2018 Primetime Emmy
& James Beard Award Winner
Roam
Hokkaido, Japan
Hokkaido
Wonderland
September 10-17, 2023
Welcome to Japan’s land of Milk and Honey. This will be a week of snowtopped mountains, natural hot springs and endless lakes, and a unique cuisine shaped by Hokkaido’s cool climate. Volcanic islands. Cold waters teeming with red king crab and delicate uni. Some of Japan’s best dairy and a hearty meat culture. The perfect climate for making beer, whisky, and even wine. Your host is the irrepressible co-owner of Bar Gyu+ in Niseko, the skeleton key to all great things in the North.
Our Host
Owner, Bar Gyu+
Ioanna Morelli
R&K Trip Itinerary
September 10-17, 2023
Day 1
Sep 10 Sun
LAND OF MILK AND HONEY
- Raku Suisan
- 119-1 Kabayama, Kutchan, Abuta District, Hokkaido 044-0078, Japan
- +81136220520
- Private transfer from Sapporo airport to Raku Suisan
- Welcome drinks with Nathan, Ioanna and our co-host Mai Nishiyama
- First-night dinner of Hokkaido classics at Maccarina, a design- and produce-conscious mainstay in the nearby village of Makkari
Day 2
Sep 11 Mon
COOL, CLEAR WATER
- Raku Suisan
- 119-1 Kabayama, Kutchan, Abuta District, Hokkaido 044-0078, Japan
- +81136220520
- Raku Suisan ryokan breakfast
- Visit to Makkari water springs to literally and metaphorically fill our cups
- Peruse the Macari Tofu Factory’s offerings, next to the springs
- Refined lunch at Yukiai-Tei at Raku Suisan
- Rest, hike, or private onsen at Raku Suisan
- Pre-dinner cocktail for those who are into that kind of thing at the onsen bar
- Kaiseki dinner at the iconic soba restaurant Raku Ichi Soba with master Tatsuru Rai
Day 3
Sep 12 Tue
THE ART OF FERMENTATION
- Raku Suisan
- 119-1 Kabayama, Kutchan, Abuta District, Hokkaido 044-0078, Japan
- +81136220520
- Miso-making workshop with chef Nakahara Juri
- Private lunch at the delightful French-inspired country restaurant J’ai la Patate
- Ice cream stop at Milk Kobo, because, well, Hokkaido is famed for its ice cream
- Relax at Raku Suisan, happy hour
- Tori Matsu Izakaya for more sake and the Niseko version of izakayas, those raucous bar dinners
Day 4
Sep 13 Wed
WOODS AND WHISKY
- Raku Suisan
- 119-1 Kabayama, Kutchan, Abuta District, Hokkaido 044-0078, Japan
- +81136220520
- Mushrooms! Foraging for mushrooms in the Niseko area with Ioanna
- Cookout at Ioanna’s catered by Chef Nakahara Juri, with beers and bbq and a bit of a post-prandial hiking for those who choose
- Niseko Distillery visit for insight into the culture of turning Mt Annapuri water into excellent gin, whisky and more
- Dinner of Hokkaido classics — something light! we’re not monsters! — for our final evening in Niseko
Day 5
Sep 14 Thu
WINE AND CIBO
- Yuen Sapporo Ryokan
- Japan, 〒060-0001 Hokkaido, Sapporo, Chuo Ward, Kita 1 Jonishi, 7 Chome−６
- +81112711126
- Traditional breakfast at Raku Suisan
- Transfer toward Sapporo, with some excellent stops on the way
- Winery visit at Domaine Takahiko for a conversation about Hokkaido viniculture with the iconic winemaker Takahiko Soga.
- Lunch at Lowbrow Craft, creative local winery, with bentos handcrafted by Kakuto Tokushimaya Ryokan
- Transfer to Yuen Sapporo Ryokan, relax, optional shopping in Sapporo
- Mushroom dinner, perhaps with the previous day’s haul with Chef Tabata at Osteria Fungido, our favorite intimate, elevated northern Italian restaurant in all of Japan
- Optional nightcap at Owl & Rooster, Sapporo
Day 6
Sep 15 Fri
ISLAND HOPPING
- Rera Mosir Pension
- Rishiri District, Hokkaido, Japan
- Wake up EARLY! Leave luggage at Hotel Yuen, bring an overnight bag for Rishiri.
- Highbrow (just kidding) foraging at the conbini—the convenience store—for breakfast items for our flight to Rishiri Island
- Turboprop glory with Hokkaido Air System, headed for the island home of Japan’s best konbu, the quintessential building block of Japanese cuisine
- Meet our Rishiri host, Tamaki-san, head for the island port for fresh seafoods
- Check in at Rera Mosir, a charming pension run by the iconic Toshiya Watanabe
- Optional island activities: hiking, biking, lounging
- Island izakaya dinner at Kamome
Day 7
Sep 16 Sat
ISLAND LIFE
- Yuen Sapporo Ryokan
- Japan, 〒060-0001 Hokkaido, Sapporo, Chuo Ward, Kita 1 Jonishi, 7 Chome−６
- +81112711126
- Konbu cutting masterclass in the morning
- Lunch at nationally famed Ramen Miraku
- Hike to Cape Peshi with speciality beers from Streetlight Brewery
- Return flight to Sapporo
- Classic Sapporo lamb feast “gingiskan”, last night, let’s go.
- Late-night bar crawl down ramen alley. Beers, highballs, more ramen? What is wrong with you people?
- Let ‘er rip karaoke??
Day 8
Sep 17 Sun
MATA NE
- One last breakfast at Ryokan Yuen
- Private transfer to Sapporo airport
- Until the next time…