Where we stayed and what we ate in Hokkaido!
First place : http://mangetudou.net Deep snow, very warm due to the huge Jotul woodburner in main living area.
I stagger upstairs to my room and lie on the bed. It collapses under my huge bulk! Very sheepish I ask the owner for help.
Next night it is a glorified hut in front of the owl viewing area. http://fishowl-observatory.org/index.html
There is a small dining hall for 10 people or so and two ladies beavering away in a tiny kitchen. I expect ramen.
Next is a place on the shores of Lake Furen. https://www.nemuro-kankou.com/stay/y209/ Another astonishing place.
Dinner!
By the way, this astonishing food is not expensive. We eat with a bunch of young Japanese birders, maybe 18 to 20 years old. They demonstrate no surprise at the quality of the food. The meal would cost hundreds of $ in most capital cities.
Breakfast comes. The owner loves making jam and he sets out a sampling selection for me in English.
Well, what can I say? The Japanese expect to and do eat very well. I did not see any other tourists. So please y’all do not come to Northern Hokkaido. It is fine as it is.
So now I am back in Okinawa! What a change! It is so hot. A continuation of the food narrative.
Asuka san, Arisa san and I have lunch in a tuna speciality restaurant in Itoman. This is what we ate.
In front of our table a young woman cuts up a huge Tuna.
Japan!
The Quiet Ripple Defines The Pond 
DEEE-lightful!! Love your missives, notwithstanding how deeply they make me long to be there (son Matthew seems to be permanently ensconced as well). So do carry on, and please do keep me updated! with warm regards, Rachel ps: the Stanford University area of Palo Alto also continues to be a delight. And Ric is still gainfully employed at SLAC.
Love that Jotul. How on earth did it get halfway round the world? Appears to be the grandfather of mine. Splendid food pics. Worth the trip just for those experiences even if the birds had decided to the week off. Good for Asuka taking on that Tuna Eye dish. Can’t help but wonder how you eat it and what it tatsed like.
Hi Alan
I was so surprised to see it..I think the host was a bit taken aback by my jotul worship. He got it second hand from a hotel that was closing – paid $80! All my Japanese lady friends are wonderful eaters. They tear into everything with tremendous gusto. Never a mention of calories nor nutrition nor veganism. The eye ball is very good, gluttonous but very tasty, The round bit on the right of the photo is hard and you do not eat it. This I learnt the hard way. Check video https://thequietripple.com/2020/11/30/jollity/