Do you know where the closest roadside station is from the center of Sapporo? The answer is "Nordic Wind Roadside Station Tobetsu" (hereafter referred to as "Roadside Station Tobetsu") in Tobetsu Town. It takes about 40 minutes by car from Sapporo to get there. And there are plenty of reasons why you should make the effort to go there! Tobetsu Roadside Station opened in September 2017. The reason for its name, "Nordic Wind," is because Tobetsu Town is a sister city of Leksand, Sweden. The large triangular roof truly gives off a Swedish atmosphere.

Once inside, you'll find an open, wood-themed design, and just being here will make you feel excited and uplifted.

Time will fly by just browsing the items on offer, including local vegetables grown in Tobetsu and the surrounding towns, miscellaneous goods made by local craft artists, Scandinavian goods with a horse motif, and original products made using Tobetsu's local products.

Outside of the winter season, you can purchase fresh local vegetables at the "farm produce shop" in the annex. Tobetsu Town produces such an abundance of various agricultural products that it is known as the "kitchen of Sapporo."

And, of course, one of the things to look forward to at roadside stations is the food! The first place I would like to recommend is "Cafe Terzina." It is produced by Chef Hideki Horikawa of "Trattoria Terzina," one of Hokkaido's leading Italian restaurants.

You can eat authentic pasta and baked risotto with homemade bread for only 1,100 yen including tax. For example, here is a menu like this...

"Langoustine with tomato cream sauce" - a pasta dish that combines the flavor of shrimp, rich cream, and the freshness of tomatoes, making you happy with just one bite.

"Hokkaido beef tendon stewed in a spice-scented sauce." The flavor of the tenderly stewed beef tendon is irresistible. The accompanying bread also has a basil scent and goes perfectly with the dish.

Now, let's take a look at the menus of restaurants that offer take-out and eat-in options. First up is "Restaurant Ari." The sign says "Piadina Specialty Store." But what exactly is a piadina?

Piadina is a traditional Italian national dish of various ingredients sandwiched between thin, round baked dough. The most popular dish here is the "Salmon Piadina" (650 yen including tax), which is inspired by the bouquets of flowers in Tobetsu, the city of flowers. It's healthy and packed with vegetables!

Photo courtesy of Nordic Winds Roadside Station Tobetsu

Next to Restaurant Ari is "Takajin CUP STORE," a store invented by a vegetable sommelier where you can easily enjoy soba noodles and soup in a cup.

Photo courtesy of Nordic Winds Roadside Station Tobetsu

One of the most popular dishes is the "Corn and Cheese Soup Curry" (580 yen including tax). Seasonal vegetables from Tobetsu Town are delivered directly from affiliated farms, so you can enjoy the deliciousness of local vegetables in a simple yet satisfying way.

Next door is Smile Kitchen, a restaurant that serves dishes using Asano Farm's prized brand of SPF pork.

The signature dish is the "Pork Pull Rice Bowl" (pictured is the medium size / 500 yen including tax). It has a light taste and you can really taste the sweetness that is unique to pork. For those who want to experience the umami of pork more directly, we also recommend the "Huge Pork Skewers" (420 yen including tax)!

After your meal, you can enjoy dessert at the cafe "SWEETS."

The most impactful item is the "Swedish Soft Serve" (380 yen including tax), which is modeled after the Swedish flag! The blue part is "Amazake Blue", which has a subtle sweet sake flavor, and the yellow part is "Elder Yellow", which has a muscat-like aroma. The two flavors blend together exquisitely to create a unique deliciousness.

Photo courtesy of Nordic Winds Roadside Station Tobetsu

Speaking of dessert, you can't miss the "Cup Dango" (249 yen including tax) made at the adjacent Ichikyu Daifukudo workshop. These freshly made dango made with rice from Tobetsu Town have a chewy texture and can be eaten on the spot or taken out!

You might also be interested in local specialties that would make perfect souvenirs. At the local specialty shop "TOBEST SHOP" near the entrance, there is a wide selection of products from the brand "TOBEST" that convey the life of Tobetsu.

Photo courtesy of Nordic Winds Roadside Station Tobetsu

The best-selling product is the "Just Mix Black Bean Rice Base" (540 yen including tax). As the name suggests, just add one can of this to two cups of cooked rice and mix, and you'll have delicious black bean rice! It's also delicious when it cools down.

So far, we have introduced the charms of Tobetsu Roadside Station in detail. You may be thinking, "I've had enough!" but let me tell you one more thing.

The toilets are available 24 hours a day and are really clean and sparkling! The cleanliness of the toilets here, which are thoroughly cleaned, has even been a topic of conversation. This is actually a very important point. Be sure to visit Tobetsu Roadside Station, which even has great toilets.

<Tobetsu Roadside Station: A Wind of Scandinavia> Address: 774-11 Tobetsu, Tobetsu-cho, Ishikari-gun, Hokkaido Phone: 0133-27-5260 Official website: https://tobest.co.jp/michinoeki/