[Sapporo] my best meal in Hokkaido: Genghis Khan!

Posted on by Jamie Liew

so when you go to Hokkaido, there’ll be a few things that the locals will tell you to eat. there’s of course the fresh and cheap(er) seafood, soup curry and…

Genghis Khan.

I kid you not. there’s this dish in Hokkaido literally called Genghis Khan. and it’s basically Lamb BBQ.

wait what? isn’t he that historic guy from Mongolia? that guy who’s the direct ancestor for 0.5% of males in the world? (apparently he had many wives and raped many too. and had thousands of kids) what’s that got to do with Hokkaido?

I asked people from Hokkaido but they don’t seem to know how the name came about so… I wikipedia-ed it:

“The dish is rumored to be so named because in prewar Japan, lamb was widely thought to be the meat of choice among Mongolian soldiers, and the dome-shaped skillet is meant to represent the soldiers’ helmets that they purportedly used to cook their food.” — from Wikipedia

ooooooooohhhhhhh.

anyways, there are plenty of Gengkhis Khan shops in Susukino.

and I think I was lucky to stumble across this reasonably priced yet popular shop called Ajinohitsujigaoka (味の羊ヶ丘). there was a line, so it must be good! I was at the redlight district of Susukino and… well.. I found this.

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the prices of 1 portion of meat is around 500-930yen. pretty reasonably priced no? hey it’s lamb meat! I think there were cheaper stuff but the cheapest one I ordered was the 500yen ones. they also have internal organs and all but I opted for all meat. Continue reading “[Sapporo] my best meal in Hokkaido: Genghis Khan!” →

[Sapporo] what to eat in Hokkaido? : SOUP CURRY!

Posted on by Jamie Liew

I didn’t know that. and I guessed most of you didn’t know that.. Soup Curry is a Hokkaido specialty. other than the amazingly cheap and fresh sushi, Gengkhis Khan (mutton), milk etc, one of the MUST EATS in Hokkaido will definitely be the Soup Curry. Japanese curry may not suit the tastes of most people whom prefer their curry to be more fragrant and spicy rather than being sweet like how most Japanese curry is.

I wasn’t a fan of Japanese/Korean curry at first but I came to like it later. but SOUP CURRY? it’s like.. a whole different type of curry. I don’t know how do you put it. it ain’t exactly sweet but it’s very fragrant and yet the curry is adjusted just right so that the “soup” will be drinkable; not too salty!

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soup curry is said to be all around Hokkaido but honestly, I’ve only seen it twice in my 1 week holiday and I had it on my first day at the JR Tower’s Stellar Dining area (6th floor). Continue reading “[Sapporo] what to eat in Hokkaido? : SOUP CURRY!” →

[Sapporo] Hokkaido SUSHI! Nemuro Hanamaru, JR Tower

Posted on by Jamie Liew

ask the locals they say, because they’d know. and so the recommendations of a true Japanese who was born and bred in Hokkaido recommended me to Nemuro Hanamaru. 6th floor of the JR Tower (Sapporo Station), Sapporo.

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we actually came here on the first day but due to limited time we headed on for something else and came back the next day. with a similar line. waited for around 45 minutes at around 1pm. I’ll have to say.. the wait’s worth it. Continue reading “[Sapporo] Hokkaido SUSHI! Nemuro Hanamaru, JR Tower” →

[Sapporo] winter wonderland – the Red Brick Office

Posted on by Jamie Liew

my second day in Sapporo was new year’s eve. and to my surprise, many shops were opened! but the thing was.. it’s quite quiet. what I mean is.. there was no new year mood. maybe it wasn’t the best time to visit since most Japanese people had to gather with their families.

삿포로에 있는 2번째 날은 새해 하루 전 날이였다. 그런데 사람들은.. 생각보다 새해 기운이 없었다. 새해 때는 역시 도쿄다.

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my NYE morning was beautiful though!

삿포로의 아침은.. 기가 막히게 아름다웠다. Continue reading “[Sapporo] winter wonderland – the Red Brick Office” →

[New Chitose] New Chitose Airport, Hokkaido

Posted on by Jamie Liew

New Chitose Airport is amazing.

period.

okay, I know that’s a little too vague so let me tell you why.

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whenever I land at an airport.. I always look for the toilet because in flight bathrooms are so disgusting I try my best to hold it until I reach my destination every time. have you heard about how the water you use to “wash” your hands in the plane’s super dirty? well.. Continue reading “[New Chitose] New Chitose Airport, Hokkaido” →

[Hokkaido: Noboribetsu] I went to Hell for a day. and I loved it.

Posted on by Jamie Liew

Noboribetsu, Hokkaido, Japan.

I have no idea why people call Noboribetsu the Hell Valley. it’s too beautiful to be called so. but I guess maybe because it’s filled with boiling hot water all around.

it takes less than 2 hours drive to reach Noboribetsu from New Chitose Airport and almost 3 hours from Noboribetsu to Sapporo station where we returned the car. and that’s by the free roadway. too poor to pay for toll even though it will save us about 1 hour on each trip.

노보리벳츠, 홋카이도, 일본.

이 곳의 명칭이 왜 지육인지 모르겠다. 너무 아름다워서.. 그래도 바닥속에 뜨꺼운 물은 흘려가고 있어서 지육으로 볼 수도 있겠다.

신치토세 공항에서 노보리베츠까지는 2시간도 안걸리고 (GPS예산하는것 보다 일찍 도착할것이다. GPS 계산하는 속도는 60km/hr인것 같다. 그리고 노보리벳츠에서 삿포로까지는 3시간쯤 걸렸다. 무료도로를 이용해서 유료도로보단 1시간씩 더 걸린것이다.

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but no doubt as we drove through the entrance, a hell guard greeted us. a hugeeeass hell guard. it was funny how the whole place is filled with devilish decorations and devils. D=. but yet it’s so beautifulllll. if hell is really as great as this, I don’t think anyone would mind going to hell. =X.

출구를 지나갈 때 저승사자 아저씨가 환영했네요? ㅋㅋ. 노보리벳츠 자체가 지육과 관련된 물건이나 인물으로 꾸몄고 되게 색다르다고 생각했다. 지육이 이렇게 아름다웠으면 지육 가는 사람이 좋아하시겠다 ㅎㅎㅎ. Continue reading “[Hokkaido: Noboribetsu] I went to Hell for a day. and I loved it.” →