The former Aoyama villa Shukutsu, a mansion built by the owner for his daughter without a budget. In the past, Otaru, a coastal town along the Sea of Japan, was bustling with herring. Herring, written in kanji as "鰊" or "鯡," was not just a fish but also considered a "treasure." Processed herring, known as "nishin-kasu," was even shipped nationwide as fertilizer. As a local Otaru resident, this is all I remember (laughs). The former Aoyama villa is a must-visit spot for showcasing Otaru's history to visitors from Honshu. It is also featured in the TV show "Midnight Diner" as a location for filming. For meals, the adjacent Otaru Guesthouse is recommended. I visited with my sister-in-law and her husband from Gifu, toured the villa, and had lunch at the restaurant. I had the "Gurukitaro Don" - a herring and herring roe parent-child bowl. It was delicately seasoned without the strong smell of herring. My companions enjoyed the herring bento and tempura set. The food was delicious, though slightly on the expensive side. As an Otaru resident, it's fun to play tourist once in a while.

Even though it's called the "Nishin Goten," it's not the herring palace that was moved from Shakotan to Shukutsu, but rather the Aoyama family's mansion. There are various menu options, but you can enjoy sweet herring soba for 1100 yen in Otaru, not Kyoto. It's a restaurant for groups, but it's clean and has a nice view.

The historic building "Former Aoyama Residence," designated as a tangible cultural property, is one of the most famous historical buildings in Hokkaido. The Aoyama family, who were wealthy fishery owners in the area, spared no expense in building their extravagant mansion, which is still impressive to this day. Unfortunately, photography inside the mansion was prohibited due to preservation reasons, so I couldn't take any photos. The mansion is known for its peonies, peonies, and hydrangeas, but I missed the best season for hydrangeas by about two weeks, so they were mostly dried up when I visited. It must have been beautiful when they were in full bloom. After visiting the Aoyama Residence and garden, I had lunch at the "Hanakazura" restaurant located next to the mansion. They offer popular dishes made with herring, but since I'm not a fan of herring, I opted for the "Crab Bento Box" made with plenty of snow crab meat, which was delicious. I hope to visit again during the blooming season next time.

I visited the beautiful garden Otaru Taisho Glass Palace where you can enjoy the herring meal. It was peony season, so I had a lovely meal while admiring the many peonies. The herring in the herring meal was very tender and the seasoning was just right, making it delicious and easy to finish in no time!

The restaurant is located about 20 minutes by Chuo Bus from JR Otaru Station to the Otaru Aquarium. It is housed in a registered tangible cultural property called the Former Aoyamabettei. Upon entering, I was shown to an available seat and given a menu. I decided to order the "Shoka-do Bento" which was listed as limited quantity. The restaurant has various seating options including tables for four and raised seating areas. After about 15 minutes, my meal arrived on a large tray. The bento box was divided into four sections with tempura including shrimp, shishito peppers, mushrooms, and kabocha squash which were crispy. The sashimi included shrimp, salmon, and scallops. Additionally, there were herring, tamagoyaki, and warm vegetables. The meal also came with "chawanmushi" which was slightly hot and included pumpkin. The dessert consisted of fruits, jelly, and cream. I also ordered a freshly brewed coffee. The total cost for the "Shoka-do Bento" was 2,530 yen and the coffee was 330 yen. I visited during the spring season, so the scenery with blooming flowers and trees was expected to be beautiful.

In April 2022, during a 3-night, 4-day trip to Hokkaido over the Golden Week holiday, it was nice to see that both the airport and tourist spots were starting to get busy again. The "Old Aoyama Residence" is a separate building from the one built by the fishing industry tycoon Ryukichi Aoyama, who hails from the town of Yusato in Yamagata Prefecture. After visiting the residence, we had lunch. I tried the herring soba for 1,100 yen, which is soba topped with soft, sweetened dried herring fillets. To be honest, I didn't have high expectations, but it was delicious, and I couldn't resist buying a "Komidashi Nishin" (rolled herring fillet) as a souvenir on the way back. Thank you for the meal.

We took the central bus from JR Otaru Station with my friend who has a small appetite and got off at "Iwaozaki 3-chome" to visit the former Aoyama Villa. Before that, we decided to grab a bite to eat. We went to the "Hanakazura" Japanese restaurant inside Otaru Kibun-kan. It was Saturday at 2 p.m. and there were no other customers except for two people who came in later. We chose a window-side table facing each other in a 4-person seat. From the window, we could see the Aoyama Villa and the Kaiun-no-Kama, offering a magnificent view. We started with two bottles of Sapporo Classic beer at 660 yen each. Cheers! I ordered Seafood Ankake Yakisoba for 1320 yen, which was topped with shrimp, squid, crab, quail eggs, Chinese cabbage, onions, and plenty of pork. The light soy sauce-flavored sauce was delicious, and the noodles were crispy with a nice char. Towards the end, the noodles soaked up the sauce, becoming moist and enjoyable. My friend, who has a small appetite, ordered Herring Soba for 1100 yen. The herring was tender and delicious. We spent 45 minutes at the restaurant and paid a total of 3740 yen for both of us. After that, we paid 1100 yen per person to visit the former Aoyama Villa. Since the heating was not turned on, we borrowed thick fleece socks for the tour. It was cold! The villa was spacious and impressive, and we only encountered one other woman during the tour. I was glad to have my friend with me as I would have been scared to be alone in this building. Unfortunately, photography was not allowed inside the villa. I would love to come back in the summer to leisurely explore the dry landscape garden. After the tour, we took the bus back to Otaru Station. Now, it's time to drink! Cheers!

