YAKISOBA屋 / Yakisobaya

YAKISOBA屋（炒麵專賣店，位於札幌市中央區）是歷經數十年間填飽札幌市民胃袋的大眾食堂。中午休息時間的上班族，以及傍晚時稍微填飽肚子的學生族們很顯眼。這家店的宗旨是「快速、大份量、好吃」，因此點餐後炒麵很快就做好端出來。可以選擇喜好的份量。最小份是中盤（1團麵）330日圓。最大份的是12團麵1280日圓。

Yakisobaya (Sapporo City Chuo-ku) is a specialist fried noodle shop. Yakisoba means fried noodles, and Ya stands for shop. This is a casual place to have a meal. At lunch time, office workers (mainly men) line up for a quick bite, and in the evening, teenagers enjoy it as a place to hang out over a snack. The key concept of this shop is ‘reasonable price, quick service, generous size, and good taste.’ The fried noodle dishes are served immediately upon ordering. A customer selects their desired volume, and the price varies. The regular option is 330 yen for one portion, with biggest at 1280 yen for 12 portions.

本膳料理 / Honzen Ryori

本膳料理是武士（武家）登場的中世紀所發展的日本料理的形式。在招待客人的時候可以品嚐到。基本上有本膳（主要的膳食，一湯三菜），二之膳（一湯一菜），三之膳（一湯一菜）合計為三湯五菜。是現在家庭料理中常見的和食（一汁三菜）的原型。現今在料亭或是溫泉旅館的房間內享用晚餐時可以吃到本膳料理。特徵是一點一點少量上菜。

Honzen Ryori is an important style of Japanese cuisine which consists of many small dishes. Originally started and developed among the samurai warrior class in the medieval ages, it was mainly for welcoming guests. In Honzen Ryori, three small dining courses are served on legged tables. The first is called Honzen, and consists of a bowl of rice, a soup, and three side dishes. Ni-no Zen, meaning the second table, and San-no Zen, or the third table are then served. Each consists of one soup and one side dish. Genuine traditional style can now only be seen at high class restaurants or Onsen hotels.

Esukaroppu

「Esukaroppu」是根室地區以及根室市的當地菜色。在番茄醬炒飯或著是奶油炒飯上面放上豬排，淋上多明格拉斯醬汁的料理。在1963年時，由西洋料理餐廳「蒙布朗」的主廚所創造出的料理。因為受到歡迎而漸漸普及。Escalop語源由法文而來，意謂著切薄片的肉片，使用比炸豬排還要薄的豬肉片。

Esukaroppu is a local dish of Nemuro City in the Nemuro District. Tonkatsu, which is Japanese pork cutlet, is set on butter or ketchup-flavored fried rice. There are two types of this dish. Demi-glace (type of brown sauce) is poured over. In the early 1960s, a cook who was working for the western style restaurant ‘Mont Blanc’ created it. It then grew very popular, and spread throughout the city. The name originates from the French ‘escalope’, which means thin pork in English. Actually, relatively thin pork is used for Tonkatsu of Esukaroppu. This is another example of fusion cuisine.

Torimeshi

「TORIMESI」是空知地區·美唄市的著名料理。「TORI」日語意思是雞肉，「MESI」日語是米的意思。使用醬油、砂糖、酒來調味的雞肉的炊飯。起源是農家的家常料理。19世紀末，來美唄開拓的人們為了生計而開始養雞。在客人前來時作為招待菜色而吃的到。現今除了市內數家餐廳可以品嚐到之外，在超市的便當賣場也買的到。

Torimeshi is a local dish of Bibai City in Sorachi District. Tori means chicken and Meshi stands for rice. Simply saying, torimeshi is boiled rice seasoned with soy sauce and sake, and cooked with chicken fillet and edible offal. The origin of this dish is in home cooking of yesteryear farms. In the late 19th century, those who cultivated the land raised fowls for a secondary income stream. They cooked their chickens when they entertained guests or had parties. Now, some restaurants in the city serve their own torimeshi, or you can find in the bento section of supermarkets.

銀喉長尾山雀 / Shima Enaga

銀喉長尾山雀是長尾山雀的亞種，只棲息在北海道。全身雪白，蓬鬆羽毛的身體非常的嬌小，即使加上長長的尾巴也只有14公分長。圓滾滾的黑眼睛十分可愛。在2013年到2014年之間透過Twitter來擴散它可愛身姿，變得很有名。至今被稱呼為「雪上妖精」仍很受歡迎。受到攝影愛好者的喜愛。

Shima Enaga is a subspecies of the long-tailed tit (Enaga in Japanese) which lives only in Hokkaido. It’s quite a small bird, at about 14 centimeters (which includes a long tail,) with small black eyes like two dots. Its feathers are white and puffy, and its round body is like a small white ball. In Japan, some photos of the Shima Enaga went kind of viral on Twitter in 2013 or 2014, and the bird gained fame. Since then, it has been very popular, especially for ornithologists and photography enthusiasts. Some people call it the sprite of snow. It can be seen in forest environments.

