[Minatoya in Shintoku] Popular Couple Bowls with Shintoku Soba Can Be Savored

Minatoya

Sobadokoro Minatoya (そば処 みなとや) is a long-established buckwheat noodle restaurant founded in 1922 in Shintoku town located in the southwestern part of Obihiro city, and is near Shintoku Station. Mr. Takanori Imai (今井 崇敬) is a current restaurant owner. The Shintoku is one of the most famous buckwheat production centers in Hokkaido, and it is well-known for supplying high quality buckwheat noodles called Shintoku Soba (新得そば). The Minatoya serve the Shintoku Soba. The restraunt has an atomosphere such as a typical buckwheat noodles restaurant. Counter seats, table seats and small separate Japanese style rooms are provided, so I guess that even family customers enjoy meals. But the restaurant seems to be crowded in busy hours, so number tickets are distributed.

In the Shintoku, Shintoku New Soba Festival (しんとく新そば祭り) is held between 2days in late September.

Movie of Shintoku Buckwheat Noodles

Buckwheat Noodles of Hokkaido

Hokkaido occupies about 40% of buckwheat production of Japan, and is the largest buckwheat production in the Japan, and Nagano prefecture, Ibaraki prefecture, Fukushima prefecture and so on follow the Hokkaido. The climate is cool in a summer, and a large temperature gap is great for good buckwheat, and the buckwheat production of the Hokkaido is increasing. Horokanai (幌加内), Fukagawa (深川) and Otoineppu (音威子府) are the 3 largest production places. Especially, the Horokanai is the best buckwheat production and the largest planted area in the Japan, and is well-known as a buckwheat town, and uses buckwheat fields as tourist attractions well. In Fukushima town, Sengen Soba Buckwheat Flowers Viewing Party (千軒そばの花鑑賞会) is held in buckwheat fields, and a fantastic conbination of the buckwheat fields and Matsumae Kagura (松前神楽) can be enjoyed. Read More

Buckwheat Noodles

I sat at a table seat, and asked a waitress their recommendations, and she replied "Couple Bowls (アベック丼)". A pair of the Couple Bowls comprises a buckwheat noodles bowl and a rice bowl, and customers can choose 2 types dishes from 6 types dishes. Furthermore, she said replied "Hiyakashi (冷やかし) is sold well" when I asked her a recommendation of the buckwheat noodle dish. The "Hiyakashi" means buckwheat noodles served in cold broth topped with chicken. I ordered the Hiyakashi and Tempura Rice Bowl (天丼). The price was JPY 980.

About 15 minutes later, the Couple Bowls was served. The Tempura Rice Bowl and the Buckwheat Noodles Served in Cold Broth Topped with Chicken were dished up in heavy bowls. It looked tasty. I poured cold soba soup into the soba bowl immediately, and ate the Shintoku Soba. The buckwheat noodles were chewy, and were good smell. The soba soup was not salty, but a little sweet. The soba soup and the noodles were tasty. The tempura was crispy, and was delicious. The hot buckwheat noodles were served in substitution for miso soup, too, and I enjoyed the couple bowls in various ways.

Couple Bowls (Tempura Rice Bowl and Buckwheat Noodles Served in Cold Broth Topped with Stewing Chicken) and Atmosphere of Restaurant Can Be Watched on Youtube

Movie of Couple Bowls (Tempura Rice Bowl and Buckwheat Noodles Served in Cold Broth Topped with Stewing Chicken)

List of Accommodations

Refer to following websites for the accommodations in the Shintoku. You can get information regarding online reviews and photos.

Shintoku

Yadoya cafe ARUKU(宿屋cafe ARUKU)	HP	Booking	Jalan	Rakuten
Japanese Hotel MIYAGIYA(宮城屋旅館 ジャパニーズホテルMIYAGIYA)	HP	Booking	Jalan	Rakuten
YORKSHIRE FARM(ヨークシャーファーム)	HP	Booking	Jalan	Rakuten
Club Med Hokkaido Sahoro(クラブメッド北海道サホロ)	HP	Booking	Jalan	Rakuten
Tokachi Sahoro Resort(十勝サホロリゾート)	HP	Booking	Jalan	Rakuten
Kuttari Onsen Lake Inn(湯宿くったり温泉　レイク・イン)	HP	Booking	Jalan	Rakuten
Oyado Take(お宿たけ)	HP	Booking	Jalan	Rakuten
Village 432(ヴィレッジ４３２)	HP	Booking	Jalan	Rakuten
Guest House Santari(ゲストハウス さんたり)	HP	Booking	Jalan	Rakuten
Minshuku Sahoro House(民宿 サホロハウス)	HP	Booking	Jalan	Rakuten
Tomura Cottage(山の交流館とむら)	HP	Booking	Jalan	Rakuten
Karikachi Highland Campsite(狩勝高原キャンプ場)	HP	Booking	Jalan	Rakuten
Lake Sahoro Campsite(サホロ湖キャンプ場)	HP	Booking	Jalan	Rakuten
Tokachi Dam Campsite(十勝ダムキャンプ場)	HP	Booking	Jalan	Rakuten
Rider House Kuttari(ライダーの館くったり)	HP	Booking	Jalan	Rakuten

Tomuraushi Onsen

Kokumin-Shukusha Higashi-Taisetsu-so(国民宿舎東大雪荘)	HP	Booking	Jalan	Rakuten
Tomuraushi Nature Forest Campsite(トムラウシ自然休養林野営場)	HP	Booking	Jalan	Rakuten

Osoushi Onsen

Shikanoyu-so(鹿乃湯荘)	HP	Booking	Jalan	Rakuten