Japanese Culture in New York - Chopsticks NY

The mountain always remains in view at this early-summer sunflower field in central Hokkaido.

Unlike dense Japanese cities, Hokkaido is a destination for pure outdoor adventure. Not only having an abundance of world class powder snow for skiing and snowboarding, Hokkaido, the northern most island of the Japanese archipelago, offers more for warm seasons.  While the rest of the country heads toward the rainy season that consequently brings high humidity in summer, Hokkaido’s location is unaffected, and remains comfortable with dry weather throughout spring and summer.  Having immense open space, Hokkaido becomes a large nature and adventure playground.

The prolonged winter pushes spring back, and as a consequence Hokkaido is the place to go for late cherry blossoms. As Japan’s iconic cherry blossom season  creeps up the country from south to north, it reaches Hokkaido in May. At the southern most point in Hokkaido, Matsumae Park starts the floral season with about 10,000 cherry trees that blossom one after another in early May.  Goryokaku Park, in the historic port city Hakodate, welcomes spring with 1,700 cherry blossom trees as well.  The same ephemeral beauty is celebrated along with Hokkaido’s unique open landscape.

Thousands of flowers fill the panoramic field up to the horizon, looking like colorful patchworks of carpet.

The flower season continues on after the cherry blossoms: Central Hokkaido is an open plain with a panoramic view of Mt. Daisetsu National Park over the horizon, whose name literally means great snow mountain. The area’s fertile and flat lands are some of Japan’s largest agricultural regions, and flower farming is particularly abundant.  In spring, the plains in Biei, Furano and Asahikawa turn into colorful patchworks of flowers in yellow, pink, red, white, purple and different tones of green. The colorful rolling hills is one of the most picturesque places in Japan with sunny blue skies that add more contrast to the floral ground.

The famous powder snow in Hokkaido melts into perfect streams for water rafting in spring and summer.

Hokkaido’s open land is reminiscent of America’s Midwest, and in tandem with drier weather, Hokkaido is the paradise of outdoor activities.  All the powder snow and panoramic hills change into water rafting venues in spring, when Hokkaido opens up another season of outdoor activities.  Although Hokkaido’s mountains are not high in elevation, its 13 major rivers and mildly hilly geography create streams through winding rocks perfect for rafting, and by the mid-summer, children and adventure lovers alike flock to experience the dynamism of northern nature.

Thanks to the open geography and less urban development, Hokkaido’s nature uniquely differs from mainstream tourism destinations in Japan. During late spring and summer when most parts of Japan get into high humidity, Hokkaido is a good escape for more comfortable weather for culture and nature lovers.

Summer delicacies in Hokkaido

Uni (sea urchin)
Hokkaido’s Sea urchin fishery generally starts around mid-June and lasts until the end of August. In Hokkaido there are two kinds of uni: Ezo Bafun Uni and Purple Uni. It is recommended to be eaten fresh, right out of its shell for a rich, sweet taste.

Surume ika (Pacific flying squid)
Squid season runs from summer to autumn. Freshly caught squid looks almost dark brown. The freshness of brown colored squid is recommended to be eaten as sashimi with ginger and soy sauce.

Awabi (abaloni)
Hokkaido’s Ezo awabi season is from June to July. Compared to other awabi found in Honshu, they are smaller in size and the meat is tighter in texture. Eaten as sashimi, you can enjoy the crunchy texture and flavor of the sea.

Sweet corn
Hokkaido is the number one producer and exporter of Japanese corn. At the start of the summer season, the corn harvested in the morning is basically eaten by the end of the day and is surprisingly sweet.

Yubari melon
Developed in the city of Yubari in 1961, the Spicy Cantaloupe and Earl’s Favorite cultivars were combined to make a high quality orange flesh cantaloupe. It is characteristically juicy and surprisingly soft, with a harvest season from mid-May to the end of August. Highly prized, an expensive one can go for around 500,000 yen (about $6,000).