[Shimakko Shokudo in Yagishiri Island] Rare Mutton Barbecue Pré Salé Yagishiri

Shimakko Shokudo

Shimakko Shokudo (島っ子食堂) is a restraunt adjacent to Yagishiri Ferry Terminal in Yagishiri Island located in the northern part of Hokkaido, and is well-known for serving Pré Salé Yagishiri (プレ・サレ焼尻), a local specialty high-quality suffolk meat. The Pré Salé Yagishiri is very rare meat, and the number shipped of those products is low. I guess that the Shimakko Shokud is the only restraunt that ordinary people can eat the Pré Salé Yagishiri in the Yagishiri. In the Hokkaido, the mutton can be eaten at MIKUNI SAPPORO (ミクニサッポロ), Restaurant Moliere (モリエール), Hokkaido Beer Garden (北海道ビール園), and the mutton can be eaten at Ginza Totoki (ギンザ　トトキ) and Restraunt Quintessence (レストラン　カンテサンス) in Tokyo. This mutton is used as cooking ingredients mainly at celebrity French restaurants evaluated by Michelin. The Shimakko Shokudo opens a business only from mid June to about September. The business season is very short.

The appearance and the interior decoration have an atmosphere such as a typical local restraunt. The building is small, and only counter seats are provided at the building. Table seats are in front of the entrance, too. Dishes such as ramen and sea urchin rice bowl are eaten at the building, and barbecue is enjoyed outside. By the way, Yagishiri Sheep Ranch Festival (焼尻めん羊まつり) is held only in a day, early August, and the Pré Salé Yagishiri and seafood can be savored in the Yagishiri.

Movie of Yagishiri Sheep Ranch Festival

Sheep Ranch

Sheep Ranch (めん羊牧場) is a ranch run by Hoshu Farm (萌州ファーム) in the central part of Yagishiri Island (焼尻島), and they raise about 500 suffolk sheep at the grassland of about 80 ha. Those meat are well-known as "Pré Salé Yagishiri (プレ・サレ焼尻)", one of expensive mutton in Japan, and it has a good reputation. The grassland spreads over along Onko Sea Road (オンコ海道), and it is said that the scenery looks like Scottland. I feel a foreign atmosphere indeed, and I think that the scenery is a typical scenery of Hokkaido, too. By the way, outlanders are prohibited from entering the grassland, so visitors should enjoy views along the Onko Sea Road. Read More

There are some means of transportation for the island tourism, for example, a sightseeing hire or a rental bicycle. I rend the bicycle, and it took about 2 hours to go around the Yagishiri Island by the rental bicycle. Walkers can go around for about 4 hours on foot. Be careful not to be late for the ferry.

Shokanbetsu Teuri Yagishiri Quasi-National Park

Shokanbetsu Teuri Yagishiri Quasi-National Park (暑寒別天売焼尻国定公園) is a quasi-national park between Ishikari city, Shin-totsukawa town, Uryu town, Hokuryu town and Haboro town in the northern part of Hokkaido along the Sea of Japan (日本海), and extends from the north to the south, and has been designated as the quasi-national park since 1990. The area is 43,559 ha, and the the quasi-national park has the 8th largest area in 57 quasi-national parks (not include national parks) in Japan. It consists of 2 isolated islands, Shokanbetsu Mountain Range (暑寒別山系) and a coast, and beautiful nature such as the sea, the mountains, sea birds, trees, wild flowers and wetlands is highlight. The Shokanbetsu Teuri Yagishiri Quasi-National Park is divided into 4 areas, Teuri Island (天売島), Yagishiri Island (焼尻島), SHokanbetsu Area (暑寒別エリア) and Atsuta and Hamamasu Area (厚田・浜益エリア), and the Teuri Island, the Yagishiri Island and the SHokanbetsu Area mainly have a lot of highlights. Read More

Pré Salé Yagishiri

Since people was already there, people wanted to eat a local specialty. Other customers also had the same opinion as I thougt. The local specialty of the price was JPY 2500. You may think that the price is expensive, but I think that Pré Salé Yagishiri is worth eating from the viewpoint of rarity and topicality. * They have a day that the Pré Salé Yagishiri is not recieved. In case of eating the Pré Salé Yagishiri, a portable clay is used, so customers must eat it outside. First an owner put out a charcoal fire with a burner vigorously. Because outdoor tables have a roof covered with a blue sheet, colors of photos below are strange.

The Pré Salé Yagishiri served by the Shimakko Shokudo is a set meal containg mutton, vegetables and rice. Salt and pepper was the only seasoning. I supposed that the onwer wanted customers to savor the original taste of the mutton, so the sauce was not provided. The grilling mutton was indeed tender, and meat broth came out while biting. It was tasty! Beacause squid had a good catch this time, the squid with roe was served, too. It was tasty, too! Thanks for the tasty meal!

Stray cats gathered from here and there whether a lots of the cats lived in the island. They might mooch customers from foods. In addition, crows attacked customers to get food from the sky, please be careful of the crows.

Pré Salé Yagishiri and Atmosphere of Restaurant Can Be Watched on Youtube

Movie of Pré Salé Yagishiri

List of Accommodations

Refer to following websites for the accommodations in the Yagishiri.

Nunome Ryokan(布目旅館)	HP	Booking	Jalan	Rakuten
Ryokan Isonoya(旅館 磯乃屋)	HP	Booking	Jalan	Rakuten
Oda Minshuku(小田民宿)	Only Tel:+81-1648-2-3637
Guest House Yasundeke(ゲストハウス やすんでけ)	HP	Booking	Jalan	Rakuten
Shirahama Campsite(白浜野営場)	HP	Booking	Jalan	Rakuten