POLESTAR HOKKAIDO
JUNE 2018
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TABLE OF CONTENTS • EDITOR’S NOTE • PRESIDENT’S CORNER • LETTER FROM THE FIRST YEAR REP • THE MUSING OF A WHINY PISCES • MOUNTAINS OF HOKKAIDO • INTERVIEW WITH “THE RAMEN GUY”
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EDITORíS NOTe First off, I would like to thank the people who submitted some awesome articles for June’s Issue! Without your support, I would not be able to put an issue of Polestar together every month.
Summer is hot. For myself, the heat
is only a reminder that for the first summer in my life , I’ m working and am not on vacation . W ith a year passed after graduating college , I can say that being an “ adult ” is very peculiar . Specifically being a teacher, we’re technically still in the education system , but just on the opposite side of it .
I’m not really sure what I’m getting at, but I’m tired, to say the least. A lex
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President’s Corner Devan Hawkins
Hello again everyone, I’m back with a shorter entry than usual. Be sure to make use of your leftover time to take a step back and enjoy the weather, no matter how brief. Last time, we left off with our protagonist in his first few weeks of high school and meeting a new friend. Now, there are many stories that can be told from here on out, each with their own twists and turns and allegorical meaning, but today I’ll tell you the one about the boy who couldn’t cry wolf.
Months had passed since the beginning of high school, and the boy had met more people in those months than he had ever met back at his old school. By this time, friend groups were already more or less solidified, and the boy had one pal with whom he didn’t quite know where they stood. The pal – let’s call him Mark – soon became the most loud and aggressive friend the boy had ever met. Mark was emotionally intelligent and as generous as one could be, but he often liked to test his boundaries with people and pick fights with friends just to see if they’d fight back. As you might expect, this didn’t sit well with many people and the boy was no exception. As time went on, the gradual egging on from Mark, wore at the boy until one day a breaking point was reached. From seemingly out of nowhere, one of Mark’s and the boy’s other friends had snapped at Mark. Through tears of frustration, the friend had many choice words for Mark and chose to end their friendship permanently. Witnessing this had a profound effect on the boy. He knew that this could have easily been him; but because it wasn’t, he got to see both sides of the problem and the aftermath that followed. I believe this was the time that he truly learned the being of communication; when you’re not on the same page, you risk not knowing where you stand with others and that can end catastrophically. I’ll end it here for today, but in these final days of the JET year, remember to tell those important to you that they’ll be missed when they (or yourself) leave the island. Until next time. C olette
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A Letter from the First Year Rep
Nivedh Sreejit Exploring Hokkaido On Two Wheels Hola HAJET, In writing this piece, I was largely thinking about the fun that I’ve been having on my bicycle lately, and wanted to update you all on the fun that we all had while riding the 2018 Northern Bike Relay. With summer in full swing, I’ve enjoyed many opportunities to ride my bike around town. From short grocery runs, to riding up the local mountain; riding around Monbetsu has given me a whole new perspective on this peculiar and beautiful place. As many runners and cyclists around this island will also attest, there is something special about exploring your placement by foot or by bike. The experience is more visceral than driving, as you’re forced to take in your environment with all your senses un-dulled by the confines of your car. If you’re like me, it is that much easier to take the road yet unexplored. Riding around Monbetsu and taking the back roads has led to discovering many interesting buildings in various (sometimes dubious) states of upkeep. I’ve ridden past so many of these buildings and houses at this point, that I’ve resolved to take my camera with me on any subsequent rides around town in hopes of putting together a collection of photographs in the future. I’ve also ran into a fair amount of my students and other acquaintances around town, which has led to some impromptu conversations about bicycles, hobbies, etc. Coincidentally, my students seem to be more at ease and stupendously excited to see me outside of the classroom. In the coming months, I’m planning to ride to the neighboring towns and enjoy the open vistas and long country roads that connect the towns in this (the Okhotsk) region.
