EATANDTREATS JAPAN: 6D5N HOKKAIDO TRIP ITINERARY

The hype of Raclette cheese is not slowing down anytime soon, well at least around this very moment this post is being written and after Willie Brothers came to the scene and live up the trend in town, recently, Ichiro Ramen launched the first and very own Raclette Cheese Ramen, and you guessed it right, that heated lava-like Raclette cheese flowing on top of your ramen adding more fun and flavor if you fancy.

Ichiro Ramen Market is a ramen store located at the Ramen Village, the area specializes for all ramen in Aeon Mall BSD City, precisely beside Kazan Ramen. To be completely honest, I noticed that Ichiro Ramen was the only one with waiting queue outside the store so because I am a virgin to Ichiro then they must have something good to offer. Quickscan of their menus and they serve good variety of ramens with various appetizers and rice dishes to follow.

These two were super attentive, helpful and funny they deserve a feature.

One of the strong selling points that I found from Ichiro has got to be the freedom to customize how you want your ramen to be. Starting from the soup: they offer chicken (tori) and pork (buta) based soup for you to choose, and after selecting the base soup, you can stay with the original or opt for the following: bawang (garlic), cabe bakar (burnt chili), basil keju (cheese basil), lada merah bawang (red pepper garlic), lada hitam Jepang (Japanese blackpepper), udang mix Jepang (assorted Japanese shrimps) and kare (curry). I opted for the original as I really wanted to enjoy the authenticity of their default flavor.

Secondly, you're then allowed to choose 1 from 10 kinds of noodle they have here: original thin, thin sakura, thin green tea, thick-curly original, thick-curly sakura, thick-curly green tea, black ramen, udon and wheat. The green tea and sakura came in green and pink color, again I sticked to the original thin and black for the ramens, I just like keep it lowkey and basic for the first experience.

...and talk about the noodle: YOU CAN REFILL AS MUCH AS YOU WANT *die*

Thirdly, the spiciness level: 4 levels with 1 being the mildest and vice-versa, and finally, the soup consistency: light, standard, creamy.

They also offer various toppings to add such as tamago, yellow pumpkin, mini prawns, mini tonkatsu, mini fish crispy katsu, eggs, hamkatsu, kikurage, buta/tori charsiu, nori, menma, kaedama and furai (broccoli), the toppings are definitely optional depending on your liking. Price range for the toppings range between IDR 9k-20k

As for the ramens, price ranges between IDR 50k-70k.

Age Gyoza Buta - IDR 35k

The gyoza skin was firm and thick which then holds the filling well, the minced pork filling was seasoned nicely and given quite generously. The serving came with this homemade tangy soy sauce, but I personally like the plain one better where I fully count on the savory juice of the filling.

Crispy Popcorn Chicken - IDR 15k
Easy cheap eats at IDR 15k, the presentation might look way different than the menu but flavor wise, it was decent you can't complain.

Kuroo Ramen (with thick curly original noodle) - IDR 59k

Ordered this as I was missing Gogyo ramen but this one had totally different flavor to it. The black color was produced from the burnt garlic & squid ink and I initially thought the whole soup would be black but it was actually just the surface, as you scoop you'll find the delicious common yellow-ish pork based broth. The soup flavor was actually quite rich with light consistency and being a fan of the thick curly noodle, that was the right option to this ramen and let's not forget the thick and tender chasiu.

Overall it was tasty, simple and comforting for the day. Definitely not bad at all.

Butao Ramen with Raclette Cheese
Now to the current main highlight from Ichiro: Raclette cheese ramen!

Opted for their signature Butao ramen which has been their best-selling menu ever since it opened, the broth was made from long hours pork bone extraction to achieve the Tonkotsu style ramen with its tasty savory soup. Each ramen brand has their own take of Tonkotsu style ramen but normally, flavor wise it should be salty-savory, slightly eggy and served with chasiu, tamago and Japanese mushroom.

I wasn't aware that if you opt for the Raclette Cheese upgrade, the serving and presentation of your ramen would be different: the ramen would be served dry on a hot stone plate and the soup on the bowl. The heated lava-like Raclette cheese would then be served on top of your ramen following the soup drenching everything at the end.

🆕🆕🆕 // THE FIRST EVER Raclette Cheese Ramen in town by @ichiroramenmarket Aeon Mall BSD City which is something you might want to consider for dinner tonight! You basically can add the cheese to any ramen you want but I had the BUTAO RAMEN with its tasty broth, black garlic noodle (REFILLABLE) and thick chasiu to pair ❤️ // Video shot with iPhone 6 📷 #ichiroramen #aeonmallbsdcity #racletteramen

A video posted by 👑 HANS 👑 // 📍JAKARTA (@eatandtreats) on Nov 3, 2016 at 2:45am PDT

Now it actually looks pretty tempting, especially to all avid cheese fan!

I was almost disagreeing with the concept of putting cheese on each food but this turned out working quite well to my liking. Apparently, if you let your ramen sit still with the searing hot broth, the broth will slowly melt the cheese and blend along with the broth giving additional thickness and salty flavor without being weirdly milky and overly oily & cheesy.

Thick and tender chasiu FTW!

Ramen refill! Oh the ramen was nicely cooked and appeared pretty firm

Now what's coming next? I always have fun looking at photos of the flowing Raclette cheese or when people actually pull the cheese up it's almost a new workout.

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Ichiro Ramen Market

Ramen Village - Aeon Mall BSD City 4th fl.

