The "Yakitori Bento" from Hasegawa Store, a local convenience store chain centered in Hakodate, is a famous local food featuring pork skewers over rice. We're taking a deep dive into the deliciousness of this soul food of Southern Hokkaido! Plus, we'll introduce a special "secret ordering hack" well-known among locals.

The "Yakitori Bento" topped with three skewers of pork and green onion.

Founded in 1958, the convenience store chain "Hasegawa Store" (commonly known as "Hasesto") is a local chain with 13 stores currently operating in Hakodate, Hokuto, and Nanae. Its signature dish, the "Yakitori Bento," was born in September 1979. It's a simple dish of grilled pork skewers on a "noriben" (bento with seaweed), but for those from Hakodate, it's a nostalgic taste from their childhood. While the recipe has been refined, it is said to have remained mostly unchanged.

The standard way to eat it might be to remove the meat from the skewers. It comes with red pickled ginger.

But why is "yakitori" in Hokkaido mainly pork? There are various theories, but one suggests that pig farming became popular to increase food production during the Sino-Japanese War in 1937. Another reason is that nutritious and stamina-boosting pork was favored by Hokkaido residents as an energy source in the harsh natural environment.

The most popular "Tare" (sauce) flavor. The sweet and savory sauce that pairs perfectly with rice is irresistible.

The Yakitori Bento comes in five flavors: the secret recipe "Tare" (sauce), a peppery "Shio" (salt), the tangy "Shio-dare" (salt sauce), the slowly stimulating "Umakara" (spicy savory), and the rich "Miso-dare" (miso sauce). The most popular is the "Tare" flavor, but connoisseurs are said to choose salt. It has a hint of garlic as a secret ingredient, which whets the appetite. And here's a pro tip: if you want to enjoy various flavors, you can order a mix. This is a relief for those who can't decide which flavor to get.

"Yakitori Bento (Small)" for 560 yen. Pictured is the "Shio" (salt) flavor.

The Yakitori Bento is reputed to be delicious even when cold. The meat is sourced in blocks and hand-skewered daily. The green onions are carefully peeled, using only the soft and tasty parts. They also pay close attention to the balance of fat and lean meat during preparation. Nothing is made in advance; the grilling process begins only after an order is placed. To make the meat tender and mellow, they spray it with red wine from "Hakodate Wine" while grilling it over an open flame. The "Hasesto style" is to lock in the umami by cooking it slowly and thoroughly.

The "Miso-dare" (miso sauce) flavor is a special blend of white miso, aged miso, and a touch of doubanjiang (spicy bean paste) as a secret ingredient.

There are five sizes available: Small (200g rice, 3 pork skewers), Medium (250g rice, 3 pork skewers + 1 vegetable skewer), Large (350g rice, 4 pork skewers), Jumbo (450g rice, 4 jumbo pork skewers), and a Mini size (150g rice, 2 pork skewers + 1 vegetable skewer). There are also plenty of variations, such as the "W" which has salted pork belly mixed into the rice, and monthly limited-edition bentos. By the way, you can also order chicken "yakitori" too.

The Bay Area store, located next to the popular burger shop "Lucky Pierrot".

Since Hasesto is a convenience store, you can find alcohol, daily necessities, freshly baked bread, onigiri rice balls, and various side dishes. You can also order classic yakitori items like heart, liver, chicken skin, and tail, starting from a single skewer. Furthermore, because they have a business partnership with Seicomart, one of Hokkaido's leading convenience stores, you can also get original Secoma products. This is undoubtedly a great ally for travelers.

The Nakadō store also has a souvenir corner selling original merchandise.

Some stores have eat-in spaces, so you can literally eat your bento piping hot right after it's made. The main store, the "Nakadō branch," has a particularly spacious area and even displays old newspaper articles about GLAY and autographed posters. Even though they are affiliated with Secoma, the Yakitori Bento can only be purchased at Hasegawa Store! To savor the taste of Southern Hokkaido that has been loved for many years, be sure to stop by when you visit Hakodate.

※All prices include tax.

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