The scallops were huge. Each one was a size I had never seen before, is this the quality of Monbetsu?! And the taste was incredibly delicious!! You can't find anything like this to eat in Tokyo! It was my first time eating live scallops! It was the best. When you go to Monbetsu, be sure to try them out!

This time I visited to eat. I arrived around 10:45, as I thought the store opens at 9. I ordered about 10 scallops for 500 yen, about 10 oysters for 980 yen, blue mussels for 580 yen, dried cucumbers for about 120 yen, the smallest hokke fish for 150 yen, and a large coho salmon for about 200 yen. I definitely couldn't finish it all, but I couldn't resist. They provided foam trays, disposable chopsticks, and tongs. The cost for using the charcoal grill was only 700 yen for up to 4 people. Such a great deal! I felt really happy. By the way, bringing in alcohol, meat, or sausages is not allowed. There was someone who insisted that sausages are not meat. Unrelated, I also bought a boiled octopus for 600 yen. I removed the innards, boiled it, and seasoned it with salt. It was my first time doing it, but it was really fun!

My husband went to Kitami to renew his license and stopped by a place. He said, "It was 2780 yen with a box fee of 400 yen! They didn't write how many kilograms though. I left half of it at my dad's place." Even half is a huge amount. I've steamed it three times in a frying pan and there's still some left. It's a 2-year-old one without any dirt (´∀｀) My husband said, "400 yen for the box fee is expensive, right?" I said, "Bring your own box next year... but you'll forget, right? lol" By the way, I saw a tweet from astronaut Noguchi, so I replied with a video saying, "I saw it!" And guess what? It got 10,000 views and 2,000 likes. I'm surprised!! lol

I went to Tomoroh to get seafood, which is about a 30-minute drive from my home, even though it's technically in Kitami City. It's a fish market in the middle of a field. The shop is filled with piles of oysters, it's the season after all. Today, I skipped the oysters with shells and got some pre-shucked ones. The shop owner said they're fine to freeze. So, I bought a bit more than usual. I also got scallops, saffron cod, and more. That day, I made an oyster hot pot. The oysters are small but flavorful and deliciously firm. I want to try them in fried dishes, gratin, and garlic butter next time.

I went there for the first time, it's less than 4 hours by car from Sapporo. At a roadside market in the city, you can choose ingredients and grill them on an adjacent charcoal grill to eat - what a delight! The scallops I was looking for were surprisingly large, never seen anything like it before! One costs 450 yen. A regular size scallop mountain (10 pieces) costs 400 yen! So cheap! The large oysters from Lake Saroma cost 250 yen each, I chose the scallops and the tsubu. When you grill the giant scallops on the net, the juices come pouring out, and the natural (seaweed) flavor makes it taste amazing. The oysters are plump and full of flavor, absolutely delicious! The scallops have a concentrated flavor that's fantastic. They also teach you how to handle the fat from the tsubu. During weekdays at this time of year, there were few customers for grilling, so it felt like a private reservation! Grilling is available from around 11 am to 2 pm. Bringing your own ingredients to grill is prohibited! But you can bring your own rice balls and drinks! I want to go to this restaurant right away!

Heading to Sapporo to see my family after a long time, so I thought I should buy some oysters to bring with me. If I were to eat them myself, I would go all the way to Wakkanai, but I can't take that detour. I was thinking of going to the usual Hamasaro store, but decided to try a different one that I haven't written about before, called "Tokoro Michi no Ichi." I've always had a bit of a dislike for this place, they seem a bit unfriendly. Well, I'll just have to bear with it for once. When I entered the store, I saw a sign saying no photography allowed, which made me want to leave immediately. I even got in the car and drove out to the national highway once, but then I turned back. That's just how much I'm addicted to Tabelog. I wonder how many people there were who would eat the oysters seriously? Wasn't it just my eldest daughter? Even so, I ended up buying 8 kg of oysters, which cost 4,200 yen including tax. It's a little over 500 yen per kg, which is cheap. Well, I shouldn't expect too much. When I asked, there were people who said they had "learned to eat them." A few came out, but I guess about 30% of them were plump. Still, I heard a chorus of "delicious," so it wasn't too bad, right? In the end, only my second daughter didn't eat any, but I'm glad I bought a lot.

