拿坡里義大利麵 / Napolitan spaghetti

拿坡里義大利麵是日本的代表融合料理。是咖啡廳和餐廳的經典菜色。將煮好的義大利麵和洋蔥、青椒、火腿等用番茄醬一起翻炒。依照喜好灑上塔巴斯克辣醬和起司粉來吃。在義大利一般來說不會在義大利麵上用番茄醬。名字的由來有諸多說法，但和南義大利的港都拿坡里沒有半點關係。

Napolitan is one of the most popular fusion dishes in Japan, seen on menus at cafes and restaurants, as well as in the home. Boiled spaghetti is stir-fried, mainly with onion, green pepper or ham and flavored with ketchup. Some restaurants put boiled noodles in the refrigerator overnight and cook to order the next day. Some prefer using tabasco and cheese to flavor it. In Italy, generally speaking, ketchup is never used for any pasta, including spaghetti. There are some stories as to why the name is Napolitan, reminiscent of the port town in the southern part of Italy, Napoli. However, there’s no substance to any of them.

火山展望地・大島亮吉紀念碑 / The Monument of Oshima Ryokichi

火山展望地・大島亮吉紀念碑（位於鹿追町） 位在國道274號沿線上。位在從道路休息站「URIMAKU」往士幌町方向約2公里的地方。在落葉松防風林的後面可以看到東・西NUPUKAUSHINUPURI（阿伊努語當中意味聳立在平原當中的山）的兩座山峰。在沒有遮蔽物的十勝平原上只要吹強風就會塵土飛揚。防風林和廣大的田野就是鹿追的代表風景。

The Monument of Oshima Ryokichi (Shikaoi Town) is also famed as a viewpoint of mountains, with car parking and and an information board. It is located on route 274, approximately two kilometers away from the road station, Urimaku, when driving toward Shihoro Town. Higashi (east) and Nishi (west) Nupukaushinupuri are two mountains; and the name means high mountains on the plain in Ainu language. From this vantage point, a horizontal belt of Japanese larch can be seen over the vast field. This line of trees was planted to prevent strong winds from turning the agricultural fields into dust bowls. The view is typical in the town.

砂川高速公路綠洲 / Sunagawa Highway Oasis

砂川高速公路綠洲（位於砂川市）是付費高速公路的砂川服務區，也可以從一般道路的國道12號開進去服務區。是如同規模比較大的道路休息站般的商業設施。有許多餐廳和商店因許多人而十分熱鬧。也相鄰大型的公園和露營場。也有很多小孩子玩的遊樂設施廣場。

Sunagawa Highway Oasis (Sunagawa City) is a roadside rest stop. It’s not registered as a road station but it’s like a large road station nevertheless. It’s accessible from both the Do-o Expressway toll road and route 12, which isn’t a paid road. It houses restaurants and shops, and a lot of people visit to take a rest from the road, or even as a destination for a day trip. There is a big park with a camping site and a playground in natural surroundings for kids. The playground is called Kodomo-no Kuni, which stands for country of children.

在日本報導備受矚目的新聞4 / Some news out of Japan which might bring some relief for the Corona Virus panic 4

北海道因為是日本最初新型冠狀病毒的市內感染而受到矚目。2月14日出現被認為在2月上旬的札幌雪祭會場受到感染的男性患者。直至今日，現今雖然在北海道的患者人數有增加，但痊癒的人數也持續增加。至今沒有發生重病患者集中到醫院造成醫療體系崩壞的情況。

Now for some news out of Japan which might bring some relief for the Corona Virus panic

Hokkaido was in the spotlight for Japanese people at the early stage of the Covid-19 outbreak’s patient cluster map. This resulted from the first patient turning up on February 14th after seemingly contracting the virus at the Sapporo Snow Festival which was held in the beginning of February. He hadn’t been to China and no acquaintances related to him had traveled in China either. After that, the number of patients increased both in Hokkaido and Japan-wide. That being said, it has not been dramatic thus far, and the death toll hasn’t skyrocketed like in less fortunate parts of the globe. At the moment, Japan isn’t seeing a collapse of medical services.

