Hey you guys Phoebe here from Little Grey Box now I am so happy and so
excited because Matt and I are in one of my favorite places on earth Japan and
what's better we are exploring somewhere brand-new the Hokkaido region starting
right here in Kushiro so let's go and find out what this incredible place has to offer
Kushiro Ramen is.... so-called Kushiro Ramen soy sauce light soup and thin noodles
So we are here at the Kushiro Tancho Market at a place called Uocchi now this
place is incredible it is tucked in the back of this amazing market it is part
of the Michelin Guide, the master the chef the ramen master he has just been talking us
through things his speciality is a fish sauce and shrimp sauce ramen
that he makes by hand and it is meant to be incredible I mean you guys it is
temperatures of minus 5, minus 15 out here so it is the perfect excuse to dive
into some ramen and you know me I'm a truly ra-mantic
(rap music)
Let's start with some broth
oh my goodness, it is perfectly balanced it is...
oh there's so much flavour in that it's fishy but not too fishy
I went with the light kind of version they have a dark version
which is more flavoursome but that is beautiful
now let me try some of those noodels too oh my goodness you guys should smell this
It smells insane
ohmmm...
(rap music)
now every time I have said to somebody from Japan that I am coming to Hokkaido
the first thing they say to me is yes you're going to love it the food is
amazing and of course they are known here for incredible seafood so we've
come to the heart of that here at the Washo Ichiba Market one of the three
biggest markets in the whole Hokkaido province it was founded in 1954 and it
is known as the citizens kitchen and with good reason so make sure if you are
coming to this region whether it be the one here in Kushiro or somewhere like
Sapporo you visit a market like this Katte Don is a specialty of this region
so it is a must try this is Katte Don so I have gone for some octopus
some lean tuna, some young yellowtail some salmon and some crab which I've
been nibbling on already don't judge me this looks incredibly fresh some of it
is seasonal and while I don't speak Japanese very well the lovely ladies who
work here were giving me a bit of guidance on what to try
oh my goodness that is a beautiful and of course it is not a meal without miso
soup now this is Kani miso soup and it has crab it it looks amazing
I live for miso, I just love Japanese food in general
okay that is extremely hot
and extremely delicious
So we are here at the Akan International Crane Center and we are checking out
these beautiful red-crowned cranes and they are stunning they were once thought
to be extinct back in the 1920s but through a huge conservation effort
their numbers are around a thousand here I believe
don't quote me on that they are still an endangered species and the conservation
efforts continue and if you are here if you do come to Kushiro as part of your
trip to Hokkaido you should definitely come and check it out, I love
stuff like this when I'm traveling you know if there's an animal that
is really special to the locals it's really nice to come and see it and the cranes
are a really important symbol of longevity, fidelity and good health
and I have to say these birds are no joke they range in height from about 4'11 to 5'2 which
I think that's about the size of Christina Aguilera
so you know that Matt I like to teach you some basic survival skills when
you're on the ground here in Japan vending machines are life quick tip
bread is hot blue this cold which means this should be hot chocolate we're about
to give this oh gosh it's hot
so it is given time at color you onsen this is absolutely amazing so we are
wearing out green traditional garments the lovely housekeeping lady suggested
we wear them we weren't sure she was pranking us when she said wear them to
dinner but we've come down to the restaurant and everyone is wearing them
this is just it's a really fun cultural experience we've got a space here we've
got everything seems to be cook it yourself like I cook it fresh so you
know it's really nothing we've got the seafood over here we've got fish we've
got more sashimi with noodles me sir yeah this is absolutely delicious just
more good food in Hokkaido exploring - Shira has been amazing you know what
it's time to bed because we have time to get to bed because we have an amazing
day of activities tomorrow picado is all about the nature and I'm so excited to
see more time to get my future
this is Lake kashira and it is the second largest lake in the Qaeda at its
deepest point it is over a hundred meters deep so it is no joke and our
amazing guide was telling us that in a couple of weeks this will actually be
frozen solid as you can see there all these lovely swans here and they're only
here during the winter so it's extra extra special and I just got the hot tip
from our guide that they have an equivalent here to the Loch Ness monster
I think he's cold I may get this wrong something like crucial you know
something like that so if you do spot him good luck
we're here at another spot on Lake Kushiro this place is huge so we're
going to be driving around today checking out some different angles
behind me there are a couple of natural Hot Springs some little hot pools that
you can get in if you're brave enough you know if you really want to get your
Instagram a hold on this is your moment to get on your dogs and get in there but
you know that's not for me I'm gonna stay warm today you guys think warm
thoughts
I've got like so many conflicting emotions I was not going to get in
because I just didn't think it made sense to take all my clothes off in this
freezing temperature but it's actually amazing this water is so hot I'm not
cold at all I will say my fingers and toes hurt though because they were so
freezing but this is amazing 10 out of 10 would recommend
we are a couple of kilometers away from the kawaii onsen here in Kushiro
and behind me is Mount iya look at that steam coming off it now there are
various set up because you cannot touch it this is all volcanic behind me sofa
that's why it is also yellow and let me tell you you can smell it it looks like
