Source: http://www.furano.ne.jp/hesomatsuri/gaiyou/gaiyou.html (available in Japanese only)
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第４３回北海へそ祭りプログラム 43rd Annual Hokkaido Belly Button Festival (Hokkaido Matsuri) Event Program |
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We hope to see you there!
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I think Bourdain sums up the unique Hokkaido experience perfectly:
“It’s cold here. It snows a lot. It looks different from the Japan you think you know. Settled around the same time as the US wild west, a similar kind of frontier mentality developed here. There is a certain freedom to mix influences; to depart from tradition… Hokkaido was Japan’s last frontier. It’s been called the ‘least Japanese’ of all the main islands, and in a way that’s true, especially when it comes to food.”
Note – the TV program contains some strong and/or objectionable language.
Anthony Bourdain – No Reservations Hokkaido
His encounter with Sapporo ramen reminds me of my first experiences with Hokkaido’s unique cuisine and freshest ingredients.
“You think you know ramen. I know I did.
I didn’t. I didn’t know Hokkaido ramen… Miso ramen is a Sapporo thing, invented in the ’30s. Freaky. They use butter, and corn? That’s not Japanese. Freakier still, it’s awesome!”
I know you are going to ask me which Niseko izakaya Bourdain says is better than Tokyo – that’s got to be Torimatsu, a little yakitori shop tucked away just behind Kutchan’s nightlife district. (It is not actually in Niseko-cho, but the neighboring Kutchan-cho.)
You think you know chicken skins?
Bourdain comments on the chicken skins (tori-kawa) — I agree you have got to try them if you go. Tori-kawa normally consists of skin folded onto the skewer – a tasty, if greasy way to use up excess skin. At Torimatsu, he selects the best parts of the skin and cuts a small amount of meat along with it – keeping the crispy decadence of roast chicken skin layered with the juiciness of the meat. It is truly a next-level yakitori maneuver.
The visit also covers Annupuri, Shiraoi, and Noboribetsu.
]]>This summer, Furano will host the 43rd Annual Belly Button Festival (Hokkai Heso Matsuri) on Tuesday 28th July and Wenesday 29th July. It is a common misconception that the festival is held on weekends, so if you plan to participate or observe this unforgettable festival, please be sure to double check the dates to avoid disappointment!
Witness the humorous and charming dance or even join the parade yourself.
The official Heso Matsuri Website: http://www.furano.ne.jp/hesomatsuri/
]]>We arrived in Niseko, six adults and three kids, to enjoy a week of fun in the snow. After a long day of traveling we took the kids to the sushi train restaurant in Kutchan for dinner. They loved it, watching the food move past and eating the best sushi they have probably ever tasted! The next morning we took the kids up to NISS to start their first ski school lesson. They were ticked off the list, dressed in a bright yellow vest and taken out to the magic carpet to begin. A few hours later we checked up and saw two of them practicing their big pizza’s and little pizza’s and the other younger one making snowballs for her “snow egg shop” to sell to other unsuspecting students.
Geared Up and Good to Go
After three days of lessons, the kids could all ski down the hill (mostly straight down without turning) very competently. The adults were thrilled over the course of the week with fresh powder dumps overnight followed by blue sky days to enjoy the slopes. The days of endless continuous skiing are obviously over for us, with many hot chocolate breaks and long lunches breaking up our days in the many mountain top restaurants.
Making it Look Easy
Our pregnant traveler Pip had a great time in the quiet warmth of our apartment during the days, or out meandering through the quaint gift stores in the main street. We used the services of a local babysitter a couple of evenings to mind the kids while the adults went out for dinner to enjoy some of the local cuisine. Rin and Abucha were our favourite restaurants for great local food. Before we knew it our week was over, with nine exhausted but inspired people ready to go home for a rest but already planning our trip in 2012!
The crew of moms & dads enjoying a well-earned night out
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Hello readers! Just wanted to let those of you lucky enough (?) to have small kids about the new website for Kojima Academy Snow Kids, Furano’s first dedicated on-resort child care facility. Located at the Gondola Terminal just across the street from Fresh Powder, it is ideally located as a daycare option. Best of all the adjacent lot has been transformed into a snow slide park, allowing the kids to burn off any extra energy outdoors. Full details about the facilities and programs through the jump.
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A little powder at Furano, Feb 2011
CNN’s travel edition (CNN Go) has published a review of skiing in Furano as well as some news about the trends in the resort’s winter market. One visitor put it quite simply – “The powder is amazing here, and it’s much cheaper than skiing back home.” Jump to Why Skiers are Flocking to Furano on CNNGo.
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First snowfall at Furano Ski Resort, 2010-11 season.
The view of Furano’s first snow fall of 2010 on the Kitanomine zone after yesterday’s storm. Light flakes continued to fall all day long.
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They have scheduled the season until May 5th so there is no rush!
Please bear in mind that like any ski resort, the operation dates are subject to weather conditions.
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