I'm in Abashiri for work... I visited "Marukita Kitatoh" store in Abashiri shopping district where various souvenirs are available, from seafood and marine products to processed goods and sweets. I bought some snacks and drinks for the car ride back - "Nipopo" and "Drift Ice Draft". Nipopo is a unique scallop fish cake with a clay figurine design, with a rich scallop flavor. Drift Ice Draft is a refreshing drink with a malt usage rate of less than 25%, making it a low-malt beer. I enjoyed a quick snack and drink in the car before taking a nap. Thank you for the meal.

In October 2016, I received another gift, but is this all that was left for me? It's "shio-ko" (salted squid guts). I should have put it in a container instead of directly placing my chopsticks on the plate. What will happen now? Do I have to finish it all? What if it tastes bad? No need to worry, it's elegant and delicious, with a subtle flavor. It's not my preference as I like stronger flavors, but it pairs well with warm sake rather than hot rice. In April 2015, this review is from someone who thinks apologizing can solve everything and has never experienced failure in life. Just kidding, it's from someone who pretends not to notice failures and continues to make others think they are a fool. I received smoked scallop nose and cheeks from a souvenir shop called Marukita Hokuto. Locals don't usually use this shop, but I was once specifically asked for scallop fish cakes as a souvenir from Abashiri. I had decided that touristy fish cakes wouldn't taste good, but I was told to try it as if I were being tricked. To my surprise, it was incredibly delicious, making it hard for me to pretend it tasted bad. The shop deals with all kinds of seafood products, including processed seafood and dried goods. Let's try the smoked scallops. The red one tastes smoky with a hint of soy sauce. The white one is not smoky or salty, but rather elegant and tasty. I will definitely have it again.

I made a hometown tax payment to Abashiri City and received a return gift of hairy crab. I searched for the largest one within the points I received and ended up with an 800-gram hairy crab. It arrived in just one week after ordering online. According to the website, the hairy crab is from Okhotsk, boiled in seawater while fresh, and then rapidly frozen. The meat is said to have a sweet and deep flavor, with the highlight being the crab miso. Following the instructions, I thawed it naturally in the refrigerator for a day. The crab was large and I couldn't finish it alone, but the miso was rich and sweet, the meat was easy to eat, delicious, and satisfying. The shop seems to be available at airports, stations, and tourist spots, so it might be the same shop no matter where you buy it.