Riding the northern route of the Bike Relay was a good start to the cycling season and a novel way for me to explore my region with my friends. Our merry band of 6 riders started off at Horonobe JR station. We instantly hit mechanical issues as one of our bikes suffered a torn valve, which then had to be carted off to a neighboring town in search of a mechanic. Our troop being reduced by one, left the city in search of the north-western coast. The farm roads we rode along were bumpy and wide, but largely devoid of traffic. By the time our lost rider rejoined our group, we were in high spirits and hurdling along towards the coast. As the road straightened out and traffic became sparse, we couldn’t resist a sprint or two as opportunities to ride side by side for a group of 6 is a rarity for most road cyclists. My experience on a road bike has been largely solitary, and I’ve spent the most amount of time on the saddle riding along the farm roads of Alberta. Riding with a group in the manner we did was a surprising and welcome departure from my usual routine, as the group of us got to catch up and explore Hokkaido in a new way. The stops we made along the way at conbinis, vending-machines, road-side shoulders (for mechanical repairs), and even the beach were welcome respites from the sore asses we were starting to tire from. Riding the northern coast of Hokkaido was quite an experience, and it was striking how easy it was to ride long distances with the convenience of having wide cycling lanes, roadside washrooms, and conbinis to help with keeping us riding energetically and comfortably. The ride didn’t disappoint on the scenery front either, as the winding ribbon of tarmac along the coast to Wakkanai was neighbored by rolling hills and farmland on the right and the hauntingly beautiful islands of Rebun and Rishiri to the left. Along our 80 km route, the road was largely smooth and straight, but as we put the miles behind us, some of our bikes were really starting to limp along. Unfortunately, we had to retire one of our crew members due to mechanical faults and thankfully we had the support of local ALTs who came by to rescue him as we rushed to make our destination before sunset. As we arrived at Cape Noshappu to end our ride with our behinds sore and ready for a trip to the local onsen, I committed to planning more of these excursions out on my bike. As the organizer for this years Bike Relay, I want to be the first to say that although our event this year was a ton of fun, this event has the potential to be so much more! I plan to stay involved with it in the following year and plan on designing something with a larger scope to get all of you riding and enjoying this cycling haven we have out here. N ivedh
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The Musings of Whiny Pisces
Charlotte Emmott
Guys, I’m a Pisces. It’s no mystery that myself and all the other sloppy fish out there are always whining and complaining, or off crying in a corner about something trivial. So here I am, throwing my Piscean sob stories at you, in hopes that I’ll give you something to relate to or think about. It’s no secret that most of us go through some difficult times here, no matter what our star signs are. Even the courageous Leos and confident Aries go through rough spots here. All of us, for the most part, come from countries that are pretty different from Japan. No matter how much we love the culture, language, and people here, we can’t help but feel a bit homesick or isolated sometimes. This is especially the case for the many of us who have jobs in which we aren’t utilized enough, or for the many of us that feel a bit ignored by the other teachers because you don’t speak the language well. For me, even though I have a fast-pace job with plenty of schools, it’s the latter. My personality has always been really loud and bubbly; you can hear me coming from miles away with my witchy cackle, and I’m always trying to bring a bit of life (and headaches) to social events. However, in my schools and office I’m actually very quiet and keep to myself. Like a typical Pisces, I’m two fish swimming in different directions; almost as mercurial as the Gemini.
Anyone who knows me personally would be shocked to see how I behave around my students and coworkers; and my students and coworkers would think I was probably on drugs if they ever saw me in my natural, socializing state. On slow days at work I usually end up staying at my desk working away on my own things, but I often fear that my coworkers find me unfriendly because I’m still too shy to approach them. The truth is that I’m terrified of making them feel frustrated or anxious because I always imagine them thinking, “oh god the weird gaijin who can’t understand me is trying to communicate with me”, when they’re probably too busy to talk. However, whenever they do approach me, I respond with ecstatic replies-- I’m animated and excited to be spoken to. Recently, I’ve been approached because I’ve been studying my tarot cards at my desk, which has either intrigued them or scared the hell out of them. Either way, I’m always enthusiastic when I’m spoken to. I’m sure they’re happy and satisfied to get such a response, but it doesn’t happen often enough to bring up my confidence enough for me to be the first person to approach. My coworkers and I are still generally friendly with each other and I’ve only ever been shown kindness, but it does feel incredibly isolating at times. Especially during my loneliest times. So since this August will begin my countdown for my last year here, I’m hoping to properly come out of my shell a bit and just let my social anxiety go. I don’t want to have wasted all this time being shy and unconfident.
