Aji No Karyu is mostly notable for being the ramen joint that Anthony Bourdain went to during the Hokkaido episode of No Reservations. That’s certainly the reason I wanted to try it.
Among other things, Hokkaido is known for the quality of its local dairy. A nice side-effect of this: ice cream shops are everywhere here.
I’m not particularly a sports guy (and by “not particularly” I mean “not at all”), but if I were going to get into sports, I’d be watching baseball. It’s the only sport I can watch all the way through without getting completely bored.
So when I realized I could watch a baseball game here in Japan, I figured sure, why not.
Though you can find cheese tarts all across Japan (and across the world — at least a couple places have opened in Toronto that serve these things in the last few years), they’re originally from Hokkaido.
Soup curry is one of those local dishes that you pretty much have to try; it’s a Hokkaido specialty that features a spice-packed, long-simmered soup crammed with veggies and meat, and served with rice on the side.