I tried the "Harukaze Bukkake" at Harukaze at Matsu Shosoba. The shrimp tempura was crispy, the broth was light, the dish was full of ingredients, and the soba had a rich aroma. It was very delicious! Next time, I might try a rice dish. I'm curious about the Toriten Don. The interior of the restaurant is very clean and tidy.

Soba restaurant opened next to Shiba's house. They use soba flour from Mashu or Shikaoi. There's a ticket machine at the entrance that accepts PayPay and credit cards. Some customers seemed unfamiliar with it and needed help from the staff. They offer cold soba, hot soba, and rice dishes, so some may not notice the different options. I ordered the Butagobo seiro for 1200 yen, cold zaru for 950 yen, and tempura zaru for 1400 yen. It was quite busy as more customers arrived. They even have a second parking lot for convenience. I might prefer the cold zaru after trying all three. The prices are reasonable. The soy sauce flavor is strong and not too sweet. I personally prefer firmer noodles. The renovated interior is clean and welcoming. I hope they gain regular customers and succeed.

Since I am not a local, the restaurant I was looking for was closed, so I decided to visit a soba restaurant that I had been to over 10 years ago, even though I couldn't remember the name. When I turned at the intersection, I found the restaurant right away. However, despite it being 11:00, the parking lot was full, so I had to park at the second parking lot. The restaurant had been renovated and now had a complicated ticket vending machine. The staff was very helpful in explaining how to use it. I ordered the Tempura Soba. I had trouble understanding the receipt that came out after placing my order, and it seemed like I wasn't the only one. The renovation seemed to have involved expanding the seating area by sacrificing some of the traditional tatami rooms. The restaurant was clean and pleasant, but the booth seats were too close to each other without any partitions or curtains, making it a bit awkward. I arrived at 11:05 and my food was served at 11:25, which felt a bit slow. The soba noodles were perfectly drained, but they stuck together at the bottom of the bowl, which was a bit disappointing. The tempura was delicious, especially the shrimp which was juicy and flavorful. Overall, I paid 1400 yen for my meal, which included delicious soba broth that stayed warm until the end.

On Sunday, I was in my hometown, which is not so unusual recently. A few days ago, my wife mentioned that a soba restaurant had opened at the site of the former Shibano family restaurant. It was a favorite soba restaurant of mine, but the owner passed away, so I was disappointed that there was one less place in Abashiri where you could eat decent soba. Although it wasn't highly rated by non-locals on Tabelog, it was a precious soba restaurant for us locals. Today, my wife is not working, so I decided to go alone to check it out. The previous restaurant used to be open at night, and I had gone there a few times to have beer. This new restaurant seems to only be open during the day, so I might not be able to have beer with my soba this time. The interior has been beautifully renovated. The layout seems similar, with new furniture. There are bench seats along the wall, three two-person tables, and two four-person tables. There is a six-seat counter and a raised seating area at the back. I couldn't see the counter, but I assume it's still there. I ordered the mori soba from the ticket machine for 750 yen. It arrived in about 10 minutes, served cold and neatly arranged. The soba had a slightly sweet flavor with a good balance of firmness and texture. The broth was served in a small jug, and it had a delicate balance, leaning towards a lighter taste. It was a good match for the soba. Some customers have complained about the shrimp being cut, and one person even left angrily because they couldn't make tempura without shrimp. The staff handled the situation well, but the customer was not satisfied and left in a huff. The soba-yu had just the right amount of soba flavor. Overall, it was delicious. The staff seemed overwhelmed with the number of customers.