1. Ramen Salad: Eaten Just Like Hiyashi Chuka (Cold Ramen)

"Ramen Salad" is a popular local food in Hokkaido's izakayas and karaoke bars. What makes it different from cold ramen is that it's topped with salad ingredients like cabbage and steamed chicken. The dressing is typically a soy sauce-based one similar to cold ramen, or a sesame dressing.

For the many ramen lovers in Hokkaido, this is a common home-cooked meal, much like okonomiyaki is in the Kansai region. A meal of ramen salad and rice... such a carb-heavy combination is a common sight in Hokkaido households.

2. Guarana: The Original Energy Drink

It looks like cola, but it's not cola. It's "Guarana," a beloved drink among Hokkaido residents. It was originally introduced to the market to compete with the spread of cola in Japan. Back when the cola boom was happening, Hokkaido was experiencing a guarana boom, so it became popular before cola did. This drink has a history of being consumed as a nourishing beverage in its native Brazil, making it something of an original energy drink. Even today, many people drink Guarana when they're a bit tired or want to feel refreshed.

3. French Dogs in Eastern Hokkaido: An Addictive Sweet and Salty Treat!

You often see "American Dogs" at festival stalls and convenience stores. Despite the name, it's a Japanese-made English term not used in America (where they are called corn dogs). The combination of a crispy, slightly sweet batter and a sausage is perfect, and in most regions, it's eaten with ketchup and mustard. However, in Eastern Hokkaido (Doto), "French Dogs" are the mainstream. While ketchup and mustard are available, the major characteristic is that they are also served with sugar.

The reason for this is that Eastern Hokkaido is a region where sugar beets, the raw material for sugar, are grown. It's said that this practice spread because sugar was readily available. Furthermore, since the area is also rich in fish, the sausage inside is often made from fish paste. It's a special hot snack that makes people from Eastern Hokkaido nod in agreement, saying, "This is it!"

4. Hokkaido Has Two Types of Sekihan (Red Bean Rice)

When it comes to Sekihan, Hokkaido is divided between the adzuki bean camp and the amanatto (sweet adzuki bean) camp, but both coexist here. Compared to the standard adzuki bean sekihan, the amanatto version has a vibrant pink color and is sweet like a dessert. Sprinkling some gomashio (sesame salt) on top enhances the flavor, giving it a different charm from the adzuki version.

This amanatto sekihan was born from what we would now call a "quick recipe." Furthermore, the sweetness of the amanatto may have captured the hearts of Hokkaido residents. Today, both types are so popular that they are sold side-by-side in convenience stores.

5. An Obsession with Surimi (Fish Paste)

Hokkaido's abundance of seafood isn't limited to delicacies. Because a wealth of mild white fish like cod is caught in Hokkaido, there is a huge variety of processed fish products like kamaboko (fish cakes). The raw material, surimi (fish paste), is often sold fresh, not just steamed.

Since it's white fish, it's sometimes sold mixed with ingredients like hijiki seaweed, shrimp, or crab. It's a versatile soul food that's amazing in miso soup or made into fried fish cakes, bursting with the savory flavor of fish.

6. The Vastly Different Flavors of Hokkaido's Ozoni (New Year's Soup)

Many people who live in Hokkaido originally moved from various other regions. Because of this, unlike in Honshu, there's no standard "This is what Ozoni is like in XX prefecture." In my own family, for example, my father's roots are in Tohoku and my mother's are in Shikoku. So, I always looked forward to the ozoni when visiting my grandparents. Depending on the household, the soup base can be miso, white dashi, or various others.

When visiting a friend's house in winter, I would sometimes encounter an ozoni I'd never seen before, and the differences were so great that I often didn't realize it was the same dish.

7. Using Instant Yakisoba Water for Soup is a Given

Instant yakisoba is a quick and easy meal. In Hokkaido, Toyo Suisan's "Yakisoba Bento" is famous. A key feature of Yakisoba Bento is that the water used to cook the noodles is then used to make the included Chinese-style soup. This little bonus of getting soup along with the yakisoba is beloved by Hokkaido residents.

For people from Hokkaido, "drained water = soup water," so they feel a slight sense of guilt throwing the water away... While there are many other brands of instant yakisoba, many people still say, "It has to be Yakiben!"

8. An Overwhelming Variety of Fish Delicacies (Chinmi)

Chinmi are the perfect accompaniment to a drink. Hokkaido's chinmi are incredibly rich in seafood. Just among fish delicacies, there are numerous types like cod, kankai (saffron cod), sake-toba (dried salmon strips), atka mackerel, and flounder. In the past, they were also eaten as children's snacks. They are exquisite when dipped in mayonnaise mixed with a little ichimi (chili pepper) and soy sauce!

Especially in winter, when relatives gather, it was a familiar snack and appetizer, with adults peeling it for you or children struggling with the tough pieces. But is Hokkaido the only place with such a wide variety? Another characteristic is that the fish is simply dried, with only salt for flavor.

Hokkaido's Food is Full of Wisdom and Ingenuity!

Hokkaido's cuisine is filled with the wisdom of the past and hybrid dishes that combine hometown flavors with Hokkaido's own. The foods introduced here are all very familiar to the people of Hokkaido. When you're feeling tired, why not chug a bottle of Guarana, which you'll be craving, and power through with energy.