for.

I went to "Akashi" for a meal on my way back from a business trip. It's located right in front of Kamiikawa Station, so it's easy to find. You can park your car in the station parking lot for free. The interior of the restaurant mainly consists of sunken kotatsu seating, making it suitable for families and gatherings. The menu is extensive, offering set meals, rice bowls, curry, soba, udon, and set menus. Although Kamikawa is known for its ramen, strangely the menu doesn't seem to focus on it much. I chose the tempura bowl set for 780 yen and opted for the zaru soba. The soba was cooked just right with a good flavor, while the tempura was a bit soggy, which was disappointing. The dipping sauce was good though. The set menu also came with a mini salad, making it quite a good deal. The mountain vegetable over rice for 600 yen was tasty, with a slightly sweet broth and flavorful mountain vegetables. I also tried their ramen before, both miso and soy sauce, and found them to be average with no standout features or unique flavors. They weren't bad, but felt a bit underwhelming. If you're going for ramen, you might want to try a different restaurant on the back street.

Yesterday, I visited the town of Kamikawa, known for having the best ramen in Japan. I tried a new place called "Akashi" for the first time. It looks more like a regular diner than a ramen shop from the outside. Upon entering, I was shown to a private booth, clearly catering to families and tourists. Looking at the menu, I noticed they have a good selection of ramen. I decided to go with the standard soy sauce ramen for 650 yen. The noodles were medium thickness and curly, reminiscent of Asahikawa ramen. The soup was light but had a layer of oil on top. The flavor was similar to Asahikawa ramen as well, with a slight hint of artificial seasoning. The toppings included green onions, bamboo shoots, chashu pork, egg, giving it a typical diner-style ramen feel. Overall, it reminded me of the ramen I had yesterday at Asahi. While they claim to use the best water from the Daisetsuzan mountains to make their ramen, I believe that attention to detail in cooking the noodles and toppings is equally important. Using artificial seasoning can take away from the quality of the dish, regardless of the water used.

In the evening, while driving on the expressway, I started feeling hungry. I happened to be near the town of "Japan's Number One Ramen," Kamikawa, so I decided to have some ramen. I got off at Kamikawa Interchange and entered the town of Kamikawa. Unfortunately, the ramen shop I was looking for was closed. I was quite disappointed. I parked my car near Kamikawa Station and tried to think of another option, but my hunger was clouding my thoughts. The area in front of the station looked surprisingly clean. I wondered when it had been cleaned up. But more importantly, I needed to find something to eat. Unable to come up with a plan, I noticed a beautiful restaurant in front of me. The interior was decorated with classic music playing softly. There were only a few customers left, and the atmosphere in the kitchen was already relaxed. I asked if they were still serving, and they mentioned that they had run out of rice but could still prepare other dishes. I decided to try their new menu item, Chanko Ramen, which was their specialty and cost 800 yen. My companion ordered yakisoba. A small pot with simmering broth was brought to our table. Next to it was a small mortar and pestle with sesame seeds for us to grind and add to our liking. When we opened the lid of the pot, we found scallops, crab, fish balls, shrimp, and two types of dumplings, along with cabbage and other ingredients. The portion was generous as expected. The noodles were firm, and the soup, while not miso, salt, or soy sauce based, had the flavors of Chanko. We enjoyed the meal, savoring the flavors of each ingredient and the richness of the soup. The yakisoba was a classic style with a savory sauce. We left the restaurant feeling satisfied. On our way out, we were apologized to for the lack of rice, but we assured them that the meal was delicious and fulfilling. Thank you for the meal!

I often drive on Route 39 and find myself near Kamikawa around 8:00 PM. Sometimes I stop by this restaurant, which is known for its ramen, but I always go for the set meals. I always struggle to decide what to order, but I have never tried their ramen because I come for the set meals. This time, I had the vegetable stir-fry set meal, which was reasonably priced compared to other local restaurants. The restaurant doesn't have a typical rural diner feel, and I was impressed with the atmosphere. They also have a wide selection of izakaya dishes, and it seems like they often host parties. Since I drive, I can't drink, but I would like to visit this place someday for the izakaya experience.

Katsudon + Cold Soba Set 880 yen