Like I said, things can be a bit Did I mention Pisceans were dramatic? difficult here. You can be the bubbliest, I was also feeling quite guilty about not happiest clown of a human, and still feel having been as friendly and welcoming a bit awkward and left out. This added to as I had wanted to be to the new people a lot of my loneliness in my current year who had come last August. I was so busy here. Actually, this whole second year being a sad fish about the people closest was kinda blah for me. Last August was to me leaving, that I just didn’t really when one of my closest friends on the notice anyone else. Fortunately, one of island left. She was a cute, nerdy Libran the newbies is my Aquarius friend of 11 who lived in the city just half an hour away years, and that made things a bit easier on from my house, and she’s one of the main me. However, I still wasn’t as welcoming contributors to my first year here being to the rest of them as I could have been. as good as it was. We spent so much If they had met me in my first year, time together, and she just became one they’d definitely have noticed a massive of those people that I knew I’d be friends difference. with for life. We’re still best friends and talk This slumpy second year is why I’ve all the time, but I can’t shake the feeling made the decision to be as annoyingly of her physical absence from my life. friendly as I can towards the new people As well as her leaving, I also had to say coming to Hokkaido this August. I’m going goodbye to someone I had begun dating to friend the hell out of as many of them as at the beginning of that year. When he left I can. I’ve started becoming more excited in August too, it was really hard on me. about being an active member here, and We had quite a turbulent relationship (as I’ve decided to shed the skin of my pouty most people who date stubborn Taureans second year self, in order to go back to do), but it was still pretty devastating the way I was as an enthusiastic firstwhen he left. We stayed together longyear; but now as a genki third year. This is distance until the end of November, when why I joined the HAJET PC, and it’s why I we finally called it off. It was an especially became this year’s Eastern Rep. I want to hard breakup because prior to us having give the new people the same feeling that dated, he was a big supporter of mine everyone gave me in my first year. I want after I had spent the entire previous year to be there for others and make everyone’s with unrequited feelings for an aloof Virgo, experiences a bit better. No more sulking! which was another long and depressing Soggy fish no more! sob story that I’ll spare you from. Suffice to So, to wrap everything up, I say, the winter was pretty bad. My Libran encourage anyone going through a slump bestie was gone, I was constantly mopey to send me a message and reach out. over my Taurean ex, and I was still haunted Pisceans LOVE complaining and soaking by my unresolved feelings for my ol’ Virgo themselves in deep, murky waters. But, as pen-pal. The snow kept falling and it was we all know, you can’t have too much of a starting to feel like I was being buried alive. good thing. So rest assured that Pisceans Every time I walked out of my front door are also pretty good at bouncing back and looked at my snow-covered car, it felt and encouraging others to swim up to the as if I was never going to have it easy ever sunny, clear surfaces. Betcha glad all these again. I spent almost every evening draped zodiac references are over, eh?! That must over the couch sobbing to “A Whiter Shade make you skeptical Capricorn ;) of Pale” on repeat.
