After visiting the place where Hokkaido was named, I stayed in Shimokawa Town. I chose an inn near the bus terminal and went out for dinner. I used the "Shimokawa Hungry Map" to find a place that caught my eye, a 40-year-old restaurant called Kushitatsu. The exterior looked like a typical yakitori place, but the interior seemed recently renovated with clean white wallpaper. A woman came out from the back of the restaurant and seated me at the counter. I ordered a draft beer, yakitori, tsukune, and seseri. Apparently, three skewers were considered a serving for one person. When the woman signaled on the phone, an older man who seemed to be the owner of the restaurant came out from the back. Sitting at the counter, you could see the entire kitchen. It was noticeable that they were using frozen meat and even thawing it in the microwave. The seseri, a chicken neck part, which should be fatty, had tough meat. The yakitori was not enjoyable between the onion pieces, and I wished they would at least skewer the raw meat before grilling. The owner just seemed to be grilling, and once he finished, he disappeared into the back. I don't know if he had other tasks, but during business hours, I prefer the owner not to be away from the kitchen except for going to the restroom. I've never seen a restaurant like this before. Shimokawa seems to have many udon and hiyamugi noodle factories, so I ordered the Shimokawa udon. The udon noodles seemed powdery in the middle. The broth seemed to be made from chicken bones, and the thin wakame seaweed looked like imported dried wakame, which was a bit concerning. I was drawn to Kushitatsu because of its over 40-year history, but I was disappointed with the experience. However, the owner's grilling skills were good, with the right grilling and seasoning. Since they have good grilling skills, they should consider avoiding frozen skewers.

(Visited in March 2014) After soaking in Gomi Onsen, I revisited "Izakaya Kushitatsu" for the first time in a while. I sat at the usual counter seat and ordered chicken skewers, chicken neck skewers, and Kushitatsu udon, and enjoyed them as usual. It's a comforting place and I always feel good here. I definitely want to visit again when I head towards Shimokawa. (Visited in November 2013) On my way back from Okoppe and Rumoi, I revisited "Izakaya Kushitatsu". I ordered skewers (chicken skewers, tsukune, chicken neck skewers) and Kushitatsu udon and enjoyed them. The gentle taste of the Kushitatsu udon that warmed my hungry body was delicious, making me want to eat it again. The skewers were also delicious, and there are things I can't eat in my hometown, so I envy the people of Shimokawa. Still, when I stop by Shimokawa, I want to eat at Kushitatsu again. (Visited in February 2013) After soaking in Gomi Onsen, I headed to "Kushitatsu", where they serve Shimokawa's specialty hand-stretched udon, amidst the town filled with the glow of ice candles during the Ice Candle Festival. I ordered Kushitatsu udon (500 yen), grilled chicken (one serving, 3 skewers for 300 yen), chicken neck skewers (one serving, 3 skewers for 500 yen), and oolong tea (250 yen). The skewers are grilled after ordering, so you can enjoy them hot, and the chicken neck skewers in particular have a crispy texture that is delicious. The Kushitatsu udon has a simple composition of salt soup with hand-stretched udon, chicken, seaweed, chopped green onions, and naruto, and has a light and gentle taste that feels good going down. It would make a perfect meal to finish off with after drinking alcohol. I would like to revisit "Kushitatsu" when I visit Shimokawa again.