Hokkaido Travel Tips has been able to gather news which might ease fears about the ongoing Corona Virus crisis from different recent media in Japan.

在日本報導備受矚目的新聞3 / Some news out of Japan which might bring some relief for the Corona Virus panic 3

在日本報導備受矚目的新聞3

北海道的鈴木直道知事於3月19日宣佈解除從2月28日所發布的緊急事態宣言。社會活動的自我約束雖然達到3週以上，但斷定為避免了爆發性的擴大感染。他主張如持續進行預防感冒等健康管理，也可以進行一般的社交生活。被描述立定了能兩全防止感染擴大和社會活動•經濟活動的「北海道範例」。

Now for some news out of Japan which might bring some relief for the Corona Virus panic

On March 19, Suzuki Naomichi, the governor of Hokkaido, called off the proclamation of a state of emergency which he declared on February 28th. The announcement, which was in effect for three weeks, instructed Hokkaido residents not to hold parties or events where people gathered. Also, all schools were required to close. He decided to call it off because the pattern of expanding numbers of Covid-19 patients seemed to have passed its peak. He added that we should keep being careful not to get a cold and return to our normal lives. Naming it the ‘Hokkaido Success Case’, he announced that the Hokkaido Government would continue to pursue it.

Hokkaido Travel Tips has been able to gather news which might ease fears about the ongoing Corona Virus crisis from different recent media in Japan.

在日本報導備受矚目的新聞2 / Some news out of Japan which might bring some relief for the Corona Virus panic 2

在日本報導備受矚目的新聞2

中國科技技術部在3月17日時，發表了針對新型冠狀病毒的治療藥，日本富士底片的附屬企業所開發的抗流感藥物「Avigan」（法匹拉韋、Favipiravir）的有效性。在武漢市和深圳市的醫院以200名患者為對象進行臨床試驗，據稱用藥的患者在短時間內從陽性轉為陰性並且肺炎症狀等也有改善。

https://zh.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/法匹拉韦

The Ministry of Science and Technology in China announced on March 17th that Avigan tablets worked quite well as a medicine against Covid-19. Originally, Avigan, or Favipiravir, is amedicine approved for influenza, created and developed by a Japanese company - a division of the Fuji Film Corporation group. The clinical test research was held in Wuhan city in Hubei Province, the center of this pandemic, and in Shenzhen city in Canton Province. Of the 200 clinic trial patients, the group taking Avigan showed negative results earlier than the control group. The former also experienced alleviation of pneumonia symptoms.

Now for some news out of Japan which might bring some relief for the Corona Virus panic

Hokkaido Travel Tips has been able to gather news which might ease fears about the ongoing Corona Virus crisis from different recent media in Japan.

拉麵沙拉 / Ramen Salad

拉麵沙拉是發祥於北海道的沙拉，也是在地菜色。將各式各樣的配料和拉麵的麵條組合後淋上調味醬汁。是北海道居酒屋的經典菜色之一。在家庭中或學校供餐也會製作。現今一般的說法是札幌格蘭酒店的啤酒館「Big Jug」於1985年時將拉麵沙拉放入菜單中後傳播開的。拉麵沙拉跟中華涼麵是不同的料理。

Ramen Salad is one of the most famous local dishes in Hokkaido, and is unable to be found on menus in other parts of Japan. A variety of toppings like lettuce or boiled egg are used, served over cold ramen noodles. It is traditionally dressed with sauce immediately prior to eating. At izakaya restaurants in Hokkaido, this is typical fare. It’s also served for school lunches and is a favorite in the home. It’s widely recognized that's its origin is Big Jug, a restaurant, in Sapporo Grand Hotel, created this in 1985 and it since grew in fame. Ramen Salad is different from Hiyashi Chuuka, which is ramen noodles in cold soup or sauce.

The Big Jug’s ramen salad from their website 

and the other photo below is from Wikipedia