Three Hokkaido words from this episode's narration: namara means "very"; shibareru means freezing cold; and shitakke means "well then" or "so," and also serves as a casual goodbye.
Sources: livejapan.com
This moment in the journey
A seafood bowl at the supermarket
Breakfast was a seafood rice bowl at the eat-in corner of the town supermarket. Banners for seafood and soba lined the entrance, with a sign for the dining area.
In a black bowl: sea urchin, salmon roe, scallop, salmon and sweet shrimp. Every topping was fresh and, as they say here, namara good. Namara is Hokkaido dialect for "very." I ate slowly at a table by the window, with a bowl of soup. Only in Hokkaido can a neighborhood supermarket serve a bowl like this.
Watch this scene on YouTube1:18
More notes from this journey
Noboribetsu, Hokkaido
Nabeyaki udon
A tribute to the nabeyaki udon in Studio Ghibli's 1995 film "Whisper of the Heart" (directed by Yoshifumi Kondo), which the owner of the antique shop Chikyuya s…
From: Below freezing outside, a fireplace within
Noboribetsu, Hokkaido
Fried chika
Chika is a sea-dwelling smelt of the same genus as wakasagi, common along the Hokkaido coast.
From: Below freezing outside, a fireplace within
Noboribetsu, Hokkaido
Zangi
Fried chicken eaten all over Hokkaido.
From: Below freezing outside, a fireplace within
Noboribetsu, Hokkaido
Wakasagi and ice fishing
Wakasagi is a smelt about 10 centimeters long; in Hokkaido it is also called chika locally.
From: Below freezing outside, a fireplace within
Noboribetsu, Hokkaido
Soda Shokudo
A neighborhood diner in the town of Noboribetsu.
From: Below freezing outside, a fireplace within
Noboribetsu, Hokkaido
Kani Goten
A red building on Route 36 with a bear and a salmon on its roof, housing a seafood restaurant and a seafood shop.
From: Below freezing outside, a fireplace within