Fireworks Displays in Hokkaido

Do you like fireworks? And have you ever been to some fireworks displays? There are a lot of fireworks displays in Hokkaido. So we will introduce some of them in Hokkaido.

Hakodate Marine Winter Fireworks

 We usually see fireworks in summer, but there is a fireworks display in Hakodate in winter. It is said that the air in winter is clearer than in summer. It means that we can see more beautiful fireworks. What is more, we can enjoy eating some food such as takoyaki, crepes, yakitori and so on there.

In this display, the photo contest is held, therefore if you can take beautiful photos, why don’t you apply for the contest? I want to show some award-winning photos.

If you are interested in these photos, please click here.フォトコンテスト｜ 函館海上冬花火 <公式> (fuyuhanabi.com)

Moere Swamp Art Fireworks Festival

The biggest feature of this firework festival is that we can enjoy not only fireworks but also music. In some usual firework festivals, there are only fireworks. But in this fire festival, tons of fireworks shoot in the sky with some famous songs. 

One cational point is that if you want to see fireworks, it costs at least 8000 yen per person.  But this festival is worth seeing!

Here is the website.

モエレ沼芸術花火2021｜札幌市｜モエレ沼公園 (moere.jp)

Lake Toya Long-run Firework Festival

Have you ever been to Lake Toya? Lake Toya is famous for hot springs.

This time, I will introduce Lake Toya Long-run Firework Festival. This is a popular firework festival in Hokkaido.

This firework festival is held from April 28th to October 31st.

At that time, fireworks are set off every night for 20 minutes from 20:45 to 21:05.

450 Fireworks are set off a day!

You can see fireworks from not only lakeside but also from a sightseeing boat.   

The schedule might change because of  Covid-19. You should check the schedule frequently.  

This is the website. https://www.laketoya.com/en/event/fireworks/   

About snow

  

Hokkaido belongs to the subarctic zone, so we have a lot of snow in winter. Speaking of snow, the snow festival is held in Sapporo and we can enjoy winter sports. On the other hand, trains are often stopped because of snow. 

We are going to talk about the snow.

Shoveling Snow

If it snows, shoveling snow is essential, isn’t it?  But shoveling snow is hard and troublesome. Let me introduce you to some tips for shoveling snow as easily as possible.

Firstly, doing warm-up exercises properly. 

Secondly, you should use not only your arms, but also your legs and hips.

Thirdly, when you remove snow, don’t twist your body.

Finally, you should shovel snow at your own pace.

Non Slip Gravel

 

Did you see this post?

This post contains anti slipping gravel. In winter, all of the roads in Sapporo freeze over. It’s too dangerous for us to walk there. Every year there are many injured people who slip on the frozen roads.

This post prevents us from slipping on the roads in winter. We can open this post and spread gravel on the roads freely.

Snow Quality

Hokkaido’s charm is the good snow quality. There is a lot of powder snow, which is perfect for skiing, thanks to the low temperature. The National Geographic Traveller, an American magazine, introduced Hokkaido as Best Trips for Amazing Powder Snow 2016. 

Hokkaido’s ski slopes are the best locations for people who like skiing. It is most definitely a destination for powder snow lovers.

 The Snow Festival

One of the most famous festivals in Sapporo is the snow festival. It is held every February and a lot of people visit to see dynamic and beautiful statues made of snow. Unfortunately, it was not held this year because of covid-19. But it is worth going there once in a lifetime.

If you are interested in this festival and want to know more information, click here. https://www.snowfes.com/

 

Special tastes snacks

 Hello, everyone!

Today, I’d like to introduce to you my favorite snacks sold only in Hokkaido. Hokkaido has a lot of delicious and famous food, so many companies sell Hokkaido’s typical food as tasty snacks.

For example, melon flavored Pocky is sold only in Hokkaido. Melon is the symbol fruit of Yubari, one of the towns in Hokkaido. Actually, this Pocky is 1.5 times bigger and thicker than the original Pocky. I think it is a good gift for travelers because it is packed one by one.

 Next, my favorite snack is Pretz. The original tastes are salad, tomato, and sugar. However, the company, Grico sells Hokkaido butter flavored Pretz. It is very delicious, so I want you to eat it even if you don’t live in Hokkaido. Surprisingly, you can order it online!

Last, Butadon flavored Jagariko is sold by Calbee only in Hokkaido. My hometown Obihiro is famous for Butadon. Of course, Butadon itself is delicious but its Jagariko is a little bit spicy and more delicious than Butadon itself. You should try it once! I think it is the best Jagariko in all the Jagariko series.

Were you interested in these Hokkaido limited snacks? I want you to find other area limited snacks. Doing so will be an enjoyable thing when you travel to other prefectures.

Thank you for reading my blog!

(Pocky)

(Pretz)

Melonguma

Melonguma🍈🐻

Hi, I’m Momoka. Today, I’ll tell you about “melon guma”. 

 Do you know about it? Have you ever seen it? It is certified as an official character in Yubari ,Hokkaido. Normally, these kinds of characters are called “yuruchara”, but… if you have seen it before, you never think that melonguma is “yuruchara”. Because, its appearance is not “yuru”.

“yuru” means to have cute or pretty looks, but “melonguma” is not cute, not pretty. Its face is really really grotesque. 

