The Hidden Secrets of Northern Hokkaido & Sapporo

mj_tnaito

10 years ago

Although Hokkaido is the largest of the 47 prefectures in Japan, it also remains one of the least developed parts of the country. But therein lies its charm. Spectacular scenery is spread out for miles and miles around, giving you the distinct feeling of having entered some sort of unsullied natural paradise. It’s no wonder then that Hokkaido attracts plenty of outdoor lovers all year round – from skiers and snowboarders during the colder months to cyclists and campers in Summer and Spring.

Travellers to Hokkaido usually start their journey at its capital, Sapporo. The bustling city serves as a good base to orientate yourself on the food and culture of the North, before venturing out to the great outdoors.

To fully experience the majestic splendour of nature, make your way to Northern Hokkaido. This is where you’ll find Hokkaido’s largest national park, Daisetsuzan, which is a mountainous area of unspoiled wilderness that is larger than even some of the smaller prefectures in Japan. This is typically the first place in Japan to see autumn colours and snow each year, and is a veritable paradise for outdoor and wildlife enthusiasts. Onsen lovers will also be well taken care of, with the many beautiful and well-preserved onsen towns dotted around the area.

Of course, Northern Hokkaido and Sapporo have much more to offer than just scenery. Its unique and diverse cuisine is the stuff legends are made of. Even travellers who’ve not been to Hokkaido would have heard tales of its fresh, succulent seafood. But the depth and breadth of Northern Hokkaido and Sapporo cuisine extends much further than just seafood, as you’ll see over the next few pages.

However, the thing that truly makes Northern Hokkaido exceptional is its people. The residents of the various cities and townships display a fierce pride in their heritage and culture, and are often more than happy to share this joy with visitors. One visit is never enough; you’ll want to return again and again simply to bask in the beauty and tranquility of the region.

(text vanessa tai photography shigeru yuyama)

The Most Famous Dish From Northern Hokkaido

A visit to the northern regions of Hokkaido would be imcomplete without tasting this unique dish.

Jin-gisu-kan (also known as Genghis Khan Nabe) is especially popular in North Hokkaido. Served in a cast iron skillet or pan, this is a one-dish meal that includes thin slices of marinated mutton, assorted vegetables and beancurd, as well as udon.

Origins of Genghis Khan Nabe

There are several theories as to how this dish got its name. Some people believe the name stems from being a favourite of the great Mongol Emperor, while others reckon it could be because the myth of Japanese and Mongolians share a similar ancestry.

The truth is, the dish only gained traction after the First World War when the Japanese government set up initiatives to increase the production of wool. The people from the northern countryside were encouraged to rear more sheep to support these initiatives. From there, the residents of Hokkaido began eating the meat of the sheep after shearing their wool.

There are many different recipes for the marinade, but the recipe often used by the 746 Genghis Khan Troupe (mentioned later) is a tantalising blend of soy sauce, smashed onions, carrots, apples, honey, ginger, and a particular type of Korean spicy sauce. The style of cooking employed by the people in Nayoro differs slightly from their Sapporo counterparts. In Sapporo, people usually barbeque the meat whereas in Nayoro, the meat is stewed together with the ingredients and marinade, creating a more soup-like dish.

746 Genghis Khan Troupe

The 746 Genghis Khan Troupe is a group of Nayoro locals who banded together to create a more vibrant scene for their city. (746 is pronounced Na-Yo-Ro in Japanese). After winning an award for their recipe, the group decided to step up their efforts in promoting Nayoro City. Genghis Khan Nabe is now recognised as a Heritage Dish by the Hokkaido government and the group regularly travels around Japan to promote the dish. They are currently expanding their repertoire by selling pre-packaged marinated meats.

So how does it taste?

Full-bodied, rustic, and hearty; it’s easy to see why this is a popular dish in the wintry north. While mutton may not be everyone’s favourite meat, this dish doesn’t have a strong gamey flavour, probably because the meat is so thinly sliced. On particularly cold nights, a steaming hot bowl of Jin-gisu-kan stew hits the spot.

(TEXT VANESSA TAI PHOTOGRAPHY SHIGERU YUYAMA)

Meet The People of Northern Hokkaido

Hideo Morita, Mayor of Horokanai Town

As the leader of the “City of Soba”, Hideo Morita truly walks the talk, having successfully achieved the status of “5 Dan Soba Master”. He shares with us his plans for Horokanai Town.

Tell us more about the Soba Festival.

The festival is traditionally held during the first weekend of September to commemorate the first buckwheat harvest of the year. More than 30 soba producers and soba shops from Horokanai and across Japan take part in this festival. Visitors get to sample many different types of soba as well as discover interesting soba-related paraphernalia.

In 2013, we celebrated our 50th anniversary of soba production and as part of the celebration, we invited participants from other countries that also consume buckwheat noodles to demonstrate how they cook and eat buckwheat noodles in their own country.

At this year’s festival, we invited various soba wholesalers and restaurant owners to try the soba from Horokanai. We also came up with alternative food items — that were also made using buckwheat flour — such as crepes and Dango (Japanese sweet dumpling).

What are your thoughts of foreigners visiting the city to learn soba-making?

Everybody is welcome to visit Horokanai! In fact, we’re improving our infrastructure so as to welcome more visitors. I’ll love for people to visit during summertime because our buckwheat fields are especially beautiful then.

What are some of the upcoming plans to extend Horokanai’s influence as the “City of Soba”?

We are building a new cold storage system to ensure the soba stays as fresh as possible. In addition, plans are underway to improve the quality of soil in our buckwheat fields. We have also increased our media appearances across the country so as to raise awareness of Horokanai being trustworthy producers of high-quality soba.

Tomeo Kumagai & Katsuhiro Hasegawa, Biei JA
(Japan Agricultural Cooperatives)

JA (Japan Agricultural Cooperatives) is a national organisation of farmers. We speak to the Biei representatives to find out the challenges and opportunities faced by the agriculture sector.

Katsuhiro Hasegawa(left), Tomeo Kumagai(right)

Tell us about some of the challenges the association has to deal with.

There’s a constant need to strike a balance between the amount of rice we produce and the size of our fields. While we want to increase output, we don’t want to run into wastage. Another challenge we face is finding ways to cultivate more profitable crops such as tomatoes and onions as we hope to export our produce to other countries such as Singapore and Taiwan.

What sort of support does JA provide to the farmers in Biei?

We upgrade our infrastructure regularly so as to improve production. For example, we’re building more greenhouses to increase the production of tomatoes. Recently, we also built a large-scale facility to store potatoes as well as purchased a sophisticated onion-peeling system.

What are some of the best-known agricultural products from Biei?

Although we are still fairly new to rice production, we’ve consistently won the award for “Best Rice Quality” over the past 10 years. I believe it’s due to our climate (stark temperature contrasts between night and day) and clean, cold water from the mountains. The melons from Biei are also much sweeter than those from other parts of Japan.