Last week, my husband said he was going to buy oysters, but I said, "Isn't it too early?" This week, I saw on "Recommended Morning" that the oysters from Yubetsu are ready to eat, so I thought, "It's this week!" Keipon-san's recommended Yuseikan is far away, so we ended up getting oysters from Tokoro again. Keipon-san often goes there, it's far away! It turns out that the "Small Fish Shop" in Kitami, the "Captain's House," and the "Michi no Ichi" are all part of the same group, owned by Nagata Suisan. My husband went alone and bought a 3kg bag of 2-year-old oysters for 2580 yen. He said, "The 1-year-old ones were cheaper." 1-year-old oysters are a hassle to clean because of the mud, so if you don't like mud, you end up buying the 2-year-old ones. My husband said, "It's our annual oyster party!" We found out that you can steam oysters without adding any liquid (because water comes out of the shell), so we just steamed them in a frying pan. It's delicious! Once you eat the 2-year-old oysters, you can't go back to the 1-year-old ones! They're so tasty. We steamed them in a frying pan three times and ate them all. As expected, the 2-year-old oysters are incredibly delicious!

I have passed by this place many times thinking it was just a market, not a restaurant. But I was drawn in by the look of the log sign and decided to stop by. It's a paradise for oyster lovers. Even though it's a bit pricey when dining alone, the taste makes up for it! They also have a great selection of local fish for sale.

Last month, I went on a 1 night 2 day trip to the Saroma and Tokoro area! During that time, I stopped by this shop! Since check-in at the inn was at 3 o'clock, I went around to various places. Here, fresh seafood such as crab, shrimp, dried fish, and delicacies are sold. There is also a space next to the store where scallops are grilled! Since I came all the way here, I want to buy something to take home. However, at tonight's inn, "Captain's House", you can enjoy plenty of "seafood" and you can take home any uneaten crabs. I brought a cooler box, but at this point, I have no idea how much it will fit! (laughs) I went to the corner where delicacies are sold! There, I found something that I had eaten and enjoyed before! (A few years ago, when I went to Wakkanai, I bought and enjoyed it!) I bought Octopus Beak for 950 yen (tax included)! It's a delicacy made from the beak part of the octopus! When I returned from the trip and had a drink at home, I tried it! "This is difficult to eat, isn't it??" I thought while removing the black part (which seems to be the octopus's teeth) first and then trying it! (laughs) It's tough, but the more you chew, the more you can taste the "flavor of the octopus"! It's perfect as a snack with alcohol!

Last time, when I reported to my family, they insisted on being taken to Hokkaido, so we suddenly landed at Memanbetsu Airport. Although we missed the shop's opening hours, the staff there arranged everything for us, which was very helpful. The scallops and oysters were incredibly delicious, and being able to eat heartily without worrying about the cost was a unique experience. I also enjoyed trying grilled surf clams, which I hadn't had much before. The rustic charm of the place, unlike other oyster huts, was also well received. I look forward to trying the dried fish next time. My family was also very satisfied!

My husband loves oysters and goes to buy them himself every year. Keipon sensei always tells him, "The ones from Wakibetsu are more delicious," but since it's far away, we usually end up with oysters from Joro (laughs). We have also bought from Saito Shoten before. I said, "Wouldn't they be more delicious when it gets colder?" My husband replied, "It's the right season now! The snowy roads are dangerous." So he went alone this time. This time, he bought oysters that were 2 years old in styrofoam packaging. The ones that are 1 year old have mud on them, but the 2-year-old ones are clean and nice. My husband said, "It cost 1980 yen... it didn't say how many kilograms it is." There were also oysters from the 1-year-old batch being sold online (in a blue mesh net). Since there are only two of us, we decided to hold back (laughs) and got a size that we can finish eating. But even then, we can't finish them in one go. The sake-steamed oysters are consistently delicious. They are really good. The supermarket in Abashiri also sells oysters from Joro, but they don't sell them online. They probably come in large cans that can hold a lot. It would be nice if they had packs for small groups, like "enough for 1 or 2 rounds in a frying pan."

I came all the way to Lake Saroma, so of course I had to have some scallops! I found this place while strolling around, called "Tokoro Michi no Ichi". A lively old lady helped me pick out some scallops, I paid and then moved to the grilling area. The scallops were 100 yen each, I got 4 of them and the charcoal cost 500 yen. The scallops were really cheap, but the charcoal seemed a bit pricey. Let's grill them now! I placed the scallops on the burning charcoal. After a while, the lid popped open. I waited a bit more, then took the plump scallops out of their shells and savored them. Wow, the flavor was rich and delicious! The scallops were so juicy and satisfying. My friend also seemed pleased. We quickly finished them all and resisted the urge to order more, heading back to our accommodation. It was a delicious meal, thank you!

