Hokkaido Revisit 2017 三回目の北海道の旅 - Dining Chevre ダイニング シェーブル

Visited 28.10.2017 (Sat)

Different objective. When I came to Nakafurano the last time (five years ago), it was solely for the flower parks (Choei Lavender Park and Farm Tomita) which were blooming with lavender during the peak summer season. However, I am here this time round for a different purpose. Stayed in Furano Rising Sun for a night two weeks ago and managed to strike a casual conversation with the owner over a drink. Seek his advice on places he would recommend me to visit in Furano. Have visited most of the more well known sightseeing spots in the area and would love to visit other places which are more popular among the locals. Chevre was one of the two places (the other being Tokachidake Onsen) which he strongly recommended me to pay a visit to. Made a mental note about it and managed to tick off both places on my to-do list, on my last weekend in Hokkaido.

Chevre is a small, family operated Italian restaurant located near Nakafurano JR Station. Opened in Oct 2009, Chevre utilises fresh greens harvested from Furano and nearby areas, and other ingredients cultivated in Hokkaido in their culinary creations everyday. The seating capacity is pretty limited in this country style, wooden house - only two tables for 4, one table for 2 and two counter seats. Upon entering the restaurant, a lady came out to welcome me with an apologetic smile and enquired whether I was willing to wait for a while as the chef was still preparing food for two tables of guests. Not an issue for me as I had set aside ample time for lunch. Sat down and looked at the lunch mains available for the day.

Creamy burdock potage.

Salad and homemade bread.

Thumbs up! Chose the sauteed chicken with tomato sauce (若鳥のソテートマトソース) over pan fried salmon and shirako (秋鮭と白子のポワレ). The 1,200 yen (~15 SGD) set lunch came with soup (burdock potage), salad and a choice of either homemade bread or rice. Though it took quite some time for my food to be served, the wait was absolutely worthwhile. The sauteed chicken tasted amazing and was cooked to perfection. The meat under the crispy golden brown skin was succulent and complemented well with lightly acidic tomato sauce. Throughout the entire meal, my appeased tastebuds directed my head to nod in admiration for the chef ,with every cut of meat I put into my mouth. Not forgetting to mention the homemade bread, which was equally delicious too. I was elated to be able to savour such high quality yet affordable Italian food in this humble little town, and credits has to go to Furano Rising Sun who brought me to this hidden gem. This is a restaurant which should be given more recognition and not be overlooked.

On a side note, I am recommending tourists not to shun away from western cuisine when they are in Japan. Most of the time, you will be surprised by how well the locals here have mastered and executed the techniques to deliver incredibly delicious western food. Chevre is one fine example to this notion.

Sauteed chicken with tomato sauce.

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Chevre ダイニング シェーブル
北海道空知郡中富良野町南町7-35
Opening hours: 1130 - 1500 hrs (last order at 1430 hrs); 1800 - 2100 hrs (last order at 2030 hrs)
https://blog.goo.ne.jp/dining-chevre

How to get there?
Less than 3 minutes walk from Nakafurano JR Station 中富良野駅.

Hokkaido Revisit 2017 三回目の北海道の旅 - Furano Delice 菓子工房フラノデリス

Visited 28.10.2017 (Sat)
Previous visit: http://hsuchia.blogspot.sg/2013/02/hokkaido-summer-2012-furano-delice.html

I am back! This was one cafe I wanted very much to visit again in Furano, and my wish came true! Headed down to Furano on a weekend and made my way from Furano JR Station to Furano Delice using a rental bicycle. Nothing has changed much in the surroundings since I last visited this popular confectionery and sweets shop five years ago. Like an enchanted walkway, patrons have to walk through this sheltered path made of wood, slide between tree trunks before arriving at this country style house.

Sinfully delicious. As I reached slightly after it was opened for the day, I was able to secure a seat immediately in the dinning area. At the sweets display counter, I could not divert my attention away from the familiar and delicious double fromage cheese and pudding contained in milk bottles, which won my heart during my first visit. Had in mind to try something else this time round (first) and found out that they have a separate dessert menu, in which the items vary from time to time and are specially created for dining in. I was attracted to Millefullie Glace, a pretty looking dessert which looked like one served in a high end patisserie or cafe and decided to give it a try. Made up of puff pastry sandwiched with custard cream, this dessert totally boost my appetite for more. The secret is their custard cream which was oozing with rich eggy and milk flavour, captivating my taste buds with every mouthful. Yummy.

