I went to Aogankyo Soba! It's a soba restaurant at the Sorachi village Michi no Eki. I bought a ticket from the vending machine for Mori Soba (700 yen). The shop is run by one owner. They confirm your order before taking the ticket. The system allows them to know the order in advance. The ticket is collected after serving. The previous customer was served in about 8 minutes. The soba had a slightly moist texture, and the noodles were short and lacked firmness. The broth was slightly sweet and light in flavor. It felt a bit lacking overall. Thank you for the meal.

I was lured in by the name "10割そば" (100% soba), but upon entering, I realized that it was more like 64% soba. The soba lacked the firmness and smooth texture of true 100% soba, and most importantly, it lacked the flavor of soba. Making soba with 100% soba flour is difficult because it tends to be crumbly and hard to cut. However, the soba here seemed machine-cut with uniform thickness and length. The broth and dipping sauce were also weak and lacked the umami flavor of bonito flakes. The tempura was delicious though.

At the station on the way to Jokan Village, there is a shop that I've been wanting to try for a while. It often seemed closed, but this time I finally went in. I ordered using the ticket machine and chose the soba. They also had curry and ikura donburi on the menu. The soba was served in about 10 minutes, looking fresh and with smooth, chewy noodles. The broth was on the sweeter side. The wasabi provided was the paste type with little spiciness. As I was leaving, the elderly owner came out of the kitchen to say goodbye. Maybe they had sold out of the juwari soba? Leaving with some mysteries... Thank you for the meal.

The soba restaurant inside the roadside station, Morisoba, had smooth and chewy noodles with a refreshing texture. It was a delicious meal.

On Wednesday, August 27, 2014, it was sunny when I took the highway from Honbetsu IC and couldn't find any other shops I wanted to visit along the way. I was drawn to the Ten-wari fresh soba "Aogankyo" on a map that was featured in a separate edition of Jalan, so I got off at the Okoppe IC and visited the shop. I went inside the roadside station "Shimukappu" in Okoppe, bought a meal ticket, and then placed my order. The food came out quickly after ordering. I think it was Ten-wari soba, but it wasn't specified if it was hand-made or not, so I assume it was made by a machine. The tempura was crispy and delicious. In any case, my stomach was satisfied and I left feeling content. Thank you for the meal.

From July 16th to 18th, I went on a trip to Furano, Biei, and Asahikawa for an early summer vacation. I usually travel using my mileage, but this time it was difficult to secure a seat. Since it was the peak season for lavender, there were limited flights from the nearest airport in Asahikawa, so I had to drive from New Chitose Airport with a rental car. The first lunch stop of the trip was at this restaurant located at a roadside station just off the Abashiri IC after taking the highway from New Chitose. I hadn't planned to visit this place in advance. It was already 12:30 pm, and since we were planning to have French cuisine at "Furano Hou Teiru" in the evening, we decided to have a light lunch. I checked my phone for nearby restaurants as we entered the town of Furano, but there were hardly any dining options. There were a couple of other restaurants in this area, but none of them seemed appealing. So, I chose this place because they offered 100% buckwheat soba, which seemed light. The interior of the restaurant had a somewhat run-down Showa-era diner vibe. I ordered the kashiwa soba from the ticket machine, which was warm soba. My wife ordered the pork bowl. The soba in Hokkaido may be from a soba-producing region, but it's hard to determine how it's perceived by the locals. Unlike in Tokyo where there are fast-food chains specializing in authentic soba, it may be different here. The soba had a not-so-strong dipping sauce, with a subtle bonito flavor, giving it a gentle taste. Although it was labeled as 100% soba, it didn't have the texture of hand-made soba. In fact, at the end of the meal, there were many short pieces of soba left in the sauce, indicating that it was machine-made. It was a bit disappointing as it lacked the true essence of 100% soba. However, the kashiwa (chicken) was generously included, which was appreciated. I believe it was around 700 yen. With so much chicken included, it might be considered a good value. It's interesting that in Hokkaido, chicken meat is also referred to as "kashiwa." I always thought that term was only used in Osaka.

Visited in July 2014. During the journey from New Chitose Airport to Tokachi-dake Onsen, we stopped by at the Michi-no-Eki Shizen Taiken Shikaribetsu. The route from New Chitose Airport via Yubari, Shikaribetsu, and Furano is about 180km long. It was around lunchtime, and we were drawn in by the sign for Jowari soba. We ordered Jowari soba for 700 yen, with an extra serving for 150 yen, and also bought one Ohagi made with Hokkaido red beans for 200 yen to share with my partner. The Jowari soba was a bit watery, but I found it delicious for soba eaten at a roadside station. Thank you for the meal. I will use it again if I have the chance.