It's getting colder now. I went to the Jouro sales store to buy some delicious winter food. Along Route 238, there is a big sign that says "Tokoro Michi no Ichi". They sell seafood and seafood products. The highlight this season is oysters. Oysters are so delicious at this time of year. The store is piled high with oysters. There are small 1-year-old oysters and slightly larger 2-year-old oysters. The 2-year-old oysters come in large, medium, and small sizes. They are packed in styrofoam containers. For those who buy in large quantities, there are oysters in nets and canned oysters for steaming. I bought some Saroma Lake oysters this time, the 2-year-old ones. About 2 kilograms for 1400 yen. I also bought some Okhotsk scallops. They were lively in the water tank, and each one was only 60 yen. I bought 8 of them to enjoy at home. The oysters were steamed, as expected. The 2-year-old ones were so juicy and delicious! The scallops were served as sashimi. They were slightly small but had firm and sweet meat. Scallop is available all year round, but it tastes best in winter to spring. Enjoying the delicious food from Okhotsk and Saroma during this cold season is a real pleasure. I'll have to visit the store a few more times before the season is over.

In November 2016, my husband went to buy some oysters. He loves oysters steamed in sake. He bought 2.7 kilograms for 2700 yen, a two-year-old batch. He gave half to his father and we enjoyed the rest with our evening drinks. The oysters from Yubetsu are great with less mud around them. They are big, but the taste doesn't differ much from one-year-old oysters. Yubetsu is quite far, so we don't go there often. We have received oysters and scallop seedlings from local fishermen before. We couldn't freeze them all, so we boiled them, dried them on a net, and made mini scallops. Delicious. Thank you. By the way, my husband and I can't eat raw oysters. In November 2015, my husband bought 12 kilograms for 3980 yen. He took half to his father's place. We often buy oysters in winter, in various sizes and ages. In August 2015, I visited a summer oyster hut and saw people grilling oysters. Since it was summer, the oysters were big and expensive, at 150 yen each. In winter, locals don't eat outside due to the cold. I recommend the yellowtail during this season. It's surprising that the smaller ones are sold as "amberjack" at the supermarket, but they are cheaper. It's a sign of global warming! However, it can be a bit challenging to prepare them at home. Thank you.

◆Kaki & Hotate Grilled Seafood Market◆ I recently visited this place called Michi no Ichi, which is basically a seafood souvenir shop. Inside the shop, there is a grill where you can pay 400 yen to have charcoal fire started for you. You can then grill the "kaki" (oysters) and "hotate" (scallops) that you purchased in the store. There are no seasonings provided, but I bought soy sauce for 150 yen inside. The seafood had a natural salty taste from the sea, so it was fine even without seasonings (although a little soy sauce on the scallops made them tastier). The scallops were 500 yen for 10 pieces, and I think the oysters were 140 yen each. I also added two "hokki" clams and a large scallop, and in total (including the grill fee), it came to around 3,068 yen. They only had disposable chopsticks, no plates, no tools for opening oysters, and the chairs were dirty, but it all worked out in the end. The area is known for its hotate (scallops), but the oysters at this shop were incredibly delicious. It's a bit of a distance to get there (took 2 hours and 30 minutes by car from Asahikawa), so it's not an easy trip, but I might go back next year for some grilled oysters!

I often buy shellfish, like blue mussels, to accompany my beer. When I asked if there was anything to buy while going to Tokoro, as expected, the response was "I want to eat oysters." Even though I had a bad experience with oysters in Wakkanai, I couldn't help but think, "Is it okay?" The oysters were expensive and I wondered why. The explanation given was, "Even if the size of the shells is the same, some are heavier than others." So I chose the heavier and more expensive ones. They turned out to be fresh and delicious. However, I was disappointed when they were served as oyster fry instead of raw oysters. The oyster fry was not pictured, but it was crispy and delicious. The remaining oysters were steamed in sake, and I was surprised to see them turn green. Despite the color, they tasted great. Overall, I was glad I chose the expensive oysters. They were big, juicy, and delicious.

I purchased hairy crab, Hanasaku, and snow crab shellfish somen with mountain wasabi soy sauce-cured salmon roe. As a bonus, I received dried flounder, dried salmon, and a lot of them. I always ask for them every year, but it's always amazing. I will also stay at the captain's house.

During a drive to visit various places in October 2021, we made a detour to a seafood shop where many customers were coming in. Inside, there is a section for fresh fish and another for frozen and processed products. When you take your time to look around, you'll find products not only from Okhotsk but from all over Hokkaido. It's a different kind of fun compared to seafood shops in Kushiro. It's a shop that makes you want to come back again.