Double fromage cake is the deal. Could not resist the temptation anymore and ordered a double fromage cake, immediately after finishing my plate of dessert, to extend this delectable sensation. It was such a nostalgic feeling to tuck my teeth into this heavenly piece of cheese cake once again, and it surely did not disappoint! I have to exclaim that Furano Delice has made use of all wonderful ingredients, such as milk, eggs, flour, etc, that Hokkaido can offer to demonstrate how a delicious cheese cake should taste like skillfully. Glad to be back indeed.

Millefullie Glace + drink set = 1,080 yen
Double fromage cheese cake = 410 yen

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Furano Delice 菓子工房フラノデリス
北海道富良野市下御料2156-1
Operating hours: 1000 - 1800 hrs; closed on Mondays and Tuesdays
https://shop.le-nord.com/

How to get there? 

(1) Furano Bus Lavender-go 富良野バス ラベンダー号
From the bus terminal in front of Furano JR Station, board Furano Bus Lavender Bus at Platform 4 (effect from 1 May 2018) heading for New Furano Prince Hotel. Alight at Hotel Naturwald and walk for another 10 minutes. 
Fee = 160 yen

http://www.furanobus.jp/lavender/

Hotel Naturwald, where you should alight at from the bus and walk from here to Furano Delice.

(2) Furano Bus Goryo line 富良野バス 御料線
Similarly from the bus terminal in front of Furano JR Station, board Furano Bus Goryo line at Platform 3 heading for Goryo Ku Sen 御料９線. As compared to Lavender-go, there are significantly lower number of bus services (only three per day) operating along Goryo line.
Fee = 160 yen
http://www.furanobus.jp/rosen/index.html#goryou

Moriya, a souvenir shop which offers bicycle rental service as well. Located near Furano JR Station.

(3) By rental bicycle
Upon exiting from Furano JR Station, turn left and you will see a shop named Moriya もりや. Apart from being a souvenir shop, it offers bicycle rental services. The rental cost is 200 yen/hour for conventional bicycles and 500 yen/hour for battery operated bicycles. You can also choose to rent the bicycle for the entire day (need to return before the shop closes at 1900 hrs) - 1,000 yen for conventional bicycles and 3,000 yen for battery operated bicycles.

I chose this mode of transportation to get to Furano Delice, which is located in Kitanomine area 北の峰 of Furano city, this time round. Using the conventional bicycle, it took me at least 40 minutes to ride to my destination. To me, the ride was physically challenging because Kitanomine area is situated on a slope. There were times my legs were just too tired to overcome the gradient with the bicycle that I decided to walk and push the bicycle on and off during the journey. However, the return journey was a breeze since I was cruising down slope on most part of the trip. If given a chance to choose again, I think I will still stick to the normal bicycle, endure the strain inflicted on the first part of the journey and use the saved money to eat more sweets at Furano Delice. 

Japan Autumn Nov 2017 一人で日本の旅 - Yura JR Station 由良駅, Conan Street Stamp Rally コナン通りスタンプラリー

Yura JR Station (由良駅) is located along San’in main line. Located in Hokuei-cho 北栄町, a town in Tottori Prefecture, this station is only served by local trains. Journey by train to reach here takes more than an hour from either Yonago or Tottori Station.