Mountains of Hokkaido
Walking in the wild of Japan’s northernmost island, is probably one of the more rewarding things you can do there (besides eating sesame-flavoured ice cream on a hot day). But, it’s also one of the most difficult to access. Without either a guide or some mastery of the Japanese language, you’re stuck with Hokkaido’s greatest hits: Asahi-dake, Kuro-dake, and Tokachi-dake. If you’re lucky, Yotei; only if by the grace of the legions of Australians who write about it yearround. Still, Hokkaido has perhaps the best selection and variety of mountains of anywhere in Japan. From volcanic treks, rocky scree slopes, quiet trails through forests of bright-leafed birch, open highland marshes littered with wildflowers, to enormous vistas over miles and miles of open evergreen -- you’re never more than a stone’s throw away from an experience that rather than taking your breath away, will seem to give you a new breath altogether. So what gives? Well, most travelers come to Japan for the culture or food, rather than the wilderness; and those that do, come for the skiing at Niseko. For that reason, there’s been a bit of a dearth of serious outdoors-oriented guidance in English.
It sounded like a niche that needed to be filled, and so I did. “Mountains of Hokkaido”, is a website that I’ve built to index a master list of hikes across the island—from easy trips you can manage after a day of work, to overnight trips across whole mountain ranges. It’s meant to be a resource; both for English-speakers living here and looking for something to do on the weekend, but also to vacationers looking for something off the beaten path. (or, um, on a different, literal, beaten path.) It’s not by any means complete; the 30 or so hikes up on the site right now are going to be joined by another 30 that I still need to actually put up. At the moment, it’s mostly summertime hiking, but I plan to include winter hikes as well—which can be done either by snowshoeing or by skiing. The Hokkaido wilderness is open year-round.
Here’s a couple of highlights so far: **For beginners:** Kogane-yama is a short hike a couple of hours north of Sapporo. The first half wanders through the forest, but the second half sees you skirting cliff faces and climbing dangling ropes. There’s an alternate route for those not looking for such a high-octane adventure. The summit is a blade’s-edge, with views over the Sea of Japan. **For someone somewhere in the middle:** Midori-dake, in the eastern part of the Daisetsuzan, crosses through at least four different ecosystems: evergreen forest, highland marsh, pine scrub, and volcanic tundra. The summit is a bit of a backdoor to the Daisetsuzan as a whole, and the nearby mountain hut is one of the best places to stay overnight, affording views over a range that you can’t see from the cities. **For advanced hikers:** Nipesotsu-yama is the perennial favorite of Hokkaido’s old hiking hands, but it’s been extremely quiet ever since the road to the trailhead was washed away by a typhoon. You can still hike up the remains of the road, though it’s best done either overnight (camping in the old parking lot at the trailhead) or with a very, very early start. You’ll be rewarded with probably the most unforgettable view on the whole island. That’s just for starters, though. There’s a whole island of mountains to climb. I’ve got my hands full enough at the moment, but if you’re interested in contributing to the project, I’ll be happy to have you.
(click the mountain)
An Interview with Hokkaido’s “Ramen Guy”: The best places for a savory bowl in Asahikawa
Sarah Hasselle
There are two main reasons why people generally visit Asahikawa, Hokkaido. One reason is Asahiyama Zoo, the most popular zoo in Hokkaido, and the other reason is ramen. After being here for almost one year , I had been to a few ramen restaurants , but not nearly as much as I should have. To me, all ramen tastes good, so I had never really sought out the special ramen shops here before . B ut then , I started to become curious about the local ramens ’ popularity . T o help guide me on which shops I should visit , I asked A sahikawa ’ s “R amen G uy ” for help . The “Ramen Guy”,
named M ichael B ugajski , is a 32 year old native C hicagoan who has been living here for the past two years . H e has also made it a personal goal of his to visit all of Asahikawa’s ramen shops. Out of interest, I asked him where he thought were the best places to eat ramen here .
So you are known as the “Ramen Guy” by many English teachers in Hokkaido. How did you get that name ? I suppose it not the worst reputation to have? I love ramen, and my obsession actually started back in 2011 when I lived in Niigata, and it felt natural to pick it back up here in Hokkaido. After researching and hitting many of the famous shops here, I started having to dig further, and soon enough, people started asking me for ramen recommendations whenever they came through Asahikawa (and sometimes, even Sapporo!) Since then, my legend began to spread at new teacher orientation and other meetings, until “Ramen Guy” really just stuck. It really took on a life of its own when I started to have people I don’t know come up to me and say “Hey, aren’t you the Ramen Guy?!”
