When I went to visit the Shiraoi hot springs, I stopped by the Shiraoi antenna shop. Inside the shop, they had Shiraoi's specialty products as well as souvenirs from various places in Hokkaido. There was a kitchen corner where I bought soft serve ice cream and coffee. I enjoyed them in the eat-in space surrounded by lovely Ainu patterns on the walls. The soft serve was smooth and refreshing milk flavor in a mini size for 250 yen. It was not too sweet and delicious. The coffee was strong in bitterness, and I added milk to it. I also wanted to try the "Yukuman" made with deer meat (330 yen), but it was not ready yet. I would like to visit again when I go to Shiraoi. Thank you, "Mintara"!

The Polo Tomintara coin can only be used up to 20 pieces, but I wanted to reduce the number of coins even a little, so I humbly handed them over. The staff accepted them without making a fuss. I felt very sorry. There were two of us in Shiraoi. I really wanted to see the traditional craft performance that I missed when I came last year. In the end, we had to wait for an hour and a half to see it. In the past, I would have just left without waiting, but this time I waited and watched it. I did enjoy it. People can change. However, even though it can't be helped, the no photography rule... that's a bit much. On the way back, we decided to stop by Polo Tomintara. Even though we didn't know what kind of facility it was, we ended up buying soft serve ice cream and leaving. It was a mini size for 250 yen, small but enough for us. While taking photos, it started melting. It was smooth and milky, more like cream than milk. It was sweet and delicious, disappearing quickly but satisfying.

This is Shiro-oi Upopoi Mukai. It's like a local products center? Kind of like a roadside station. Used a coupon from the DoMinWari program to get souvenirs and soft serve ice cream. The 350 yen soft serve ice cream was dense all the way through and had a strong milk flavor! There's also a park in the back, so it seems like a good place for a family drive break instead of a roadside station!

During a stop at Porotomintara on a drive, I purchased some snacks to enjoy at the eat-in space. I bought Kamambert cheese from Kakutani in Anping Town for a relaxing evening drink. Kakutani's Kamambert cheese is a mellow type with a moderate thickness of white mold giving a slight bitterness and flavors of herbs and pepper adding character. As it softens over time, it pairs perfectly with high-quality extra virgin olive oil. It's a great match with wine, especially with a dry white wine in my opinion.

I visited the souvenir shop located across from Upopoy (Ainu Museum) in Shiraoi in July 2022. They had Ainu crafts, goods, and local products available, so I purchased herb-infused Camembert cheese among other items. I enjoyed the Camembert cheese with herbs during my evening drink, as it was soft and had a well-balanced flavor of herbs.

I visited Porotomin Tara for the first time! While waiting for the fried chicken restaurant to open, I had some time to spare and found a rest area-like facility along the way. Inside, there was a souvenir shop so I decided to check it out. I bought Upopoi commemorative beer, which was actually Classic beer when you turned it around. It was only 250 yen, which seemed like a good deal. I also bought curry from Hakodate Curry Restaurant Gotoken. I realized that it's pronounced "Gotoken" instead of "Goshima-ken." Back home, I enjoyed the beer and curry. Upopoi, the symbol of coexistence with the Ainu people, has been getting a lot of attention lately. The beer was delicious as always, and the curry, created by Eikichi Gotoken during the Meiji era, had a mild flavor with a good amount of potatoes and carrots. It was a satisfying meal. Let's eat again today. Thank you for the meal!

Located a 5-minute walk from Upopoy, a national symbol of ethnic coexistence, is an information center created by the town. Inside the facility, there are booths with brochures of local attractions and hotels, as well as a corner selling White Horse hamburgers, Taroako from Togeshita Beach, and Ainu crafts. I purchased the "Wakakusa Kusa Dango," a simple sweet consisting of a rice cake topped with sweet red bean paste. It was sold frozen, but apparently, it is a well-known treat in Shiraoi. The taste was just as expected - nostalgic and comforting, perfect for relieving the fatigue of a long drive.