Hamana-San is a shop where obanzai dishes are lined up on the counter. It has been in business for about 40 years. The chef works alone, so it may take a little time when it's busy. The dishes have an elegant taste and many of them are elaborate. It's a good place to have a drink while enjoying some light snacks.

The study agency for restaurants, Kazuhiko Okubo, is in Sapporo today. The job is about developing the business model, but he is also visiting a restaurant that a friend wants him to diagnose. The place is in a very old building in Susukino, and it seems to be a Japanese-style restaurant called "Hamanasu". Inside the restaurant, there is a friendly owner and a seemingly expressionless female manager. The counter area is messy, giving off a nostalgic vibe. It feels like a countryside grandma's house. The chaotic atmosphere with regular customers sitting around might be oddly comforting. Today, they have offered a spacious sunken kotatsu area for "James Okubo". The menu is like a department store of menus, reflecting the variety of life and customers. They start with draft beer and appetizers, followed by their famous simmered blue mussels and chicken liver cream cheese. There are also side dishes like rolled omelette and saury with miso dressing. The recommended sake is Tamano Hikari, a sweet and soft water sake. For sashimi, they have horse mackerel, firefly squid, sardine, and Hokkaido scallop. The staff is not very knowledgeable about the origin of the fish, but they eventually provide an answer. The meal ends with crab and lily root chawanmushi, crab shumai, and dried small fish rice and rice balls. The dishes are good but not outstanding, and the prices may feel a bit high. Overall, it's a typical experience without any standout features.

This shop, which my sister brought me to back in the days when I was still a child, has a friendly owner and offers northern flavors at reasonable prices, so I have been hooked ever since. This time, after a long time, I revisited the shop. The place was full of regular customers as usual! It seems to be as popular as ever. First, I had a draft beer. I was happy to be able to drink Sapporo Classic beer on tap. It was really delicious. It's my favorite beer. For snacks, I had the following: - Crab shumai @750 - Squid sashimi with wasabi @700 - Boiled green peas @800 For the second drink, I chose the local sake from Hokkaido, "Taisetsu no Kura Junmai Namachozo." It had a refreshing taste and went down smoothly, a sake that anyone can enjoy. The crab shumai had corn in it and was slightly sweet. It really tasted like Hokkaido! Delicious! The squid sashimi had mountain wasabi on top. The unique flavor of the mountain wasabi was a nice accent to the sweet squid. The boiled green peas had a crunchy texture that was enjoyable to eat even raw. Three pieces were not enough (*´ｪ`*) It was delicious, even though it was just a short drinking session due to time constraints. I am very satisfied! I will come back again. Thank you for the meal!

When it comes to "winter delicacies," fugu is definitely a must. It's a winter-only menu, but I always crave it this time of year. So, I went to the famous restaurant "Washoku Hamanasu" in Susukino. First, I enjoyed the fugu sashimi with ponzu sauce. You can add chopped green onions or grated daikon radish, or wrap the fugu in the green onion and dip it in ponzu sauce. Of course, I had to have some hot sake too. The amber-colored sake warmed me up from the inside out. The fried fugu was crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. The chef, Mr. Tsutomu Sato, is a skilled chef who used to be the head chef at a well-known traditional Japanese restaurant in Sapporo. The pickled cod roe served as a side dish was freshly caught and had a firm texture with no fishy smell. It was delicious even without ponzu sauce. The cod roe and liver dish was rich in flavor, comparable to a dish of hair crab meat and miso. I couldn't stop pouring more sake. Then, I tried the Gororibe made by the head of the fishing industry in Rausu. It was rich and had a yuzu flavor. The melting texture of the Gororibe was amazing. Lastly, I had the fugu hot pot. The soft fugu meat dipped in ponzu sauce was a delight. The zosui (rice porridge) at the end, topped with plenty of seaweed and the leftover ponzu sauce, was unbelievably delicious. For dessert, I had homemade haskap berry jelly, recommended for women. It was sweet but refreshing. This restaurant really shines with its meticulous and delicious dishes.