Around 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, I visited a building that had a shop selling soap bubbles, hats, and other items, as well as restrooms, vending machines, a public phone, and ski rentals. After being seated, I purchased a meal ticket from a vending machine, placed it in a binder, and handed it to the counter to place my order. The food was average. I was surprised by the order in which the children's lunch, pork cutlet curry, and ramen were served.

Takinou Suzuran Hill Park is the only national park in Hokkaido. Within its 400-hectare grounds, there are colorful flower fields, large playground equipment, three waterfalls, and a relaxing forest. I visited to see the "Kokia" in full bloom. The sight of around 20,000 Kokia plants turning fluffy and round in a beautiful red color was breathtaking. I also enjoyed the autumn-blooming Crocus, Sion, and Cyclamen Hederifolium. The red and yellow autumn leaves were also very soothing. For lunch, I had tempura soba (700 yen) at the East Rest Area. The neighboring Country House seemed to have a wider menu, focusing on soba and udon. The crispy tempura was great, and the broth was delicious too.

"First Visit in September 2022" This is a rest area located in the Taki-no-Suzuran Hills Park. As the name suggests, it is located right after entering from the east gate. After passing through the gate, on the immediate left-hand side, there are three buildings for resting, but the one furthest back is where light meals are sold. However, adjacent to the back of that building is a structure called the "Country House," which houses a proper restaurant, so the food menu sold here is limited to soba and udon noodles. This time, I tried the "tempura soba," which was like a standing soba you might find at a train station. Presumably, they use frozen noodles that are reheated in hot water and topped with tempura, as I could hear the fryer in the background. It also came with seaweed and chopped green onions, but for 700 yen, it felt a bit overpriced compared to around 500 yen in a city setting. Perhaps considering it's a natural park in the mountains, it might be understandable. Families might bring their own bento boxes or use the barbecue area, so the demand might not be that high. The taste rating of 2.5 is due to the noodles being a bit too soft and the poor water drainage causing the broth to become diluted. At a price comparable to standing soba at a train station, it could have been rated 3.0, but at this price, it had to be slightly downgraded. It seems they also offer cold soba during the peak summer months of July and August."Tempura Soba 700 yen"

I visited the restaurant around 16:05 on Saturday. Since it's a soba and udon shop, there were no other customers at this time, which is not lunchtime. I had walked around about a fifth of the vast park and got hungry, so I decided to stop by. I tried the "Mochi Potetchuros" for 210 yen. As the name suggests, it had a slight potato flavor and a chewy texture. It contained natural oligosaccharides, making it gentle on the body. It was reassuring to know that it was made with natural sugar from Hokkaido, the home of sugar beets.

Takino Ramen Miso. Well, it's just delicious.

Delicious in a normal way. The fried chicken is crispy but not too much, still juicy. The ladies pack it nicely in a bag so you can take it home. Thank you for the meal.

On February 17, 2017, I accompanied my husband to a volunteer activity at the national park Takino Suzuran Hillside Park, where I went skiing at the Takino Snow World. I had mistakenly thought it was a Fu,s activity a few days ago and was caught off guard! I planned to rent ski gear and clothing, but they didn't rent adult clothing, so I had to dig up my old ski wear for packing. The rental fee for a set of ski equipment was 2570 yen (regardless of rental time) and a 4-hour lift ticket was 1030 yen, which is cheaper than any other ski resort - maybe because it is a national park. The slopes here are like a practice area for elementary school children, so it's not too steep. The ski boards were short, like those for kids, which was a bit of a shock for me, as I used to ski with 2-meter long boards a long time ago! The park opened at 9 am and was not crowded. I quickly took the Boggen lift, which had no waiting time, and then took a break at a rest area where I ordered a 360 yen coffee. The coffee was okay, served in a paper cup. My husband's activity ended in the morning, so we hurried back to the slopes. Suddenly, music started playing, and the slopes became busier with kids in ski school and foreign tourists. I managed to ski two runs before it was time to head back. It was a good opportunity to assess my skiing skills at the slopes.

On a Sunday morning in October 2014, we decided to spontaneously visit the Akiribetsu Waterfall for a stroll amidst the autumn foliage. If only I had known the day before so I could have prepared some rice ball bento boxes! Nevertheless, off we went. Despite hearing about the closure due to strong winds and heavy rain causing landslides last month, we decided to give it a try. It took us about 30-40 minutes from Sapporo city, navigating through heavy traffic without a navigation system (and getting lost in the process). After about an hour, we arrived at the national "Takino Suzuran Hillside National Park" with a parking fee of 410 yen. The area around the Akiribetsu Waterfall was still off-limits, so we headed to the Central Forest Zone for a stroll amidst 70% autumn foliage and the beautiful Dahlia Selection event. The park was bustling with families, but it was spacious enough for everyone to enjoy freely. They even offered free electric carts for elderly visitors to enjoy the fall colors. We stumbled upon a sign advertising "Strawberry Fresh Juice" for 250 yen, which we couldn't resist and bought to sip as we walked. It tasted like strawberry milk. Feeling youthful, we crossed the "Forest Suspension Bridge" and explored the fall foliage before lunchtime. Initially planning to dine at the "Country House Restaurant," we opted for the snack corner due to long queues. The food was average, with beef bowl for 650 yen and shrimp tempura soba for 680 yen. If a bear appears, the park closes, and the same goes for heavy rain. Weekdays would probably be less crowded. The staff efficiently handled the bustling crowd. Next time, I'll bring homemade rice ball bento to enjoy on the wooden tables and chairs with ample shade facilities. Oh, and don't forget to try the soft-serve ice cream from the park. While strolling through the forest, we were briefly startled by a noise, thinking it was a bear, only to find a squirrel! Overall, a great park to visit in Hokkaido.

I used it when I came to see the tulips at Takino Suzuran Hill Park. The restaurants in the park were all crowded, and using them during peak times can lead to abnormally long waiting times and stress. I ordered takoyaki at the East Exit Rest House, which only required heating in the microwave, but it took over 45 minutes to arrive. Along the way, I wondered if they were giving out numbers in order, but seeing two boxes of takoyaki in the display case made me question the order. There were other people asking if it was ready yet, but at that point, I no longer wanted to use it again. When my turn finally came and I tried the takoyaki, it was lukewarm and tasted like frozen food, as expected. It was disappointing to wait so long for something not very tasty, but at least I could eat it while looking at the tulips in front of me. The other people I was with only ate one piece and didn't want a second. When coming to Takino Suzuran Hill Park, I think it's best to prepare all your lunch beforehand and be fully prepared to enjoy the outing.