This is a review of the dinner and breakfast at a guesthouse in Hokkaido on the first night of my trip. The guesthouse is run by the third generation of the family, originally started by an Ainu tribal chief. Dinner starts at 6:30 pm, and when we entered the dining room, each table was set with a variety of seafood dishes such as sashimi, simmered fish, and grilled fish. There were also some dishes that were unfamiliar to me, but without explanations, we started eating. Later, the second-generation landlady and the fourth-generation young landlady came into the dining room. I learned a lot about Ainu culture and lifestyle from the landlady. I was surprised to find out that the dinner was based on Ainu cuisine, where everything is believed to have a god (Kamui) in it, and it is important to use everything without wasting. Breakfast started at 7:00 am, and although there were no specific Ainu cultural foods, the locally caught salmon and the delicious rice made with local rice were highlights. Overall, I enjoyed both meals, especially the rice, which was very tasty.

You can have proper salmon for breakfast in Hokkaido! This inn serves dishes that are all made with local ingredients and handmade. The salmon here seems to be different from regular salted salmon, maybe it's aged. It's not too fatty, but the flavor of the meat stands out. You have to serve your own rice, but everyone eats quite a lot in the morning. Also, there were two women traveling alone, and I thought women have such great energy.

Today's accommodation was a guesthouse inn, run by the chief of the Ainu people. It started as a souvenir shop by the chief and later expanded to include a dining hall and accommodations. Now, it is managed by the chief's daughter and her children. When I decided to visit Shiretoko, I immediately chose to stay here because it's the chief's house, and there's nowhere else like it in Japan! Upon arrival, we had a delicious dinner with dishes like vinegared kelp, sashimi of surf clam and salmon, and grilled salmon. The meal was accompanied by explanations of Ainu culture and traditional music performances by the hostess. It was a unique and enlightening experience.

This is a review from a stay in September 2013. It was the first night of a 4-night, 5-day trip to Eastern Hokkaido. Normally, I travel in October to see the autumn leaves, but this year I had to reschedule to September. It was my first trip to Eastern Hokkaido, and I wanted to visit various hot springs and enjoy sightseeing. I booked a room at Shukou no Ie, a guesthouse known for delicious food in Shiretoko, through a reservation website. The normal plan for the old building was 6,800 yen (including tax) plus a bathing tax of 150 yen. I rented a car at Memanbetsu Airport, but it was raining on the first day. We postponed our sightseeing plans to the next day, and instead visited Oshinkoshin Falls, had lunch, and passed the time at a roadside station before checking in at exactly 3:00 pm. The guesthouse is located near Utoro Fishing Port, with a Ainu souvenir shop on the first floor. The room was a slightly cramped 6-tatami mat Japanese-style room on the second floor with small windows. The bath was a small one that could fit 2-3 people, with hot saline water that was a cloudy yellow color from the natural spring. Even after adding water, it was still very hot. After bathing, I felt warm and didn't sweat much. It was a nice hot spring. Dinner was served in the dining room on the first floor. We had dishes like sesame miso-stir-fried bell peppers, kelp vinegar dish, sashimi platter (including squid and others), salmon roe simmered hokke, salmon milt tempura, salmon chan-chan-yaki, scallop and clam soup, pickles, and rice. The fresh fish from Shiretoko was plentiful and delicious. The salmon milt tempura had a soft and sticky texture, and the chan-chan-yaki with salmon, vegetables, and miso was very appetizing. I tried hokke simmered for the first time, cut into tube shapes (is this common in Hokkaido?). It was delicious with a rich flavor. Just before finishing the meal, the landlady came out and explained the dishes, talked about the Ainu culture, and even performed a Mukkuri (Jaw harp) performance. (She sometimes takes days off due to health reasons.) Breakfast was also served in the same dining room. We had dishes like grated nagaimo with bonito flakes, salad, onsen tamago, baby scallop stew, grilled salmon with salt, and others. The salmon was thick and juicy, not the usual salted salmon. It was delicious. I was surprised by the pickles, which were made by pickling daikon in a 30-year-old rice bran bed. It was tasty pickles. Although the room was slightly cramped and the bath was small due to booking at the old building rate, I was pleasantly surprised that I could enjoy a good hot spring and such delicious dinner at this price. (Hot spring rating: 3.6 stars. Overall rating: 3.8 stars.)

I used this place during my trip to Shiretoko. The food was delicious and I was very satisfied! Reasonable prices for tasty dishes. I was very happy. The boiled Atka mackerel seems to be popular, so I definitely want to try it next time I stay here. I used the outdoor hot spring, so I didn't use the inn's hot spring, but according to my partner, the hot spring was also nice. It's a guesthouse style, so if the neighbors are noisy, it might be a bit tough. However, when I stayed, there were no noisy neighbors, so it was not a problem at all. This inn is recommended for those who like a homely guesthouse.

★You can eat traditional Ainu cuisine★Ainu language - Iyairaykele (Thank you!) Shop that conveys Ainu culture★Appeared on "Ad Street Heaven"★