Step into the world of Detective Conan. Despite the relative inconvenience, this small town is a place many manga fans from all over the world would love to pay a visit to! Reason being Hokuei-cho is the hometown of Gosho Aoyama 青山剛昌, the artist behind the selling manga series, Detective Conan 名探偵コナン. Its unwavering popularity since the release more than two decades ago has led to the establishment of a museum (Gosho Aoyama Manga Factory) which is wholly dedicated to Gosho Aoyama, in the place he grew up in. Not only that, the road from Yura JR Station to the museum was even named Conan Street コナン通り. Along the street, fans will be excited to find bronze statues of Detective Conan, stone monuments imprinted with the covers of Detective Conan comic books, directional signs depicting Conan and other characters pasted on the pedestrian walkways and colourful pictures of Conan illustrated on manhole covers! Last but not least, Yura JR Station which is the starting point of Conan Street is also known as Conan Station コナン駅 and within the train station, there are many photo taking worthy spots to look out for. In fact, this is not my first time visiting a place with such manga/anime related theme in Japan. Sakaiminato city, which is also in Tottori Prefecture as well, was where Shigeru Mizuki 水木しげる, the artist behind Gegege no Kitaro ゲゲゲの鬼太郎, grew up in as a child. Similarly, Sakaiminato JR Station 境港駅 was named Kitaro Station 鬼太郎駅 and the road leading from the train station to Mizuki Shigeru Museum 水木しげる記念館 is called Mizuki Shigeru Road 水木しげるロード.

Wear a detective cap and uncover where Conan is hiding in the train station. 

Strolling along Conan Street.

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What’s nearby?

(1) Gosho Aoyama Manga Factory 青山剛昌ふるさと館, about 20 minutes walk from the train station.
Operating hours: 0300 - 1730 hrs; last entry at 1700 hrs
Entrance fee = 700 yen; 100 yen discount for foreigners (need to show passport as proof).
http://www.gamf.jp/

(2) Tourist Information Center 観光案内所, located in the same building as the train station.
Operating hours: 0900 - 1715 hrs
https://www.hokuei-kankou.jp/%E8%A6%B3%E5%85%89%E6%A1%88%E5%86%85%E6%89%80/

Apart from being an information center to Hokuei-cho, there are exclusive array of merchandise of Detective Conan on sale here - T-shirts, towels, badges, coasters, stationery, etc! Here, you can purchase a Yura JR Station arrival certificate (コナン駅来駅証明書) as proof of visit. There is even a shelf of Detective Conan comic books placed in one corner of the room for visitors who are interested to read.

Conan Street Stamp Rally コナン通りスタンプラリー

One interesting activity which many people will engage in upon arrival is to purchase a Conan Street Official Guide Book (コナン公式ガイドブック) from the Tourist Information Center and embark on a stamp rally expedition! This concept is similar to Yokai Stamp Rally 妖怪スタンプラリー which I have participated in Sakaiminato two years ago. The guidebook contains detailed account (only in Japanese) of where various media of Detective Conan, such as bronze statues, figurines, stone monuments, directional signs and boards, etc, can be spotted along Conan Street. For the stamp rally portion, there is a total of eight inked stamp counters located in different areas of the town, such as Yura Post Office 由良郵便局, Asakura Books Center 朝倉書店 (a place where Gosho Aoyama visited frequently when he was a kid) and even the gas station! Upon gathering at least five out of eight inked stamps in the guide book, return to the tourist information center to receive a special gift. For my instance, I received a badge and a completion sticker which can be pasted at the back of the guide book. 

Deja vu! Visited Tottori Prefecture over a weekend and I was greeted by rainy weather on both days. This was the exact, same situation I came across when I was in Sakaiminato two years ago. Similarly, I had to brave the relentless wind and perpetual rain to locate various inked stamp counters and had to ensure that I do not drench or lose my guidebook this time round. The time taken to travel from one place to another took longer than usual due to the poor weather conditions but I eventually managed to collect all eight inked stamps successfully. Everything went on smoothly until I found out that the tourist information center was already closed for the day when I returned to the train station in the evening! I was definitely disappointed but I could only blame myself for the poor time management. Without further ado, I sat down to review my itinerary for the following day and research on the train schedule. Fortunately, I was able to carve out some time in the morning on the subsequent day to drop by this train station again to exchange for the present. And yes, each step was executed smoothly as per this last minute change in plan. Boarded the train from Yonago JR Station at 0839 hrs and reached Yura JR Station at 0921 hrs, shuffled my feet quickly to the tourist information center, happily collected my present and took the return train which came 12 minutes later.

