Hokkaido Revisit 2017 三回目の北海道の旅 - Kitanosumai Sekkeisha 北の住まい設計社

Visited 22.10.2017 (Sun)

Cycling expedition! During my one month study trip in Higashikawa-cho 東川町, I spent my weekends usually outside of the town exploring nearby areas such as Furano, Biei and Asahikawa. On this particular weekend, I followed the school on a field trip to revisit Sapporo and Otaru, two of the most popular cities in Hokkaido, on Saturday. On Sunday, I decided to stay put in Higashikawa-cho to explore this little humble town more using a bicycle rented from the dormitory. On the well illustrated map of Higashikawa-cho, I had marked out a couple of cafes/restaurants which I wanted very much to visit but were located further away from the town center. Coupled with a good weather, today was an excellent opportunity for me to fulfill this wish.

Woodcraft artisan. Woodcraft is a specialty of Higashikawa-cho with approximately 30 percent of well known Asahikawa furniture sold all across Japan originated from here. In fact, their skilful craftsmanship is showcased subtly in the town itself. During my stay, I was amazed by the one-of-its-kind intricate wooden signboards with attractive illustrations hung outside of shops, restaurants, post office and even police box! Found out later that there is even a road named Craft Street クラフト街道, where a handful of wooden craft and pottery workshops/studios are established around here, and this particular road also led me to the destination I was aiming for the day - Kitanosumai Sekkeisha 北の住まい設計社, a local manufacturing company which produces wooden furniture.

Origin. The managing director of Kitanosumai Sekkeisha moved to Higashikawa with his wife in 1985 and found an abolished school which they decided to set up their factory in. Have seen his interviews and I admired his long term vision of creating sustainable furniture using wood originating solely from Hokkaido and promoting craftsmanship, a human touch that is gradually lost with automation. Upon reaching Kitanosumai Sekkeisha, I was fully drawn into its serene landscape of country style wooden houses tucked away in a tranquil forest setting. Made my way first to the gallery/showroom and fell in love with the alluring scent and natural touch of wood on every piece of its furniture. Set my eyes on this sleek, cherry wood coaster (木のコースター), an original good of Kitanosumai Sekkeisha but was contemplating for a while as it was quite pricey (￥950). Eventually I was won over by its fine quality and simplistic design, and decided to bring it back home! In addition to furniture, the gallery is also stocked up with an extensive range of zakka and lifestyle goods, sourced both domestically and internationally, to meet the needs of different individuals.

Lunch. After a fruitful shopping experience, I followed the directional signs to a path lined with birch trees on its sides, leading to the building where both the cafe and bakery are house in - my main objective of this visit to Kitanosumai Sekkeisha. The aromatic and delectable scent of freshly baked bread from the bakery hits me immediately when I pulled open the door of the building. Had to resist this temptation for the time being and shuffle my feet quickly to the cafe. Here, Italian cuisine such as pasta, gnocchi and pizza were found on its menu and as I would have expect, seasonal and locally grown ingredients were utilised extensively to create their dishes. On the day of my visit, there were two other pasta dishes offered outside of their regular menu:
- Chicken and mushroom with ragout tomato sauce pasta 鶏肉ときのこのラグートマトソースバスタ (￥1,400)
- Scallop and green bean with green cream sauce pasta ホタテとインゲのグリーンクリームソースパスタ (￥1,500)
Both pasta came with salad, soup and bread. Chose the latter and completed the meal with an iced original blend coffee (￥350). While waiting for my lunch to be served, my eyes got to feast on the wooden furnitures, which were also produced by Kitanosumai Sekkeisha, in this modern country style cafe. Started off with perfect crisp salad, flavourful minestrone soup and homemade bread. The main pasta dish did not disappoint at all - al dente spaghetti which were nicely coated with delicious green cream sauce and flavoured by fresh scallop and sweet green beans. The original blend coffee ended the meal on a perfect note; aromatic with the right balance of bitterness and sourness to arouse the tastebuds. All in all, I enjoyed my lunch thoroughly and the overall experience made the laborious ride here extremely worthwhile!

Scallop and green bean with green cream sauce pasta.

Iced original blend coffee placed on the cherry wood coaster - same as the one which I brought back home!

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Kitanosumai Sekkeisha 北の住まい設計社

北海道上川郡東川町東7号北7線
Opening hours: 1000 - 1800 hrs
Closed on Wednesdays.

Bakery: 1000 - 1800 hrs
Cafe: 1000 - 1730 hrs
- Last order for food: 1600 hrs
- Last order for dessert/drink: 1730 hrs

http://www.kitanosumaisekkeisha.com/

How to get there?

(1) By car.
Takes about 35 - 45 mins to drive from Asahikawa-shi 旭川市.
Takes about 15 mins to drive from Michi no eki Michikusakan 道の駅 道草館.

(2) By bus from Asahikawa Station Bus Terminal 旭川駅バスターミナル Platform 10, followed by rental bicycle from Michi no eki Michikusakan 道の駅 道草館. 

