The time I first landed in Tokachi

I would like to write about the time I first visited Tokachi.
While traveling to many different places, why was it that only Tokachi captivated me in such a special way?
It will be a long story, but I will introduce it with specific episodes.
※For the background, please see the article "About Me".

The Obihiro flight with plenty of empty seats?

The trigger for my first landing in Tokachi was JAL's "Dokoka ni Mile" (Mileage to Somewhere).
It is a system like a mystery tour version of a flight, where you can go to one of four candidate destinations with a small amount of miles; in short, it is a way to fill up empty seats as much as possible.

I have used Dokoka ni Mile many times, and Obihiro is an airport that is often listed as a candidate destination (= meaning there are empty seats).
Thinking that I had a fateful encounter with Tokachi thanks to that, I am truly lucky. I am glad the Obihiro flight had empty seats!

Once my first trip to Obihiro Airport, the gateway to Tokachi, was confirmed, I started by researching recommended local spots and summarizing them into an itinerary.

Looking at this, I might look like a planned person.
…But, absolutely not!
I am originally a person who is bad at making plans and leaves things to chance.

The reason I make plans even though I am not a planner

The reason I had to make a plan was simple.
Because I could not drive a car.

Although I drive around a lot now that I live in Tokachi, I was a paper driver at the time and had almost no driving experience, so my husband told me that the condition for allowing me to travel alone was "no driving cars."
Therefore, I had to head to my destination by connecting public transportation and taxis.

Unlike Tokyo, where you can go anywhere by train, many regional cities have limited bus and train services. Also, in areas without buses or trains, you use taxis, so taxi fares are very expensive.

That is precisely why I worked hard to research what public transportation could be used and how frequent the services were in advance, reflecting them in my itinerary to keep taxi costs to a minimum.

I created this itinerary every time I traveled with Dokoka ni Mile, but as I got used to it, it gradually became fun to assemble, and now I am good at planning trips!

"Want a ride?" by the bus driver

Well, the trip to Obihiro began according to this itinerary.
The first time I felt a sense of welcome in Obihiro was during an interaction with a bus driver.

When I travel to a place for the first time, I try to visit the local shrine to pay my respects. "I am happy to have been able to come to this land. Please protect me on my journey."

The first thing I did in Obihiro was to visit Obihiro Shrine. However, there were no buses or trains that could go directly from the airport to the shrine.

When I checked in advance, it turned out that the final stop of the hotel loop bus from the airport was close to the shrine. I decided to try taking this bus to get at least close to it.

When I got off at the final stop, I asked the driver, "How long does it take to walk from here to Obihiro Shrine?"

Then, this was the answer.
"Huh? You're walking to the shrine? It's quite a distance, you know? Oh, I see. You came from Tokyo. Then you wouldn't know the distance. Want to stay on? I'll pass near the shrine on the way to the garage, so I can secretly give you a ride."

Once I actually got a ride, it was indeed quite a distance to walk, so it was a huge help. But I realized this is something that would never happen in Tokyo.

It might have been against the rules for the bus company, but this encounter, which was my first contact with a Tokachi local, fostered a sense of welcome and made my subsequent travels in Tokachi feel 30% more charming.
To the driver back then, thank you!

"This is delicious, you should try it!" by a stranger in the next seat

The next place where I felt welcomed was "Kita no Yatai", a street lined with 20 small hut-style shops. It is a representative food stall street in Obihiro at night, and it is used daily by the locals.

The inside of the shops is narrow, with a single U-shaped counter. The staff works efficiently in the center. Customers also sit close enough to touch elbows with the person next to them.

I wandered into a shop without much thought and was able to sit down because there was exactly one seat open.
As I ordered a drink and looked at the menu...
"Where are you from?" a gentleman next to me asked. (Tokachi locals can spot an outsider immediately.)

"I'm from Tokyo. This is my first time in Obihiro."
"There's nothing to see in Obihiro, so it's great you came all this way! You should try this, it's delicious!"

The gentleman, who was there with his wife, suddenly offered me the food he had ordered. He seemed to be a regular, and he continued to recommend dishes from the menu on his own initiative.

As I was talking with the gentleman and his wife, the customer sitting on my other side joined the conversation, and the shop staff would also chime in while they were working.
I was very happy with the homey atmosphere that only a small shop can provide, where you can naturally fit in even if you go alone.

I don't dislike this kind of thing. In fact, I love it!

"I'm sorry it's just me..." by someone who looked like a manager in General Affairs

The third sense of welcome was at the Yotsuba Milk Products factory tour.

Yotsuba Milk Products is a milk and dairy manufacturer that originated in Tokachi.
They have a large factory in a town next to Obihiro City, and although it is limited to weekdays, you can participate in a factory tour.

On the day I participated in the tour, the female guide was off, so a gentleman from the General Affairs department (probably a section manager level) guided us instead.

Having previously been in charge of guided tours at a theme park, I tend to be concerned about the hospitality of the guide in such experience tours, not to mention the content of the explanation.

At the start of the tour, I rudely wondered if I would be able to enjoy the tour with a gentleman who didn't seem used to guiding.
However, his handling of the tour was wonderful.

In addition to the basic guidance during the tour, he answered every question accurately and even added extra information. He was also adept at handling more in-depth questions.

Wow, this guy is amazing.
Even I, with my critical eye (?) for guided tours, was very satisfied with his hospitality-filled service.

And yet, when he said apologetically at the end of the tour, "I'm sorry it's just me, when there should be a proper guide...", I felt like, "No, no, I actually feel like I got a rare card and came out ahead. Thank you!"

By the way, I asked that gentleman, 'What is your top recommendation from Yotsuba Milk Products?' and when I tried the fermented butter he suggested, it was so mellow and delicious that I still use it today.

The shock of just having cheese on a potato!

When it comes to food, Tokachi is truly Japan's food production base!
Everything I ate during my stay was delicious, but what impressed me most was the steamed potato with raclette cheese I had at Michi-no-Eki Garden Spa Tokachigawa Onsen. (The tenants have changed since then, so that menu might not be available anymore.)

As you can see in the photo, it's just cheese on a steamed potato, but first of all, the potato is sweet! It was a deliciousness I had never experienced before! I thought, 'Is this really a potato?'
And the saltiness of the gooey, stretchy raclette cheese was wonderful! I almost thought about ordering seconds.

Come to think of it, the french fries I ate at the Kita no Yatai food stalls after being recommended by the gentleman next to me were also in a different league from what I eat in Tokyo. I was surprised at how much the flavor differs when the ingredients themselves are different, even for something like french fries.

Perhaps it was because the dish was simple that I could feel the difference in the ingredients. And it was cheap, too!
For potato lovers, Tokachi is like heaven.

Everyone is just so kind!!

In this way, I was moved by the kind and warm hospitality I received all over Tokachi, enjoyed food so delicious it was shocking, and returned to Tokyo feeling completely satisfied.

I have enjoyed interacting with people and eating in every region I have traveled to with 'Dokoka ni Mile,' but my experience in Tokachi had something different that really touched my heart.
Perhaps I felt the depth of the Tokachi people's hearts, who warmly welcome outsiders even during a short trip.

This experience during my first visit made me want to know more about Tokachi, which led to me starting to travel back and forth from Tokyo to Tokachi, eventually leading to me living in two locations.

Thank you for reading this long post!