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Commemorative stamps:

* Yura JR Station

* Hokuei-cho Tourist Information Center

Japan Autumn Nov 2017 一人で日本の旅 - Genmai Cafe Hibinokate 玄米カフェ日々の糧

Visited 18.11.2017 (Sat)

Tiring day. Day 13 was a wet day and I "fought" a battle against the strong wind and intermittent drizzling with my umbrella (which eventually was damaged) while travelling the entire day. Was drenched, hungry and tired by the time I returned to Yonago JR Station in the evening and immediately set off to search for an eatery to settle my dinner. Followed a recommendation in ことりっぶ co-Trip travel guidebook to Genmai Cafe Hibinokate 玄米カフェ日々の糧, located on the second floor of Hotel Sanada (ホテル真田) and within walking distance from the train station. Hibinokate is a humble restaurant offering vegan cuisine and one of the few to do so in San’in region.

Food for health. My encounter with vegetarian food back at home has mostly been stir fried beehoon accompanied with mock meat (my favourite has got to be the fried mock goose meat) and vegetable curry sold in hawker centers and food courts. I have to admit that my knowledge and exposure to vegetarian food in Singapore has been pretty limited. In Genmai Cafe Hibinokate, there are no meat, fish, eggs, dairy products and chemical preservatives used in their preparation of food. While reading the menu of Hibinokate, I was already attracted by the tantalising food photos which completely reformed my impression of vegetarian food. The lady owner, who spoke good English, knowing that it was my first time here recommended me to try their set meal. Food was prepared upon order and I was already drooling to the mouthwatering aroma generated from the cooking coming from the open concept kitchen. 

Home cooked food. I knew I was in for a treat when my dinner was served!  The set meal comprised of brown rice (or genmai) topped with mukago (yam tubercles which looked like tiny potatoes), salad with sweet potatoes mash, several side dishes of vegetables, main dish and miso soup. Undoubtedly, the highlight was the main dish. Mash daikon was mixed with glutinous rice flour and shaped into a patty. Next, it was pan-fried till light golden brown and eventually coated with a savoury sauce. I am not a fan of daikon radish (my tastebuds deciphered it as peculiar) but the seasoning and cooking method brought out the sweetness of daikon and I enjoyed it a lot. Vegetables used in Hibinokate are also freshly harvested from farms, which they collaborated with, every morning. The sense of assurance you get from eating food here, where meals are well thought out and prepared, nutritious and beneficial to health is the same as that derived from eating home cooked food.

Wonderful dessert. Dinner was so satisfying that I placed my order for dessert without further ado. The restaurant has a very homely and cosy ambience which made me want to dwell here a little bit longer. Ordered their satsuma yam (さつま芋) Mont Blanc, which is also eggless and does not contain any form of dairy product, and a cup of earl grey tea to go with it. It was equally delicious; the baked tart was crispy, filled with cream rich in yam and soy milk flavour! All the desserts served here are also handmade and the menu changes regularly. Patrons can always look forward to new creations added to their menu when visiting this vegetarian restaurant.

To conclude, this enjoyable meal I had at Genmai Cafe Hibinokate has convinced me that vegetarian food can be healthy and delectable at the same time. Like all cuisine, it requires excellent knowledge of the ingredients, how they can complement one another in various aspects and endless effort put in by the chef, through multiple trial and error, to perfect the taste.

Discovery. In Japan, normally tea/water is served to guests at restaurants. At Hibinokate, the tea served was very different from the ones I have come across previously. It tasted like green tea but it has an aromatic scent coupled with the fragrance of tea, and a refreshing aftertaste. Found out from the owner later that the soothing smell came from holy basil and tea used was organic Muso Bancha (無双番茶), cultivated from mature tea leaves and stem. Wanted to recreate this taste when I return home but I have yet to do so till now...

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Genmai Cafe Hibinokate 玄米カフェ日々の糧
〒683-0053 鳥取県米子市明治町197 ホテル真田２Ｆ
Opening hours: 1100 - 1500 hrs; 1700 - 2030 hrs; closed on Sundays.
http://hibinokate.com/

How to get there?
About 5 minutes walk away from Yonago JR Station.