Jalan BSD Raya Utama

BSD - Tangerang

Banten 15345

Opening hours: 10 AM-10 PM

Average spending for two: IDR 150k

Dresscode: none

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Map for Aeon Mall BSD City

My Hokkaido blog posts are seriously one of the most requested this year and it's been one month since the trip and I have been missing Hokkaido so badly and I found myself reopening the folders and reedit the photos (and I don't know if it's just me but I sometimes can edit one photo to several editing style lol). I've been dreaming of going for so long and finally got the chance to travel and on top of it, shared the happiness with my sister, clearly one of the best highlight of the year that I'll forever keep in mind.

I want to divide my Hokkaido blog post into several series but I think it's best to kick things off by sharing my itinerary (and a lot of you guys have been asking for this one too), so if you're planning to travel solo here in Hokkaido I hope this post will help you in arranging your own itinerary. If you're asking for my personal preference, I think tour should be the most convenient and comfortable way to explore Hokkaido in general as based on my experience there are some areas that might need the help of car/bus to explore, the downside is that things are scheduled in tours so your time on each spot will be limited, especially someone like me who is more laid back and love to take tons of pictures, but anyway lately I've been applying the 'living in the moment' scheme to my travel and see more with my own eyes more than I see through the viewfinder, and that simple gesture has made me happier. Life is about doing what you believe in to make you feel happy, it's your own way.

Without further ado, here I am sharing you guys my Hokkaido trip itinerary for 6D5N trip with brief photos and caption, and to keep things exciting, I will be sharing the detailed experience on the upcoming blog posts!

DAY ONE

10 PM - Red eye flight from Jakarta (Soekarno-Hatta International Airport) to Tokyo (Narita International Airport), flight using Japan Airlines (JAL)

DAY TWO

7 AM - Arrived in Tokyo (Narita) and transfer to Haneda International Airport for connecting flight to Hokkaido (Asahikawa Airport)
10:45 AM - Flight from Tokyo (Haneda) to Hokkaido (Asahikawa)
1 PM - Arrived in Asahikawa Airport, Hokkaido

Asahikawa Airport, Hokkaido

2 PM - Lunch at Ferme La Terre, Biei

3 PM - Shikisai No Oka

Shikisai No Oka is seriously the spot that you just can't skip when you're in Hokkaido, a flower park that looks like colorful carpet 'made' from arranged blooms! My tour guide told me that it's best to come during the Spring/Summer for the best blooms, flowers don't grow that much on Autumn and of course, all gone during Winter, in contrary to the blooming flower season, I am super excited to come back & visit Hokkaido during Winter.

4 PM - Farm Tomita

Farm Tomita is famous for its lavender blooms and again, it's best to come during spring/summer to see the lavender blooms on their peak! There's also a stall which sells super tasty lavender and melon soft serve, not to miss!

5:30 PM - Check in hotel and buffet dinner at hotel (stayed at Prince Furano Hotel)

DAY THREE

10 AM - Kan Yasuda Sculpture Museum (Arte Piazza), Bibei

12 PM - lunch at Iwamizawa Maple Lodge

Had a very pleasant Japanese lunch set here, I remember there was four courses included in the lunch set and everything was above my standard, especially the uber tender beef that melt in your mouth and the perfect cream sponge cake for sweet closure, definitely highly recommended.

2 PM - Ishiya Chocolate Factory, Sapporo

Another one that's uber recommended, Ishiya Chocolate Factory is a factory and small theme park! Bring your family here to have some fun, take tons of pictures, enjoy the moment and shop for some high quality chocolate creations. I shopped like crazy here, bought chocolates, biscuits, candies and gifts for my family and friends.

3 PM - Okurayama Sapporo Olympic Museum

6 PM - Umizora No Haru - Ainu traditional food for dinner

8:30 PM - Gotcha show!
If you have some free time (or if you don't make some) go check out Gotcha, a night art and music show in Sapporo where in one hour you can enjoy mostly musical performances from talented local performers, mostly aspiring personalities who are expert in certain field.

9:30 PM - Check in hotel, stayed at New Otani Inn

DAY FOUR

10 AM - Otaru tour!

1 PM - Donburichaya for lunch (halal Japanese restaurant)

3 PM - Jozankei Kokoro no Sato Jozan (foot onsen)

5 PM - Check in hotel, Rusutsu Resort/Westin Hotel

DAY FIVE

9 AM - Toyako Silo Observatory
10 AM - Showashinzan Bear Park & Usuzan Ropeway (gondola)

12 AM - Lunch at Mingei Goten (famous for their Nabe aka Japanese hot pot dish)

1 PM - Impromptu visit to a farm nearby for fruit picking!

2 PM - Noboribetsu Date Jidaimura (Japanese Ninja Village)
One of the highlights of my trip to Hokkaido has got to be my visit to Noboribetsu Date Jidaimura aka Ninja village, and DO NOT MISS their Ninja show! Awesome, entertaining and you can see that they did major preparation (or training) to perform one.

5 PM - Vase art craft at Noboribetsu Tourist Centre

6 PM - Check in hotel, Mahoroba

DAY SIX

9 AM - Heading to Chitose Outlet Mall for shopping
9:30 AM - Shopping time!
11 AM - Arrived in Chitose Airport, Sapporo, Hokkaido
1:35 PM - Flight to Tokyo (Haneda International Airport)
3:30 PM - Arrived in Tokyo (Haneda), transfer to Narita International Airport
6 PM - Flight to Jakarta (Soekarno-Hatta International Airport)

S A Y O N A R A  J A P A N!

Thank you guys for reading this entry, I hope this post can help you and also be your guide to arrange yours, either you want to follow this entirely or take some/lose some, in the end I believe you're going to have tons of fun in Hokkaido. not to mention how Japan is a four-season country where every season is beautiful in its way, short to say my visit to Hokkaido was AMAZING and I will tell you more about the amazing-ness on the next posts! Till then!

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email: eatandtreatsindo@gmail.com

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