つなぎ - Kitaakita

I stopped by on the day of the Amecco Festival. They were selling hojoko candy made with hojoko from Kami-Konai. I was looking forward to trying it as it looked delicious. Nearby, there were about five big swans resting their wings in the small river. It was lucky to be able to see the swans. They had a variety of rare foods lined up and I highly recommend it. The edible hojoko has a yellow skin with a texture similar to tomatoes and a sweet taste similar to papaya. I also enjoyed the freshly made yamabuki manju. They were selling a liquid to repel bears, which I had never seen before.

The souvenir shop was well-stocked and the restroom was clean. There were also wooden carvings that were fun to look at. I tried the "Highland Milk Soft Serve Ice Cream" and it was incredibly rich and delicious. I heard there's a self-driving electric car tour in Kami-Konai, which sounds interesting. If I have the chance, I would like to give it a try.

The restaurant is currently under renovation (as of October 2021), but we were able to use it without any particular issues other than the fact that only a few cars can park in the parking lot of the product center. The toilets have been renovated and now have washlet seats, making them very clean. This place seems to specialize in hozuki and horse meat dishes. Luckily, they were selling fresh hozuki (500 yen) when we visited, so we tried it. It had a flavor reminiscent of adding the acidity and bitterness of lemon to an orange, and it was delicious. At 62.5 yen per fruit, it is quite a luxury item. We also purchased other items such as dried awabitake mushrooms (400 yen) and horse meat miso stew (I believe it was 560 yen).

休憩場所も整備されています。 ゆっくり休めそうですね。