Japan Autumn Nov 2017 一人で日本の旅 - Fukuroda JR Station 袋田駅, Hotel Kajikaen ホテル河鹿園

Fukuroda JR Station (袋田駅) is a train station in Daigo-cho (大子町), located along Suigun line (水郡線). From Mito, it takes slightly less than 1.5 hours to reach here by local train. As the name suggests, this is the gateway to Fukuroda no taki 袋田の滝, one of the most iconic landmark of Ibaraki Prefecture.

Remember.... Dedicating this blog entry to the kind lady working at Fukuroda JR Station. When I arrived at the train station, I was surprised to see a lady, who is at least in her sixties and not wearing the staff uniform, manning the ticket counter. Reason being this is a Kan'i-itaku station (簡易委託駅) and such train station is normally operated by the "local municipality, agriculture cooperative, a store in front of the station or a private individual". When she saw me diligently pressing the inked stamps placed just beside the ticket counter onto my book, she called out to me and passed me the original train station stamp which was kept with her. I thanked her and was extremely delighted to add another inked stamp to my collection. After that, I sat down to wait for the bus heading for Fukuroda no taki which was scheduled to arrive in an hour time. She walked out from her office and passed me a map of the nearby area. When she found out I was waiting for the next bus, she recommended me to walk to my destination and return via bus instead. I was reluctant to do so initially given the fact that I had covered quite a significant amount of walking distance when I visited Tsukimachi no taki (月待の滝) earlier in the day but her sincerity eventually won me over. Spurred by the encouragement given by her and fellow older passengers I met at the train station, I set off for my goal.

She was absolutely right. Throughout the entire walking route, I was greeted by beautiful autumn foliage and it was an excellent prelude to the majestic waterfall I witnessed later on. When I returned to the train station later in the day, I could not contain my joy and excitement when I saw her. When I told her that I enjoyed myself thoroughly all thanks to the advice she has given, she responded back with a smile on her face. I always cherish and would never forget such warm gestures from people I met during my trips in a foreign country - something I constantly remind myself to reciprocate whenever opportunities arise.

Moments captured on my way from Fukuroda JR Station to Fukuroda no taki...

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What’s nearby?

(1) Fukuroda no taki 袋田の滝

- 20 minutes by foot from the train station. 

- 5 minutes by Ibaraki Kotsu bus Fukuroda line 茨城交通バス 袋田線 from the train station.

Bus schedule: http://bus.ibako.co.jp/timetable/result/?no=70053&de=1&f_from_type=&f_from_genre=&f_from=

(2) Hotel Kajikaen ホテル河鹿園, located within 3 minutes walk from the train station.
〒319-3523　茨城県久慈郡大子町袋田2129
Day onsen operating hours: 1100 - 1700 hrs
Fee = 500 yen + 200 yen (towel rental)
http://kajikaen.com/

Skeptical. I ended my expedition of Fukuroda no taki earlier than expected and returned to the train station, more than an hour before the arrival of the next train heading for Mito. Was wandering around the vicinity of the train station and spotted this old and faded directional sign indicating that there is a hotel nearby which accepts day hot spring guests. Out of curiosity, I searched for the details of this hotel online and it did look pretty decent. Decided to drop by the place since I had time to kill, though at the back of my mind I was wondering whether the hotel was still in existence in such a remote area. Fortunately, after a short walk, a two-storey building appeared within sight. Fukuroda itself is a hot spring town and hotels/ryokans are established closer to Fukuroda no taki than the train station itself. Hotel Kajikaen inhabited in the less populated area and was not tapping its hot spring waters from Fukuroda Onsen source. Instead, the hotel "created" its therapeutic waters by submerging a radium stone, placed in a wooden box, into its water. I have previously tried radon (emitted as a result of radioactive decay of radium) containing hot spring in Misasa Onsen 三朝温泉 (located in Tottori Prefecture), so this was not new to me.

Awesome view. Came to the front desk where I was greeted by a middle aged lady, to pay for the hot spring facility usage and towel rental. She directed to me to their communal bathhouse which was located in a separate house but connected to the lobby by sheltered walkway. There were no other guests around when I arrived at about 3 pm, therefore I had the luxury to use the facility all by myself! Though there is only indoor pool, lined by rocks on its circumference, the enclosure has large glass panels overlooking Kuji River 久慈川 and its natural surroundings which was decorated with autumn foliage at that point of time, so it felt like an rotenburo (outdoor onsen) after all. As I had clocked at least 5 km walking that day, a soak in the hot spring felt so comfortable and rewarding! I was fully revitalised to make my way back to Mito. 