塘路湖 / Lake Touro

塘路湖（位於標茶町）是位在釧路濕原國立公園內的淡水湖。名字的由來是從阿伊努語的TO-・ORO。TO-是「湖泊」，ORO則是「地點」的意思。周遭地區被指定為鳥獸保護區，也可以看到白尾鷹和蒼鷺等珍貴的鳥類。冬季時湖面會結冰。在冰上也可以釣公魚（在冰上開個小洞並垂下釣餌來釣魚）。

Lake Touro (Shibecha Town) is a freshwater lake in Kushiro-Shitsugen National Park. The name originates from a word from the Ainu language; Toh means a lake and Oro means a place. The lake itself and the surrounding area are designated as a wildlife sanctuary. Various birds, such as the white-tailed eagle and grey heron have made their homes there. The white-tailed eagle is on the red list of endangered animals. In winter, the surface of the lake freezes, and fishing for wakasagi (pond smells) becomes a popular activity. A hole is drilled through the ice, enabling a fishing line to be suspended into the water below.

小規模的藝廊 / Small art gallerie

札幌有許多小規模的藝廊。有各式各樣型態的藝廊，例如兼營咖啡廳的藝廊，使用租借房間的藝廊，利用大樓或企業辦公事空出空間的藝廊等。一年當中都可以觀賞得到北海道內的藝術家的個展或是團體展覽。札幌市的官方網站上發布有位於市內的藝廊名單。

There are a lot of small art galleries in Sapporo. Some are located in coffee shops, some are rental rooms for artists to use, while some are located in free or available space in buildings. Private exhibitions and artists group exhibitions are held anywhere, anytime, throughout the year. The official website of Sapporo City shows a list of galleries. Almost all galleries are free, but visitors are kindly asked to have a drink at the coffee shop to support the host. There are more than 70 art galleries in Chuo-ku, which is the central area of Sapporo.

Here is the webpage but only Japanese language 

http://www.city.sapporo.jp/…/gal…/gallery/sisetu_itiran.html

小鳥的廣場 / Kotori-no Hiroba

「小鳥的廣場」位在大通的地下商店街的極光之城裡面。在玻璃帷幕的空間中飼養著15隻虎皮鸚鵡。逛街途中停下來休息的些許時間，也有不少成年人和一邊發出歡呼聲一邊觀察的小孩子。鸚鵡是從1971年地下街開幕以來一直存在著。不僅是札幌市民，也很推薦作為外國觀光客的會合地點。

Kotori-no Hiroba, which literally means the square of little birds, is in Aurora Town, which is an underground shopping arcade in Odori. A glass enclosure which houses approximately 15 budgerigars is situated in a relatively eastern section of Aurora Town. Adults can be seen to enjoy watching the birds as a sort of relaxation, while children enjoy watching them with shouts of excitement. This spot was established at the same time as Aurora Town opened in 1971. This is a good meeting point for international tourists, much like for Sapporo locals, because it’s easy to find.

高湯 / Dashi

日本料理的特徵之一就是使用高湯。經常使用含有肌苷酸的鰹魚節，含有谷氨酸的海藻，含有鳥苷酸的乾香菇。高湯的製作因為很費工，家庭中經常使用的是即食食品的高湯。煮完高湯的昆布和鰹魚節也可以做佃煮（甜鹹口味的煮物）。精進料理則是使用黃豆的高湯。北海道是昆布的一大產地。

One of the features of Japanese cuisine is the use of Dashi (soup stock). There are several types of dashi. Famous examples include dried bonito (Katsuobushi) containing inosinic acid, kelp (kombu) containing glutamic acid and dried Japanese mushroom (Kanso Shiitake) containing guanylic acid. It takes time to make dashi from scratch, so most people prefer using instant dashi products at home. Common types of dashi-packs are like teabags, granulated, powdered or liquid type. Unused dried bonito or kelp are reused to make other food, like tsukudani and furikake. For vegetarian, soy beans are used for dashi. Hokkaido is the biggest production place for kelp in Japan.

料理的SaShiSuSeSo / Cuisine’s 'Sa Shi Su Se So'

「料理的SaShiSuSeSo」是指在和食上常使用的調味料，使用的順序則配合日文的平假名Sa行的雙關語。和食調味的基本為砂糖(發音SATOU)、鹽（發音SHIO）、酢（發音SU）、醬油（昔日的日語發音為SEUYU，現今則是發音為SYOUYU）、味增（發音為MISO）。甜味較難浸透於食材中因此砂糖要早點放，發酵食品的味增則是盡量不要過熱而最後才放等顯現出智慧的雙關語。

Cuisine’s 'Sa Shi Su Se So' is a special term to represent important food additives and their suggested order of use. Actually, “Sa Shi Su Se So” is a line in hiragana, which are Japan’s hieroglyphics letters. Sa stands for Satou (sugar), Shi for Shio (salt), Su for Su (vinegar), Se for Seuyu (soy sauce; Seuyu is an old written word, instead Shoyu), and So for Miso, respectively. It takes time for ingredients to absorb the sweet taste, so sugar shall be added earlier than other additives. Also, miso is fermented and it shall be put in last.