In the central part of Hokkaido, there is a shop at a roadside station in Shimukappu Village. Shimukappu Village may not be a familiar name, but many people may know it as the village of "Tomamu Resort." The name of the shop seems to be derived from the "Akaigan Aigan Gorge" located on the way to Ninu. The buckwheat flour used in this shop is said to be produced locally in Shimukappu Village. The name of the shop suggests that they use "Juwari soba," which is made of 100% buckwheat. The noodles are machine-made, and when I tried a few before dipping them in the soba broth, I didn't feel a strong texture or flavor. The noodles seemed quite watery on the surface, perhaps due to inadequate draining. The soba broth was light in flavor, lacking a fragrant aroma, possibly from bonito or something similar. Mixing watery noodles with the soba broth further diluted the flavor. It might be a bit challenging for those who prefer soaking the noodles thoroughly in the broth. It's a shame because using locally produced buckwheat, if hand-made noodles were used, it could have been much more delicious. Shimukappu is the entrance/exit point of the Doto Expressway (partially open). It is scheduled to connect to Sapporo and Tokachi/Obihiro in 2011. However, as the use of expressways increases, the number of cars previously forced to stop at Shimukappu for transfer may decrease, potentially leading to a decline in customers at the Shimukappu roadside station. Therefore, it would be great if they offered specialized soba that would make people want to stop by the Shimukappu roadside station, even if it means making the effort to do so.

After enjoying golf at Tomamu, a must-stop is the soba restaurant located at the Michi-no-Eki called Aogankyo Soba. They use soba made from 100% buckwheat flour cultivated in the Tokachi and Tomamu areas. Inside the restaurant, there are photo panels of expansive soba fields, which really enhances the feeling of enjoying soba from a soba-producing region. You purchase food tickets from a vending machine, and today I bought tickets for Mori Soba for 630 yen and Sansai Soba for 680 yen. There are counter seats and table seats available, and while waiting and watching TV, the Mori Soba arrives promptly. The soba has a slightly dark color but a smooth surface. I first taste the soba on its own - it has a good elasticity and a nice throat feel. The soba broth is of the sweet Hokkaido style. The condiments include wasabi, grated daikon radish, and green onions. The medium-thin 100% buckwheat soba slides smoothly in the mouth, offering a nostalgic flavor. I highly recommend the Sansai Soba, which includes abundant mountain vegetables such as butterbur, bracken fern, and warabi gathered from the forests near Tomamu. The combination of the 100% buckwheat soba, the slightly sweet broth, and the crisp mountain vegetables is exquisite. In the warm soba, the Sansai Soba is like the king of Hokkaido soba. The crunchy texture of the mountain vegetables, the chewy soba, and the gentle broth all come together to create a moment of pure delight in the mouth, with the flavor of the soba expanding even more in the warm broth. Among the soba at Michi-no-Eki, I also love the Chichibu Shikashina Soba from Saitama, but the Sansai Soba here is just as fantastic. Finished every last bit. Thank you for the meal.

This is a shop located within the core facility of "Michi no Eki Shizen Taikan Shimukappu," in the Shimukappu Village Shopping Mall. Although it may appear relatively small compared to the other restaurants in the mall, there are seats further back that may not be visible from the entrance. After enjoying the Yumekumama set in Sarufutsu Village, I decided to try the "Ikura Don Set" here. Overall, the ikura felt quite ordinary, so it seems that enjoying soba here is the correct way to go. The combination of locally-made 100% soba noodles, fresh and abundant mountain vegetables, and the dipping sauce was excellent.

During a trip, while driving from Furano to Chitose in a rental car, we stopped at a roadside station with several food options for lunch. After struggling to decide on a restaurant, my friend reacted to the mention of "100% buckwheat" and we settled on a soba place. The restaurant had both counter and table seating, and orders were placed using a vending machine. The soba menu consisted entirely of 100% buckwheat options. I opted for the parent and child soba, which was served in a bowl with smooth-looking noodles that resembled those sold in supermarkets. I was surprised by the texture, wondering if they were dried noodles. Although the soba lacked a distinct aroma, it was generously topped with chicken (though lacking in the egg portion). Despite some disappointment, I figured it was just the result of my high expectations. Priced at 850 yen, it felt more like a tourist spot rate rather than that of a specialized soba restaurant. Perhaps my expectations were too high.

Thanks to the free access to the Dohto Expressway, the Onuma Michi-no-Eki is bustling with customers. Within the rest area, there is a soba restaurant called "Juwari Namiki Soba." I had wanted to visit this place ever since seeing it on TV a few years ago. The restaurant's specialty is the "Sansai Soba," which I remembered from the television feature, so I decided to order that. The taste was exactly as I had imagined, for better or for worse. I couldn't help but think that if they added a little more something (innovation), they could attract even more customers.

I stopped by while driving and had the scallop soba for 880 yen. The soba had a dark Kanto-style broth, but the taste was not as strong as it looked. The soba was 100% buckwheat, so it was a bit dry, but the flavor was decent. The scallops were okay, but I think the plain soba or wild vegetable soba would be better. They said there might be a 20-30 minute wait after ordering, but it actually came out in a little over 10 minutes. Not recommended for those in a hurry.

I had forest soba with tempura. The tempura was delicious, but the noodles seemed to be dry noodles. It's disappointing.