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Commemorative stamps:

Japan Autumn Nov 2017 一人で日本の旅 - Shimonomiya JR Station 下野宮駅, Tsukimachi no taki 月待の滝

Visited 07.11.2017. 

Shimonomiya JR Station.

Shimonomiya JR Station (下野宮駅), is an unmanned train station on Suigun line (水郡線) and closest to Tsukimachi no taki. The area around the train station is considered rural, sparsely populated in general. Upon exiting the train station, there is a post office (Daigo Shimonomiya Post Offfice) on the right. Upon reaching the first T-junction, turn left and continue walking straight following the signage which direct the way to Tsukimachi no taki. Unfortunately, there are neither no taxi stand nor bus stop outside the train station, travel by foot seemed to be the only option to get to Tsukimachi no taki at this point of time.

30 minutes walk from Shimonomiya JR Station to Tsukimachi no taki.

Greeted by rural scenery as soon as you exit from the train station. While waiting for my train to arrive, I dropped by the post office (on the right) and had a unexpectedly pleasant casual conversation with the staff! Yet again, touched by the friendliness of the locals. 

Boarded the train and made my way to Fukuroda next.

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Tsukimachi no taki (月待の滝)
http://www.daigo-kanko.jp/?page_id=2861

In a much more secluded spot than Fukuroda no taki is Tsukimachi no taki (月待の滝), where visitors can go behind the water curtain to capture a different view of this natural landscape. 

Tsukimachi no taki is very much more secluded in location and less touristy than Fukuroda no taki. Standing at 17 m tall and 12 m wide, Tsukimachi no taki comprises of three waterfalls. Only two of them are seen on all occasions; the third and smaller one will appear when there is a huge influx of water from the nearby Kuji River (久慈川). One unique feature of this waterfall is visitors are able to go behind the water curtain to capture a completely different view of this waterfall! This was my first encounter of such waterfall and I was extremely excited about it. Autumn is a good season (in November) to visit Tsukimachi no taki because the surrounding is decorated by mesmerising autumn foliage, making it an excellent photo-taking spot. Prior to this visit, the most vivid memory I have for waterfalls in Japan were the ones found along Oirase Keiryu (奥入瀬渓流) in Aomori Prefecture. Both Tsukimachi no taki and Fukuroda no taki are equally appealing, yet under-rated in my opinion. These are two attractions which I will highly recommend to pay a visit to while staying in Ibaraki Prefecture.

If you plan to extend your stay till lunch hours, there is a small eatery (Momiji-en もみじ苑) that overlooks the beautiful waterfall and serves Hitachi Aki Soba, a specialty of Ibaraki Prefecture.

Third and smallest waterfall appeared on the day of my visit!

Sneaked behind the water curtain!

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How to get there?

(1) By train and walk.
From Mito JR Station (水戸駅), board the northbound local train via Suigun line (水郡線) heading towards Fukuroda (袋田駅), Hitachi Daigo (常陸大子駅) and Koriyama (郡山駅). Alight at Shimonomiya JR Station and walk for another 30 minutes. The entire train journey takes slightly less than two hours.

Note: As direct train services between Mito and Shimonomiya are infrequent, it is prudent to check train schedule and plan your trip in advance. For my trip, I visited both Tsukimachi no taki and Fukuroda no taki on the same day. I started my day early and made my way to Tsukimachi no taki first. Spent approximately two hours, inclusive of one hour of travelling time between Shimonomiya JR Station and Tsukimachi no taki, in both directions. Hopped onto the train again and stopped at Fukuroda to visit Fukuroda no taki. As compared to the former, there are more train services between Mito and Fukuroda (still not ideal; about one per hour or one every two hours), therefore allowing travel to be more tolerable and flexible.
Train schedule (via hyperdia): http://www.hyperdia.com/en/