---
title: Hokkaido dialect
url: https://karigurashijourney.com/en/notes/hokkaido-dialect/
lang: en
journey: https://karigurashijourney.com/en/episodes/hokkaido/
---

# Hokkaido dialect

A little of each town’s story　/　Noboribetsu, Hokkaido

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.

## 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.

![Eating the seafood bowl at a table by the window](https://karigurashijourney.com/img/hokkaido/s29-1200.jpg)
- Sources: https://livejapan.com/ja/in-hokkaido/in-pref-hokkaido/in-sapporo_chitose/article-a1000402/

Read this scene in the full journey: https://karigurashijourney.com/en/episodes/hokkaido/