When it comes to convenience stores in Hokkaido, it's all about Seicomart! I went to buy a Matsumae pickled plum rice ball and an apple pie from the store's in-store kitchen, Hot Chef, in front of my hotel, but unfortunately, it was a small store without a Hot Chef (´△｀). So, I ended up buying beer and snacks for a room drink! The alcohol I bought was Sapporo Classic, Sapporo Classic Furano Vintage, Sapporo Five Star, and Seicomart's apple sour. Sapporo Classic can also be found at food fairs in Kansai, but it's a must-drink when you're here (^-^). For snacks, I chose the Hokkaido limited edition series of persimmon seeds. However, when I checked the back, it was actually manufactured in Niigata Prefecture! It's a common occurrence with regional limited editions, right (^◇^;)? I also love Seicomart's milk soft serve, which I always eat when I go to Hokkaido, but this time I chose the Hokkaido red bean monaka. Oh, this is delicious too (๑˃̵ᴗ˂̵). Seicomart's ice cream is always a hit. Although it's uncertain when I'll go to Hokkaido again, I plan to visit an area with a Hot Chef store near my accommodation next time!

After enjoying lunch and shopping at the Kushiro Fisherman's Wharf MOO, we checked in early at our accommodation for the day. We dropped off our luggage in the room and explored the neighborhood. There are many souvenir shops around Lake Akan, but most of them sell carved items, which didn't interest us much. However, we stumbled upon a Seicomart convenience store, which was interesting because of its wide variety of local ingredients. We found Katsugen, a local lactic acid bacteria drink from Hokkaido, which we had tried during breakfast at the Hokkaido Kombu Shiretoko Hotel & Resort. It was originally produced for soldiers in the early Showa period by the Hokkaido Dairy Sales Cooperative Union at the request of the Imperial Army for nutritional supplementation. It was sweet, refreshing, and delicious. We also remembered the tasty Genghis we had for lunch at the Kushiro Kirin Beer Garden. They even had a pack of it for individual servings, which we would have bought if it was available nearby. The draft beer was surprisingly green, almost like soda water, but being a malt beverage, it was priced over 500 yen due to tourist pricing. Local convenience stores are like treasure troves with a variety of local foods that make exploring them fun.

Convenience stores, it's my first review. I don't go there often and it seems like not many people review them, so I'll write one haha. I bought a PB (private brand) product from Seikomart. It's a new product, Sweet Potato Daifuku!!! I ate it on the go... It uses "Kitayuki Mochi," a glutinous rice that has the largest cultivation area and harvest volume in Japan, from Hokkaido. I wonder if they still have Shiratori Mochi haha... It's not too sweet, and the whipped cream complements the gentle sweetness well. Seikomart's daifuku is quite delicious... It's a good deal for 108 yen!! They really helped out during the earthquake disaster. I will continue to use Seikomart in the future!

I arrived at Lake Akan Onsen around 2:40 PM. First, I checked into the New Akan Hotel. On the way to the hotel, I found a Sekoma along the road in the hot spring town and felt a bit thirsty. I decided to take a walk around Lake Akan and the Ainu Kotan. By the time I returned to the hotel, my thirst had reached its peak due to the humid air. I felt like having an azuki bar, but couldn't find one. So, I settled for a grape sherbet which cost ¥100. It was very cold and hard at first, but it softened as I ate it, becoming easier to enjoy. It was quite delicious. Satisfied with the taste, I returned to the hotel.