we've landed on the moon it's giving me some Icelandic vibes
I am absolutely loving it it is so beautiful and well worth the visit okay
so after a big day at in the hood cutter nature we have driven a couple of hours
north here to Lake a Bashir oh look at this this is reminding me of something
out of Canada like bad for something like that just back out for them for a
second there this is unlike any hotel I'm just saying it is wild
down says there was a times are like a game hold is a karaoke room there's a
lady selling soft-serve doilies over the chair I feel like we are saying in the
most amazing like Japanese Grandma's house it was this beautiful little
Japanese lady downstairs grading us I feel like this is her place and we're
getting this experience and these views of the lake are just
amazing I didn't know you can see this in Japan and I am loving every second of
it if you didn't know in Japan the taxi doors open automatically it's amazing we
are in the restaurant called Hachi Hachi I think I said that right and of course
our choice is going to be a sake Japanese food that brings a second day
here in the Kaiser to a close after the delicious meal cabs are here so we're
gonna climb in here back to the hotel get a good sleep and hit it again
tomorrow lots more nature and here there's snow
showing involved
it is 11:30 in the morning and we are starting our day off right
at SRK brewery right here in Kamogawa this is the Taste ETSU sock a brewing
and you guys you cannot come to Japan without tasting Saki
now it is made from rice and it was originally for Shinto deities as an
offering but today we are going to be enjoying it so going to be trying two
different types and I am excited let's get into it
so the monster here was telling us this one's more of a round of flava and I
think he said that this is the bird that didn't mean let's give it a go
that's really nice wait you think one thing I didn't know and have just
learned from our amazing guide is that you can tell if a place is open by the
curtain see this blue curtain behind me the curtains out the place is open and
it's a really important tip in Japan because I often struggle to figure out
if the shop is open or if I should go in or not if the curtains on grubs on
so we are at a little ramen joined Corp Asahi this place is beautiful everyone's
sitting on tatami mats of gold fortunately for me there was no seafood
or vegetarian option will get mess that's on the Rob and I think take shop
I'm a bright
we are going snowshoeing
this is my first experience that was really fun I was laughing so hard I'm
going through that snow but it was really really fun and such a beautiful
setting whenever in those situations I very very very clearly remember working
and sitting at my desk and to be out here doing something like they snip out
of the world I never thought I'd use it it's just the best feeling ever so
challenging yes fun yes just just the best just so grateful if you ever get
the chance to come out here and do something like this I highly recommend
we are getting a sneak preview of the song Keo iced wonderful festival this is
absolutely amazing there's all these beautiful icicles above me it's all
really well-lit as an ice climbing wall it is stunning it is so cold but it's
absolutely beautiful and this runs from about the end of
January 30 to March I believe our guide said so if you are in the area you have
to come and check this out that is just amazing this room is going to be
completely stocked with the amazing sake we tried earlier see we have to go out
and explore then come here I feel order yourself a nice okay Vic one thing I
noticed it say Oh leave it normally when you visit shrines in Japan the thing the
etiquette to get your wish is you bow twice you clap twice then you make your
wish and once you've made your wish then you bow again what point is the coin go
in things plus and then the coin the coins just cooked like a very unique
extra to this shrine so you can do it before or after okay let's make a wish
there are a lot of instructions is that what a birthday cake is it
so we see his face
it is a last day here in picado and I am sure you can see the snow is coming in
sideways it is pelting down you guys so we were
gonna do a few more outdoor things today but we're gonna start with some indoors
activities for obvious reasons and you know what I'm pretty sure it's still
early in the morning but you know how we roll at this point so one of our guides
told us if you are looking for a socket joint and you don't know how to find one
there are two things to look out for first thing you want to look for the
sake barrels right there yes as we said yesterday this is just an extra if the
curtain is at the Sakae is on and of course this bowl so what they do is they
put these bowls at the front of the shops originally when they hang them out
this is green when it goes Brown that's how you know the sake is ready yes brown
ball sake tubs sake
we just chose a little robbing spot here one that looked like it through the
veggie seafood option now I don't know about you but the way my mother believes
me was don't slurp don't make cars for Louise's you sit there you enjoy a meal
and you do it in a polite respectable western way over in Japan it is very
very different and you are enjoying a food you are encouraged to swap because
men the chefs who are watching us ate know that we are loving every single bit
I've been trying to get into swept life but I've really been struggling I can't
over the nose I feel like a little piggy but I can joke yes sir oh my hands
shaking and I tried to try to do a little slip when the server comes me up
and it's funny you get a response from let me give my best celeb life we go
sorry my hand shaking I don't know why
that's as good a seconder
now Matt and I are about to end our day with the trip to the mall because it is
coming down like crazy here there's so much snow and winds like I said we had
some awesome last day outdoor activities planned but this one's just made those
not possible I hope you have enjoyed this video and look if you don't already
be sure to subscribe and say hello in the comments below have a great weekend
and I will see you again next week love ya