Why did you decide to try to go to all of the ramen restaurants here ? Finally, I’ve hit the big time! When I moved to Asahikawa, one of my coworkers, whom I shall lovingly refer to as Ramen Sensei, had just completed his tour de Asahikawa of ramen, and amassed reviews and pictures of over 400 shops in Asahikawa. He took me under his wing one day at lunch, when of all the teachers, he and I both pulled out our phones to take pictures of our ramen. He has since retired, but I’d like to think that his legacy is living on in me and my arteries. I don’t know if I’ll ever match up to his lofty accomplishment, but a guy can dream, right?
Santouka is a famous ramen shop with locations around the world, but the shop’s starting point was in Asahikawa. Although Asahikawa is known for its shoyu (soy sauce-based) ramen, Santouka’s specialty is shio (salt-based) ramen. This ramen shop is one of the “big three” for Asahikawa ramen. Santouka is a 3-minute walk from Asahikawa Station.
Of all the ramen restaurants in Asahikawa, which ramen restaurant is your favorite ? W hy is it your favorite ? Asahikawa is blessed in that it has an amazing representation of ramen, even if the town’s specialty is Shoyu, or soy sauce-based ramen. I’ll admit, I have a soft spot for Santouka, because my actual first experience of Asahikawa ramen was in my hometown, Chicago, which sports its own Santouka location! But since then, I definitely think I’ve found my favorites. One of my longstanding go-to’s for ramen is Himawari in Pulp-cho. While not my first experience with horumon (organ meat) ramen, their Karaimiso morumen raises it to a work of art. If you go, go early, and be prepared to wait! Even if you don’t like horumon, I would recommend trying this ramen and see how it will change your mind! One thing to keep in mind about Asahikawa-style ramen, is that it is usually pretty oily. They started adding additional oil to the soup in order to help keep the heat in the bowl during those cold winters, and the practice has kinda stuck!
Sugawara is 14-minutes away from Asahikawa Station. “Yoshinoya” is a 17-minute walk from Asahikawa Station.
Himawari is famous for its horumon ramen. Its spicy miso ramen is also very good for those who like spicy food. Himawari is a 20-minute walk from Asahikawa Station.
Ramen Kura is famous for its pork broth-based ramen. “Ichikura Raman” is located 9 minutes away from Asahikawa Station.
Here is a list someone posted of the top 10 ramen restaurants in Asahikawa (link). Do you agree with this list ? W hy ?
This ramen shop has been open for over 70 years, and is often regarded as the most popular ramen shop in Asahikawa. Aoba is a 7-minute walk from Asahikawa Station.
This list definitely has a lot of my favorites! Aoba, Tenkin, and Santouka are the big three of Asahikawa, and perhaps the most well known. Baikoken is also internationally famous, so it’s always a busy stop! They do have local town favorite Yoshino listed, but not perennial local favorite Daidaiya.
This shop has been open for 50 years and is the only place where you can eat ginger soy sauce-based ramen in Asahikawa. “Ginger noodles Mizuno” is a 21-minute walk from Asahikawa Station.
If I had any recommendation about this list, it would be to skip the ramen village! While there is nothing wrong with going there, most of the original locations for the ramen shops are a pretty short walk from Asahikawa Station. Skip the ride out, and check out the flagship locations instead!