ほ

 The yuruchara are drawn with exaggerated faces as usual, but melonguma’s face is modeled after a real bear’s face, so it is not cute, but grotesque and scary. But, this not yuru face has an important role. Before telling that, I’ll show you melonguma’s profile. 

 He is a bear who lives in the mountains of Yubari.  He sometimes devoured the Yubari melon, and recently there are rumors that he eats humans, like that…

Even adults are scared in front of it, so children always cry because of fright. And he is too dangerous, ( because he attacks people…) so sometimes he is captured. But, actually,he is also a kind bear who really loves Yubari and supports Yubari and the citizens there.  He is famous outside Hokkaido.  Among the many yuruchara, his name is well known. He is sometimes invited to big events outside of Hokkaido to climb the stage. He is in the spotlight among the world of yuruchara, so he always keeps in his mind to let many people know about Yubari through himself.  He makes such scary moves and makes children cry because he wants many people to know about Yubari.  He can't be a mediocre bear just because he cares about Yubari.That is why, his face is not yuru.

 Did you know about melonguma? If you are interested in him, please visit Yubari, and meet him.

Kazuchee

 Hello! I'll introduce my favorite snack.

Look at this picture. Do you know what it is?

It’s Kazuchee!!

This is the cheese which contains smoked Kazunoko; in other words, herring roe.

We often eat it as a New Year's dish in Oshogatsu, on January 1st. I’m sure you have eaten it at least once in your life. It contains a lot of DHA and EPA, so it’s good for your health. 

People in Ihara Suisan, which is the fish processing company in Rumoi, thought about how to let people eat Kazunoko easily and deliciously in daily life because we don’t have many chances to eat it. They repeated trial and error, and at last they developed Kazuchee.

It was introduced on many TV programs. In the program, Akashiya Sanma, who is one of the famous comedians in Japan, said that he was glad to have bought Kazuchee. In the same program, Takuya Kimura also acclaimed it.

These remarks attracted people and Kazuchee became difficult to obtain.

My family greatly admired Kazuchee because it goes well with alcohol.

I’ve never drank but I suppose I can’t drink without Kazuchee. lol

You can buy it at Kaldi, Seijo Ishii, online shops, and other department stores.

If you don’t eat Kazunoko, I suggest you buy Ebichee; Kazuchee’s shrimp version.

Although it's a little expensive, if you're interested you must check the official website and buy it once!

I hope all of my readers will eat Kazuchee someday.

Thank you for reading! See you soon :)

(source: https://hokkaidoitookashi.com/kaldi-kazuchee-akashiyasannma-178 )

Bibai's local cuisine

 Bibai’s local cuisine

Hi, I’m Aino. Do you know where Bibai is? It’s here!

Bibai has local cuisine. One of those is Yakitori. It is usually called Bibai Yakitori. This time, Bibai Yakitori is my topic!

What are the differences between Bibai Yakitori and others?

1. One skewer has many kinds of meat and internal organs.

        Most yakitori have one kind of meat on each skewer. However, Bibai Yakitori has one chicken thighs, liver, chicken skin, gizzards, hearts, and so on. So, we can taste many kinds of meat and internal organs with one skewer.

2. It has onions, not green onions.

Generally, Yakitori has green onions. But in the Bibai Yakitori case, it has onions. This is because many onions are produced in Bibai. So, it is easier and cheaper to get onions than green onions.

Who came up with?

It is said that the inventor is Fukutaro Mifune. Around 1955, he thought the waste of internal organs was wasteful. Then he made yakitori which has many kinds of meat and internal organs of chicken. His invention became popular among local people and now all over Hokkaido. In Bibai, local people have Bibai yakitori on ceremonial occasions and sometimes they buy it a lot at once. This means Bibai Yakitori is loved by local people.

 If you have a chance to visit Bibai, search for a yakitori shop and taste it!!

 Bibai city hall (HP)

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

Corn Foods

 Corn Foods　

Hi, I'm Ichiyo.

In Hokkaido, we can harvest a lot of delicious vegetables.

One of the main summer vegetables made in Hokkaido is corn.

Now, I will introduce some corn foods made in Hokkaido.

First, I will tell you about grilled corn.

You can buy it in Odori park located in Sapporo. It costs you 300 yen to buy one regular grilled corn. Grilled corn has been sold there since the Meiji period of 1884, so it has a long history.You can enjoy the flavor of browned corn and the smell of charred soy sauce.

The rice crackers  which has grilled corn flavor is sold in Sapporo's souvenir shops.You should buy and eat it.

Second, I will tell you about corn fried rice.

Corn fried rice is the local food in Memurocho, Hokkaido. It was first produced in 2008. Memurocho is the town where sweet corn production is the best in Japan. Sweet corn is one kind of corn. This fried rice uses a lot of sweet corn grains as a topping. The rice has a butter flavor.  I assure you that you feel satisfied after eating it.

Third, I will tell you about corn ice monaca.

This corn food was produced by Sakura Foods, which is located in Otaru. The main product of this company is ice cream. I heard that all ice cream products made there use 100% Hokkaido dairy products and granulated sugar. Corn ice monaca uses corn paste and powder. If you eat it, you can enjoy the old-fashioned taste.

Let's enjoy eating various corn foods in Hokkaido!