When I visited Otaru, I took a bus a little north to places like Takashima Cape and Shukutsu Port, and visited Nishin Goten Otaru Kihinkan (former Aoyama Villa) and Otaru City Nishin Goten. While exploring, I had lunch at the restaurant "Hanakazura" located in the Otaru Kihinkan. Hanakazura offers dishes that make use of the location advantage of Otaru and Shukutsu, with a focus on seafood. I tried the Nishin Soba (1000 yen + tax), which was a simple and delicious dish featuring dried herring and flavorful soba noodles. The Nishin Goten Otaru Kihinkan is a historic building designated as a "Registered Tangible Cultural Property of the country," and it is a must-visit for its beautiful garden, blooming flowers, and the historical significance of the Nishin Goten "former Aoyama Villa." This villa is known as the "Northern Art Mansion" and is one of Hokkaido's most luxurious residences, built with the pride of the herring fishing magnate and the dream of a seventeen-year-old girl.

I visited this place after about ten years. I took advantage of the Otaru sightseeing, so on this day, I also visited the herring mansion on the mountain and the aquarium, fully enjoying Otaru. For lunch, we came here. The building from the outside of the former Aoyama residence is impressive! When you pass through the gate, there are warehouses and a beautiful garden. It was the season of hydrangeas, so there were many white hydrangea buds. As you enter from the entrance, you can see the beauty of the ceiling. Events seem to be held in this hall. Next to it is Hanakazura, the restaurant. From inside the restaurant, you can overlook the garden, promising a leisurely meal. We ordered the Matsukadou bento for four people, the Shinnojou tofu set meal, sashimi, tempura, grilled fish, small dishes, vinegar dish, and pickles. The menu was impeccable. The Shinnojou tofu was served on rice with three herring slices. The tofu was served in hot water. We shared it because there was a lot of tofu, but there was not enough condiments for sharing. The atmosphere, garden, and menu were perfect. After that, we went inside the former Aoyama residence. It cost about 1000 yen. Photography is prohibited inside. As we proceeded, we saw the luxurious chest of drawers, toilet, and living room in the young lady's room. The things were custom-made for the young lady. How wealthy were they? It's unimaginable. It's amazing that they are maintaining it. Herring brought prosperity to Otaru. It changes with the times. I realized how it is being utilized naturally. The owner mentioned that it was featured in a women's gallery this time. That's why there are many customers, I heard. It's a wonderful mansion. Please stay as you are. Thank you for the meal.

When you come to Otaru, most people go to Otaru Canal or Otaru Aquarium, but I went to Otaru Kihinkan haha. Well, those who get the joke will get it. It's like a pilgrimage to a sacred place. You can take a bus to Otaru Kihinkan from Otaru Aquarium, but it's not a private bus so it takes quite some time. Otaru Kihinkan is a villa of the Aoyama family who made their fortune in herring fishing. It was built with a few billion yen in today's prices, showing the wealth they had back then. The reason it's called "old" is because the Aoyama villa was sold to someone else who is now preserving and displaying it, hence the "old" designation. Unfortunately, taking photos inside the villa is prohibited so I can't share the interior, but there are famous paintings and luxurious antique items that would be irresistible to those who love such things. After spending about 50 minutes exploring, I realized there's only one bus per hour and I just missed it, so I decided to visit the café next to the old Aoyama villa. The café serves lunch during the day, with the famous dish being herring soba. However, since it was past 3 pm, they only served drinks and sweets. I ordered a matcha and Japanese sweets set (810 yen) and chose the nerikiri sweets. The sweets were a bit hard, probably due to being left out for a while. The matcha was average, lacking in bitterness and sweetness. It's a bit pricey, as expected in a tourist spot, but the lunch menu seemed popular, especially the herring soba which I'm curious about.

This is a continuation of the review of Nishin Goten Otaru Kihinkan, the former Aoyama residence in Shukutsu, Otaru City, Hokkaido. The former Aoyama residence is as big as a two-story detached house. Due to the impact of the new coronavirus, the maintenance of Nishin Goten Otaru Kihinkan, the former Aoyama residence, became difficult, and last year they conducted a crowdfunding campaign and achieved their goal. The Otaru Kihinkan has a restaurant called Hanakazura. I wanted to take a break at the cafe time, but I had a tight schedule, so I had to give up. However, I wanted to buy some souvenirs, so I went to the shop to find a souvenir unique to Nishin Goten. The most popular souvenir was the Nishin soba. I found the second most popular item, the rolled herring with roe, and decided to buy it. It is a delicious sweet simmered herring with roe, wrapped in kombu and tied with kanpyo. It is soft enough to eat from head to tail. It is a tasty sweet simmered dish that goes well with rice.

I visited this restaurant as part of my sightseeing in Otaru. There were many tourists, but the building and garden were indeed beautiful, worth seeing on their own. The herring dishes were tasty, although I couldn't really distinguish the herring flavor.

Another long-awaited guided tour in Hokkaido. Seafood bowl for 4,000 yen, delicious! #Otaru #OtaruGourmet #SeafoodBowlLunch #OtaruKihinkan #Foodie #Delicious

I enjoyed some sweets in a luxurious setting at an old herring mansion. The staff was excellent, the store was clean, and the view of the garden from the window was exceptional. The ordinary sweets tasted even better in such a high-class environment.

I visited for an early lunch (11:00). Enjoyed a meal while looking at the garden and the sea in a charming building.

Popular herring soba! Good!!