Unfortunately there are no public buses arriving at its door step. After arriving at Michi no eki Michikusan 道の駅 道草館 by bus, proceed to rent a bicycle at Michikusan (500 yen/hour). From here, head towards the direction of Kitoushi Forest Park キトウシ森林公園. Upon reaching Toyama Jinja 富山神社, turn right and cycle along Craft Street クラフト街道 before eventually arriving at Kitanosumai Sekkeisha. The entire cycling journey takes approx 40 mins.

* From Asahikawa Station Bus Terminal Platform 10, board Asahikawa Denkikidou 旭川電気軌道 Bus 60, 62 and 67 heading for Higashikawa-cho 東川町 and alight at Michikusakan-mae 道草館前.
Fare = 570 yen

Hokkaido Revisit 2017 三回目の北海道の旅 - Ginneko 焼鳥専門 ぎんねこ

Visited 03.11.2017 (Fri)

New discovery. In the past, the first thing that came to my mind whenever people mentioned about Asahikawa was Shoyu based ramen. However, during my one month long study trip in Higashikawa-cho, I discovered another soul food which holds important significance to the locals here in Asahikawa. This local favourite is grilled half young chicken named Shinkoyaki 新子焼き and its history traces all the way back to post World War II reign, when Japan was in the state of recovery. As meat was expensive and not consumed frequently in the olden days, Shinkoyaki was deemed a delicacy and at the same time, a vitality booster for the commoners during the recovery period. The word Shinko 新子 has two different meanings. Konoshiro gizzard shad (known as kohada コハダ in Japanese) is a type of fish that has four different names, each given at a particular stage of its lifespan. When the fish is at its smallest phase, it is called Shinko and is known to be a high class delicacy. On the other hand, the word means young in the culinary world. Therefore, while normal grilled (grown) chicken is called Sanzokuyaki (山賊焼き), Shinkoyaki is used to differentiate grilled young chicken from the former. Its popularity has also given rise to an association being set up to promote this soul food to a bigger audience and currently, there are about 10 registered restaurants offering this local flavour.

Shinkoyaki introduction (in Japanese): https://shinkoyaki.com/

5.7 Koji Furari-to, the alley where Ginneko is located in.

Presenting Shinkoyaki! The thigh portion was lightly seasoned with salt while the breast and wing portion was dressed with their secret sauce

Yummy. On my last night in Hokkaido, I made my way to Ginneko ぎんねこ, a small restaurant established in 1950 and a yakitori specialist, to try their version of Shinkoyaki for dinner. Ginneko is one of the many restaurants tucked in this alley named 5.7 Koji Furari-to (5.7小路ふらりーと), which has been around even before World War II and has been carefully refurbished/preserved to evoke a sense of nostalgia. When I thought I would be the earliest diner at 5 pm, I was surprised to see a restaurant packed with customers after opening the sliding door. Fortunately, I managed to squeeze into the last available counter seat. In Ginneko's version of Shinkoyaki, locally grown chicken which are about 6 weeks old are selected and are grilled over direct heat produced from high grade charcoal known as bincho-zumi 備長炭. Ordered the "half and half ハフとハフ" version in which the grilled half young chicken is further divided into two portions, each with a different seasoning. The thigh portion was lightly seasoned with salt while the breast and wing portion was dressed with their secret sauce which has been aged over a long period of time. In both versions, the skin was grilled to crispy golden brown on the outside while the meat was very tender with all the wholesome savory meat juices locked in. Kudos to the chef who has perfected the grilling technique while battling the intense heat and choking fumes to serve up this delicious dish that will make one yearn and return for more.

I think I have found another reason to return to Asahikawa again!

Requested to take a group photo before I bade farewell to them!

Remember. As a foreigner, I always find it a bit daunting to visit local restaurants/Izakaya due to the inherent language barrier and uncertainties. Having said that, the amicable and warm hospitality displayed by the locals usually comes aptly to overcome this fear on most occasions. In this particular instance, I sat in between two groups of diners, a group of three friends who are in their fifties and a solo traveller from Osaka. The initial awkwardness was inevitable since we were all seated so close to one another (almost rubbing shoulders), but after realising that I was a foreigner (when I requested for an English menu), they started chatting with me and the casual conversation extended throughout the entire dinner. I could not thank them enough for their friendliness which helped to break down the barrier and also a beer treat from them when least expected! Such acquaintances made during overseas travels always form part of the memorable moments and experiences that I can reminisce every now and then.

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Ginneko 焼鳥専門 ぎんねこ
070-0035 旭川市５条通７丁目5.7小路ふらりーと
Located in 5.7 Furari-to food alley.
Opening hours: 1300 - 2200 hrs, closed on Mondays.
Ginneko: http://www.ginneko.co.jp/
5.7 Koji Furari-to (5.7小路ふらりーと): http://furari-to.net/f_index.html

How to get there?

(1) By foot. It takes about 10 minutes to walk from Asahikawa JR Station 旭川駅.