Hokkaido Roadside Station Stamp Rally Day 7 (5/18)

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Speaking of spring, yes, that thing

About 20 years ago, cherry blossoms in Hokkaido meant after Golden Week.
Recently, they've been blooming earlier and earlier, so if you try to see them after Golden Week,
you end up seeing late-blooming cherry blossoms.
At this time of year, as we approach the end of May,
speaking of spring, it's that thing.

Yes, as you all know, it's Sakura Miku.

So, I'm heading out to see the Hakodate side of the Hirohako collaboration featuring Sakura Miku, which is a collaboration between Hirosaki and Hakodate.

I also plan to collect stamps for the Roadside Station Stamp Rally while I'm at it.

1st Station: 'Tekkui Land Taisei'

First, I'm aiming for the roadside station located in Setana Town (formerly Taisei Town).
On the way, I'll be skipping the roadside stations in Nakayama Pass, Makkari Village, and Toyoura Town entirely lol.
They aren't open, so I can't get the stamps.
I think it's fine to stop by for a restroom break, though.

So, I'm charging in to match the opening time of the Taisei roadside station.
There's a beach and it seems there are showers, but
I've never been here in the summer.
There might be a restaurant or something, but I've never been here when it's open.
The shop is small, but the lady working there is nice.

I sometimes buy Abalone Monaka to take home.
It's delicious.

2nd Station: 'Route 229 Motowadai'

Next is the roadside station in Otobe Town.
This shop also feels quite small.
I usually come here in the evening, but
this time it's early in the morning lol.
It's all about timing.

3rd Station: 'Assabu'

The national highway from Otobe to Esashi is closed due to natural disaster recovery work.
So, I'm going through the Atsusabu Town roadside station as part of my detour.
The Atsusabu roadside station has cream cheese soft-serve ice cream.
I'm skipping it this time, but it was delicious when I had it before.
They have a nice-looking restaurant and such.
Though I've never eaten there lol.

4th Station: 'Esashi'

Next is the roadside station in Esashi Town.
It's said to be the smallest roadside station in Japan.
Well, I forgot to take a picture, yeah.
Seriously, take a picture already, me...
It's like a time attack, so I end up forgetting things.

5th Station: Kaminokuni Monju

Well, everyone, thank you for waiting.
Or maybe you weren't waiting, but thank you for waiting anyway.
This is today's lunch.
I'll be having lunch at the Kaminokuni Town roadside station.
I adjusted my schedule just to eat here.

It has six kinds of toppings, plus salmon roe on top.
It's a treasure chest of happiness!
The 'tekkui' tempura bowl and 'tekkui' bowl are also very delicious.
Apparently, 'tekkui' refers to a flounder so big it could bite your hand off.

6th Station: Kitamaebune Matsumae

This is the Matsumae Town roadside station.
If you come during cherry blossom season, the blossoms are amazing.
Since there are many types of cherry blossoms, from early-blooming to late-blooming,
it's great that you can enjoy them for a long time.
I'm not stopping for cherry blossoms today, lol.

Matsumae Town has delicious things like 'nori dandan' (layered seaweed rice),
so it's a good place to eat as well.
For 'nori dandan,' I think Yano-san is a good place to go.

7th Station: Yokozuna no Sato Fukushima

Fukushima Town is the birthplace of former Yokozuna Chiyonofuji.
This roadside station has a collaboration because of that connection.

They sell collaboration merchandise inside the station.
Also, they serve soft-serve ice cream.

8th Station: Shiriuchi

I've come all the way to Hakodate...
So, this is Shiriuchi Town, the birthplace of Sabu-chan.
This roadside station has an observation deck.
If you're lucky and have the time, you can take a photo of a freight train and a Shinkansen together.
I don't have the time today, so I'll just get the stamp.

9th Station: Misogi no Sato Kikonai

This will likely be the last roadside station for today.
It is the Kikonai Town roadside station.
I wondered what 'misogi' was, so I asked an AI,
and it turns out there is a 'Kanchu Misogi Festival' (midwinter purification festival).
It is one of the two Shinkansen stops in Hokkaido as of 2025.
The roadside station is quite impressive to match that.
They have salt soft-serve ice cream, which I ate last year,
and it was delicious.

These salt breads are a convenient size and can be eaten like a snack.
I usually buy them when I come here,
but if you get the timing wrong, the lines are insane.
The sausage bread is also good.

From here on, it's Sakura Miku.

I'll leave the roadside stations at that for now,
and go chase after the Sakura Miku spots in Hakodate City.

They even have a stand set up for placing plushies for photos.
As expected, lol.

Hakodate Park is nice because it even has something like a mini zoo.

You can also get an 'Onsen Stamp' for day-trip bathing.
They have past stamps available too, so it's great that you can still collect them even if you missed out before.

I successfully visited all locations and got the card.
They do collaborations like this for Snow Miku as well,
so I think it's worth checking out if you feel like it.

5/18: 9 stations

Now that I've enjoyed the Sakura Miku spots, I'm heading home.

If I hadn't spent time on Sakura Miku, I could have visited the Shikabe area too,
but Sakura Miku is cute, so it can't be helped.
I'll go to that area another time.

Achievement status as of 5/18: [51/129], 78 stations remaining.

Click here for the next part (Day 8)