Sanma or Pacific Saury is one of the many autumn foods that you get in abundance in Japan. It is cheap and can be eaten raw as sashimi or sushi(mmmm:) and cooked in various ways from baked, bbq’ed or in Sanma Takikomi Gohan [Japanese Mixed Rice with Pacific Saury] which you can cook by following dogs recipe in the great You Tube show Cooking with Dog. Enjoy!

So what’s in the pot and on the table this time of year? If you have time to get out into the of nature of Niseko or Hokkaido then you’ll find that mushrooms are everywhere this time of year. One very tasty mushroom I have found is rakuyo kinoko. It is a little different from a normal mushroom as it has a spongy underneath and would have stared well clear of it if it wasn’t for Hiromi showing me what it looked like!

Once you have found enough rakuyo kinoko go home and try Hiromi’s homemade soup. Happy hunting!

Hiromi’s Wild Mushroom Miso Soup

• 3 tea spoon dashi [Japanese fish stock powder]
• 2 table spoon miso paste
• 500 ml water
• 5 medium sized rakuyo mushroom
• 1 small nasubi
• 1 cup grated daikon

Cut mushrooms, nasubi into small cubes. Boil the water and put in dashi, mashrooms and nasubi. Put miso paste before the water boils and turn off. Put daikon just before you serve.

Hiromi mentioned to me that you could add almost anything to this jiryu[soup] but reckons the nasubi is needed. ENJOY!

From Sounkyo village you can ride the rope way, the pair chairlift and then hike to the peak just like in winter. The only difference is like in the village of Sounkyo you will have to deal with lots of people. Don’t be put off though as the quick 1 hour hike to the peak of Kurodake is rewarding and once at the top  you can easily wonder off into the roof of Hokkaido.

The day before I arrived, Kurodake had received Hatsuyuki [first snow] (in Japan) and some fresh snow was still present on the trails and on the close by Ryoun Dake [Mt. Ryoun] which stands about 150M taller at 2125M. Even if it hadn’t snowed I would have still been pleasantly surprised to have seen permanent snow on the peaks and valleys in this “Artic Daisetsuzan” where permafrost is distributed at elevations over 2000M. Check out the photo below of Ryoundake or for more images check out Black Mountain Lodge’s photos. Also don’t forget to check out the other artilces on Sounkyo.

Another week has ended and another one has begun and here in Hokkaido the days are still still and the weather fair yet in just a few weeks the first of the ski resorts will open. It’s hard to believe that the landscape will be turned white by seemingly endless snowstorms. However autumn is drawing to close but is not over yet.

The other day I was lucky enough to try the traditional autumn dish ‘Kuri Gohan’ or Chestnut Rice. In typical Japanese style the dish was simplistic and delicately flavored. It is in fact quite simple to make, recipes vary but it is essentially just pre cooked Chestnuts added to rice in a rice cooker. I enjoyed the dish with a kind of steamed pork, pickles and miso soup, but Im sure Kuri Gohan would compliment almost any other Japanese dish such as the mouthwatering one shown below. Heres a recipe for  Chestnut rice in (delightful ‘engrish’)  and a number of other delicious traditional dishes.

http://www.nsknet.or.jp/~tomi-yasu/recipe/047_e.html

http://www.japan-guide.com/r/e1.html

The beauty of the outdoors is as revered in Japan as much as it is anywhere, if not more. Every season brings something worth seeing be it Cherry Blossom in parks across the country in the Spring or the ice floes seen from Abashiri in Hokkaido in the Winter. In October there is no sight or activity less sought after than the viewing of  Autumn colours which again takes place across the country.

To most outside of Japan Niseko is known as a ski resort town that supplies the worlds powder hungry skiers and boarders with yearly nourishment. Within Japan it is known for that and its other seasonal attractions such as rafting in the spring and hiking in the summer. Its abundance of trees and forest also makes it a mecca for the viewing of Autumn colours, colours which transform the landscape setting the rolling hills and mountains ablaze with rich colour.

Just Rewards

This is of course no secret and there’s nothing like a stunning natural attraction combined with a public holiday to draw a crowd in Japan. From 9.00 clock in the morning all roads from Sapporo leading to prime viewing areas such as Hohekio Damn, Nakayama Toge and Niseko were jam packed with traffic. The Sapporo to Niseko route usually takes between 1 and a half to 2 hours however over sports day weekend it took up to 5 hours! However if one did make it through the traffic they were justly rewarded by the gorgeous reds of maple leaves and endless acres of various yellows and browns that smothered the hillsides.

In Japan the change of seasons are strongly marked both environmentally and socially. Summer brings warm weather, lush greenery, beer festivals, parasols and fresh corn. Autumn brings chestnuts, dragon flies, salmon and rich color to the forest. We invite you to join us as this blog journeys through seasonal Japan and more. We’ll take you to places to see, places to be, places to eat and places to ski. Right now its is Autumn the weather is beginning to cool and soon the air here in Hokkaido will become beautifully clear and speckled with dragon flies, the hills will change color and the Salmon have already begun to run. What more fitting way to celebrate the beginning of Autumn and a new blog than buy opening a crisp Autumn beer, here it is, 3 Cheers.