Hokkaido is known for many things: its beautiful scenery, the rolling ocean waves, but most importantly, its food. Hokkaido cuisine is in a league all its own and is known throughout Japan and the world as a major foodie area. Not only is Hokkaido important to Japan in real life, we also see it portrayed in anime such as Shokugeki no Souma. Hokkaido presents an interesting and challenging environment for the students to advance their cooking and face formidable foes. In this article, we will explore Hokkaido cuisine and how it affects the rest of Japan, while being a major influence on Japanese culture.
Hokkaido Cuisine
Hokkaido is a northern prefecture of Japan that has ideal weather despite it being near Russia. It is not only known for its food however, flower viewing is a popular pastime and marks another reason for making it a popular tourist destination. Unsurprisingly, Hokkaido is surrounded by water making it a popular destination for seafood. High quality seafood can be found around the island and allows for dishes such as Kaisen-don or Donburi to be popular. The rice based dishes are topped with seafood such as sea urchin, salmon roe and squid among many others. Large dairy farms also occupy a vast amount of Hokkaido and supply most of Japan’s dairy. Other products such as crab and Hokkaido melons are famous products that come from the Hokkaido region. Honestly though, the melons go for outrageous sums and are popular as a fruit, adding as a topping to ice cream, and other desserts across Japan. As a major player in the success of Japan, Hokkaido is a beautiful and tasty place to visit.
Hokkaido Cuisine in Shokugeki no Souma (Food Wars! Shokugeki no Souma)
Hokkaido is most popular in the fourth season of Shokugeki no Souma. As the first years battle to overcome the ruthlessness of Azami Nakiri, Erina Nakiri’s father. The group of students must use the knowledge given to them to acquire ingredients and learn about the landscape of Hokkaido in a very limited time. This situation could be life or death for them and with their expulsion on the line, Souma Yukihira and his friends must find solutions even in the most difficult of situations. Hokkaido presents them with what they need and they will force the difficult enemies that await them with Hokkaido cuisine to support them. Souma is not one to give up in the face of danger but his knowledge is stretched to the limit in this final season of Sokugeki no Souma.
Final Thoughts
There are many reasons to visit Hokkaido, the scenery, the flowers and the food are only a few reasons to travel to this wonderful island. Despite it being so far north, it is the perfect place to travel to in the spring, fall and winter, just make sure to enjoy the many varieties of food that the island is known for. Shokugeki no Souma does Hokkaido justice for exhibiting its many beautiful qualities despite the characters visiting in winter. This destination is the perfect place for a foodie or just someone looking for a beautiful vacation destination.
We hope that you have enjoyed this article on the cuisine in Hokkaido. As always, if you have any questions or comments please feel free to leave them in the comments section below.
Author: Lauren