What are your other top choices? Why? Oh wow! My top choices for Asahikawa? For shoyu ramen, I would actually have to jump on the Aoba bandwagon. Generally recognized as one of the oldest ramen shops in the city, their shoyu is a thing to behold. Not decked out with toppings, this really lets the flavor of the broth shine through. Another favorite of mine would be the Shoga (ginger) ramen from Mizuno.This might be the only ramen in Asahikawa I wouldn’t mind eating every day. The soup is delicious, the noodles are the best kind of al dente, and the toppings are always fresh. Best of all, its probably one of the cheapest bowls you’ll find in Asahikawa. Strongly recommend calling ahead if you want to go, because zthe shop is just the master and his wife, and they sometimes close early, or take a day off. For Shio (salt-based) ramen, I would definitely recommend Ramen Kura. The flavor they pack into a bowl is amazing, and the flavor profile really blew me away the first time I had it. Almost on the opposite side of the spectrum, Sugawara ramen makes an Ume-Shio ramen that may be the single most delicate bowl of ramen I’ve ever had. For miso, the town favorite is definitely Yoshino. If you go there, come hungry! Its an incredibly filling bowl of ramen, that is guaranteed to leave you full for a whole day.
Baikoken is located further away. To go, you can take a bus in front of Asahikawa Station. Look for the Asahikawa Airport Limousine Bus headed for Shin Furano Prince Hotel. The bus ride should take about 7 minutes, and you can get off at “Asahikawa Kosei Byoin”. After you need to walk about 20 minutes until you get to the ramen shop.
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Daidaiya ramen is also far away from the main station. To go, you can take the same bus headed for Shin Furano Prince Hotel and get off at “Asahikawa Kosei Byoin” 7 minutes later. After, you should walk about 15 minutes.
M ike
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H aselle
An Interview with Hokkaido’s “Ramen Guy”: continued
Is there anything else you would like to add? There are a lot of hidden gems for ramen shops in Asahikawa! Don’t be afraid to walk down an alley if you see that ramen sign! Some of my regular spots are places I found quite by accident! Ramen Kasui (In San-Roku) is popular for being open late in the night for those 2am ramen desires, and Sugiwara ramen (on the Kaimono koen dori) has a mind boggling selection of ramens to try. Places like Hakkai ramen (Kawabata) have great locally sourced ingredients on their menu, and their Pikkinu ramen uses a custom spice mix that their master created that will leave you breathing fire! I’ve had a few bowls that I won’t rave about, but I’ve never walked away disappointed if I try a new ramen shop!
So there we have it, folks! Here are the top places to eat ramen according to Asahikawa’s “Ramen Guy” (shop info linked to Japanese name)
1. Himawari (ひまわり) Hours: 11:00 am - 2:00 pm, 5:00 pm - 7:30 pm (closed on Mondays) 2. Mizuno (みづの) Hours: 10:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. 5:00 p.m.-7:30 p.m. (Monday- Saturday); 11:00 a.m.-5:30 p.m. (Sundays) 3. Aoba (らぁめん青葉) Hours: 9:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. 3:00 p.m. -7:50 p.m. (Monday - Saturday); 9: 30 a.m. -2:00 p.m. 3:00 p.m.-6:50 p.m. (Sundays / national holidays) (closed on Wednesdays)
4. Sungawara (ラーメンすがわら) Hours: 10: 00 a.m.-10:00p.m. (Tuesday-Saturday) 10:00 a.m. -8:00 p.m. (Sundays) (closed on Mondays) 5. Hokkaido Ramen Santouka (らーめん山頭火) Hours: 11:00 a.m. – 9: 30 p.m. 6. Ichikura (一蔵) Hours: 11:00 a.m. – 4: 00 a.m. 7. Tenkin (らーめんや天金) Hours: 11:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m. (closed on Tuesdays) 8. Yoshino (よし乃) Hours: 11:00 a.m. – 9: 00 p.m. (closed on Thursdays) 9. Baikoken (梅光軒) Hours: 11:00 a.m. – 9: 00 p.m. (closed on Tuesdays) 10. Daidaiya (橙ヤ) Hours: 11:00a.m.- 9:00p.m.
It looks like I’ve got some eating to do! It takes 1 hour and a half to reach Asahikawa Station from Sapporo Station (4500 yen for a one-way ticket). Alternatively, a bus ride takes about 2 hours (2060 yen for a one-way ticket).
今月の俳句 夏河 越すうれしさよ 手に草履
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“The Standoff”
By Manekicho28