日本的筷子 / Chopsticks

日本的筷子有幾點特徵。典型的特徵有在短的木材上塗上漆等塗料，擁有獨特的光澤。只有單根筷子比較細長是為了容易食用帶骨的魚肉而設計。許多家庭有決定每個人分別專用的筷子。作為單次使用的筷子，也有竹製或是木製的一次性筷子。也充分活用間伐材來製作筷子。北海道森林的間伐材也被再利用。

Chopsticks are used in many countries in Asia. The culture of chopsticks in Japan has several distinguishing features. Japanese chopsticks are made of wood or bamboo, and coated with Urushi (Japanese lacquer), so their beautiful designs are regarded as craft or pieces of art. The reason for being slightly sharpened on one side is to eat fish which has bones. In a typical Japanese family, each person has their own set of chopsticks. Moreover, Waribashi (splittable, single-use chopsticks) are used sometimes. Thinned wood from waste material are used to make them. Hokkaido wood also contributes this recycling wood source, so your waribashi may well be homegrown.

2019 札幌雪祭小雪像 / 2019 Sapporo Snow Festival Small snow sculptures

2019 札幌雪祭小雪像

2019 Sapporo Snow Festival Small snow sculptures

第70屆的札幌雪祭的市民雪雕比賽有80座。跟往年一樣，成為話題的人物和角色登場了。吸引目光的雪雕有大坂NAOMI（2019年2月至今，為世界排名第一的職業女網球選手。），小丸子（2018年去世的漫畫家-櫻桃子的代表作品的主人公），CHIKO醬（NHK的著名節目的角色）。

At the Odori Site of the 2019 Sapporo Snow Festival, 80 small snow sculptures are made by teams drawn by ballot. Every year, some teams use the most memorable people or things from the year as themes. This year, a snow bust of Naomi Osaka, a professional tennis player and No. 1 in the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) rankings, as of February in 2019 was seen. Also, Chibi Maruko, the main character of the manga “Chibi Maruko Chan”, created by Momoko Sakura, was created by a number of artists. Momoko Sakura passed away in 2018. Moreover, Chiko Chan, a popular character in a TV program of NHK, Japan Broadcasting Corporation, could seen.

許多的融合料理 / Fusion cuisines in Japan

和食料理中有許多的融合料理。代表的菜色有拿波里義大利麵、咖哩飯、拉麵，拉麵更是其中的代表菜色。主要是在19世紀以後，世界各地的各種料理會改良成和風口味並且普及。另一方面，也有使用酪梨的卷壽司等在海外被改良的和食，至今在日本也看得到。在北海道的特產中也可以看到融合料理。

In Japanese cuisine, there are many fusion cuisines. Neapolitan spaghetti, for example, uses ketchup while the authentic Italian dish doesn't. Curry rice in Japan is made of curry roux, and ramen was created in Japan mimicking a noodle soup from China. After the 19th century, many dishes have been introduced in Japan, and arranged to match Japanese peoples' favorite tastes. On the other hand, sushi using avocado is not authentic in Japanese cuisine, but was created overseas. However, now it has made it's way 'home,' and can be found in Japan. Included in Hokkaido’s local specialties are many fusion cuisines from all over the world.

節分 / Setsubun

「節分」是為了表示季節交替而設置的節氣之一。具體是指立春、立夏、立秋、立冬的前一日，意味著「季節交替的界線」。然而在立春的前一日的節分最為重要，為了要避邪，日本的習俗上會撒豆子。一邊喊著「鬼在外、福在內」一邊在家裡面撒豆子。並且吃下和年齡相同數量的豆子。

Setsubun is a day in the traditional Japanese calendar, recognizing the feeling of changes of seasons. Setsubun is one day before the first day of each new season - Risshun (one day before spring) and Rikka, Risshu, and Rittou for summer, autumn and winter respectively. Setsubun stands for dividing seasons in kanji. Recently, Setsubun has been celebrated only in spring. Typically, it’s on February 3, and Risshun is February 4. To drive away evil spirits, beans are thrown towards windows or doors in one's home, saying “Oniwa Soto Fukuwa Uchi”, go away demon and happiness is ensured. Eating the same number of beans as one's age is believed to be fortuitous.

會席 / Kaiseki Ryori

「會席」是日本料理形式的一種。為了區別同樣日語發音（漢字寫法不同）的「懷石」，也被稱作會席料理。會席料理就是宴會或是晚宴的套餐料理。也有另一面是可以和美酒一起享用的料理。懷石（茶懷石）是最初就上米飯和湯品，會席料理則是套餐的最後才上米飯和湯品。可以在料亭或是溫泉地的料理旅館品嚐到會席料理。

Kaiseki has two meanings in Japanese cuisine. Because of different kanji characters, Japanese can see the difference easily. Kaiseki as a banquet is sometimes called Kaiseki Ryori, in order to distinguish it from another Kaiseki (Cha Kaiseki), which is a part of a tea ceremony, and over time has morphed into to a light meal course menu. Kaiseki Ryori is a party menu consisting of many dishes. Basically, Kaiseki Ryori allows eaters to enjoy drinking Japanese sake. The big difference with Cha Kaiseki is the order of serving rice and soup. In Kaiseki Ryori, it’s served at the end of the course.