Japan boasts the largest number of Michelin starred restaurants per capita – and has one of most enviable and refined cuisine in the world.  Hokkaido’s cold waters are renowned for the high quality and freshness of its seafood. The ramen in Hokkaido is unique with a miso based broth around Sapporo, salt broth (shio) from Hokadate, and finally soy (shoyu) from Asahikawa. We will even try the hearty and soon-to-be famous soup curry. If you are a ramen fan, you will be thrilled to try this special, under-the-radar specialty of the northern prefecture.

“Jingisukan” (Genghis Khan) is a convivial dish from Hokkaido consisting of lamb and vegetables cooked on a dome shaped metal grill in the middle of the table. After cooking, the meat is dipped in a soy based sauce and eaten right off the grill. 

Japan has a huge culture of informal drinking and small plate restaurants called “Izakaya.” Here you can eat platefuls of gyoza (dumplings), Japanese fried chicken, yakitori (grilled skewers), noodles, soups, sashimi, sushi and wash it all down with cold Japanese beer, sake, or Japanese whiskey.