Rishiri and Rebun Islands, Japan's northernmost islands, are famous for their fresh and abundant seafood. Let's eat up all the local delicacies that are only available on the islands!

Let's start with Rishiri Island's recommended gourmet foods. The freshness of the seafood is unmistakable, so you will want to taste the freshness of the raw fish.

Sashimi is a good choice, but we also recommend a bowl of rice topped with seafood for a hearty meal. It looks gorgeous with all kinds of seafood on top! If you take a picture of it, you will sigh every time you look back at it and want to eat it again.

Hokke is a fish commonly eaten throughout Hokkaido, and its season is from July to September. On Rebun Island, fresh and fatty hokke is a specialty, and is served with a special miso sauce and green onions. Of course, Rishiri Island also has a custom of eating hokke in chanchan-yaki, so if the timing of your trip is right, you may want to give it a try.

The most popular way to eat it is to open the fish and cook it slowly on the grill. The fatty surface of the hokke is a great way to enjoy it as a set meal with rice and miso soup, making you glad you are Japanese!

Rishiri Island is also known for its delicious ramen, which has been featured in the Michelin Guide. Hokkaido is the ramen kingdom, with Sapporo's miso ramen, Asahikawa, and Hakodate all having their own unique ramen culture. However, the local ramen of Rishiri Island is different! The ramen soup stock is made using luxurious Rishiri kelp and topped with seafood. ...... Each ramen store, whether it is a ramen specialty store or a diner, has its own unique and original flavor, so be sure to try them all.

Another local specialty of Rishiri Island is tachikama. It is delicious eaten as is, but is also popular among locals as an ingredient in miso soup or grilled with butter. The texture of the fish seems to differ between cooked and uncooked, so it is worth trying out different ways to eat it.

Even if you have enjoyed the local delicacies, you may still be hungry for something sweet. How about some of the popular sweets on Rishiri Island? First of all, we recommend Rishiri Pudding, which has been featured on TV and in magazines. There are three types: maple, sesame, and Kumazasa, but we are most interested in the Kumazasa. Kumazasa is a type of bamboo commonly found in Hokkaido. The Kumazasa mixed into the dough has a subtle aroma and a gentle, elegant sweetness.

Let us introduce another recommended sweet of Rishiri Island. It is an ice cream with the image of Mt. Rishiri, topped with dried sea urchin, kelp salt, and even comes with an edible Rishiri root kelp spoon! This is the local ice cream! It is sure to leave a big impact as a memory of your trip.

On the other hand, what kind of gourmet foods do you recommend on Rebun Island? As on Rishiri Island, the abundance of seafood is a must. Among them, sea urchin, which can only be caught between June and September, is said to be one of the finest in Japan. When eaten raw, the sea urchin has no odor, and when grilled, it releases an aromatic scent from the shell. No matter how you eat it, it is unmistakably delicious. ......

If you want to taste the sea urchin to your heart's content, you should have a bowl of sea urchin! The orange-colored meat folded over the white rice in the bowl is irresistible and appetizing. It's a trip, so let's go all out and splurge! By the way, on the island, Ezo-bahun uni is called "ganze," and Kitamura-saki uni is called "nona. Why don't you surprise your fellow travelers by sharing your knowledge with them when you eat your sea urchin bowl?

There is also this unusual sea urchin dish. It is a Japanese-style omelet rice with a base of burnt soy sauce rice, but what is poured over the top is a luxurious sea urchin butter sauce. In Rebun Island, even omelet rice is matched with sea urchin! This may be the result of the abundant catch of sea urchin in Rebun Island.

Incidentally, one of Hokkaido's original gourmet foods is soup curry. It is characterized by its rich spices and ingredients, and is also available on Rebun Island. Rebun Island's unique soup curry uses kelp from Rebun Island. The soup stock from the kelp adds depth to the curry, and the large vegetables and chicken leg give it a somewhat elegant flavor. It would be interesting to compare it with soup curry from other regions.

Just as sea urchin was transformed into omelette rice, hokke was transformed into hamburger on Rebun Island! The name of the burger is hokke burger, using ground chicken and hokke for the patty. You may be thinking, "Chicken and hokke go well together? You may be thinking, "Chicken and hokke go well together? Hold the burger down with both hands and bite into it with your mouth wide open.

How was it? I think "island cuisine" satisfies both the desire for simple tastes because the ingredients are fresh, and the desire for tastes with ideas that cannot be found anywhere else because of the abundance of ingredients. The many wonderful dishes were made even more delicious by the wonderful environment of this remote northernmost island. We hope you will enjoy a memorable meal on your trip while experiencing the local atmosphere firsthand.