Right after the Hell Festival finished, evenings and mornings started to become chilly here in Noboribetsu Onsen. Please bring some warm clothes when you come to visit as this is a sure sign that autumn is on its way.

Another sure sign of the season is our annual Autumn Harvest Festival! It started September 15, and as always, we have some scrumptious dishes we hope our visitors will like.

Above is a photo of the display outside our buffet dining room, and we will introduce some of special items available only during this festival.

Kamameshi rice with matsutake mushrooms is one of our absolute favorites. In this traditional Japanese dish, rice along with meat, vegetables and sometimes even seafood, is cooked in an iron kettle or kama. Ours features matsutake, a particularly fragrant and flavorful mushroom that is also rare.

Nikujaga is a favorite dish in Japanese households when the seasons begin to turn cooler. It consists primarily of niku (meat) and jyaga imo (potatoes) simmered until the flavors meld and most of the liquid is gone. This year, we opted for chicken rather than the usual beef for a light yet rich flavor that we love.

Chawanmushi is another traditional favorite that is easily adapted for any season and its favored ingredients. Savory egg custard is steamed and subsequently served in a chawan or tea cup, so the name literally translates as ‘tea cup steamed.’ This year we made it using sweet potatoes and yuba, the delicate skin that forms on the top of heated soy milk, for a tasty treat.

There are, of course, many more dishes that we hope you will enjoy. The Harvest Festival will fun until October 31, so please come enjoy this taste of the season while it lasts. We also have a dining plan that offers one free drink, so please check our official website and make a reservation. We look forward to seeing you here and sharing this special time!