1. Hokkaido
We begin our journey in Hokkaido, which is consistently voted as the place with the most delicious food in Japan, so quite a fitting start, really.
1位：海鮮丼 Seafood rice bowl
Hokkaido is known very well for its seafood. This is in part because it is surrounded by three different seas - the Sea of Japan, the Pacific and the Sea of Okhotsk. In 2023, Hokkaido was providing about 32% of the fish in Japan. That’s a lot for a country with so much coastline.
The dish itself doesn’t necessarily represent Hokkaido, but shows the diversity of marine life from around the island, all providing their own unique flavours in the same dish.
The main ingredient depends on the port from which the fish was caught. In Hakodate, it’s squid. In Otaru, herring and sea urchin. In Kushiro, Pacific saury and salmon. In fact, at Kushiro’s 和商 Market, you can buy a bowl of rice (vinegared or not) and you can take it to different stalls that take your fancy, loading it with whatever fish you like.
The contents of these rice bowls change depending on the season, so it’s worth a visit at any time of year!
2位：ジンギスカン Jingisukan
In our original race in 2022, I half-wrongly translated this as Genghis Khan. This is an old-fashioned name for Genghis Khan, but he is now known as チンギスハン, and also there is nothing linking him to the dish.
The importation of wool into Japan was disrupted during the First World War, and so in 1918, the Japanese government attempted to introduce a lot of sheep into the country, with major sheep farms being established in Sapporo. Mutton became cheap to eat, and became a staple meat in Hokkaido.
On to the present day, when lamb is much more favoured than mutton. ジンギスカン restaurants now only serve lamb, since the flavour is much milder than mutton. The yakiniku hotplate is circular, with a raised central part. Vegetables are placed around the outside and the lamb is placed on the top of the raised part, meaning that fat and meat juices drip down and mix with the vegetables below.
As of 2004, it’s been officially recognised as a part of Hokkaido’s cultural heritage.
3位：札幌ラーメン / Sapporo ramen
Sapporo ramen is a lovely, warming dish. Originally, Sapporo was known for its soy sauce ramen, but in the 1950s, miso started to take over and is now the nationally recognised Hokkaido ramen.
Lard is added to the ramen, which separates from the soup and hardens on the top forming a ‘lid’ of sorts. It’s said that during the terribly cold Hokkaido winters, the lard ‘lid’ would be used to keep the heat in. Furthermore, the curly noodles are said to be easier to hold with chopsticks, especially for those whose hands are stiff from having worked in the intense Hokkaido winter.
The traditional recipe is extremely rich, with the salty miso broth and the strong taste of onions and minced pork. It’s not one to be missed!
4位：スープカレー Soup curry
I accidentally missed out on this one on the original race, sparking ire from soup curry fans. Anyway, I’m now well-read when it comes to soup curry, and I was surprised that it didn’t actually get that name until the 90s. Before it was popularised by Magic Spice in 1993, it had been known as ‘curry soup’.
Since so many vegetables are grown in Hokkaido, a great number of vegetables like potatoes, pumpkins, onions and carrots are often prominent in the soup curry. Of course, chicken is the main attraction for most!
Soup curry is actually not just curry that has been diluted with water. It’s made using curry mixed with stock from chicken, pork and various vegetables.
5位：乳製品 Dairy products
Wherever you go in Japan, if you want a dairy product, you are bound to find something from Hokkaido. Why? Because Hokkaido literally produces almost 60% of the raw milk for the whole country.
The thing with Hokkaido is that there is a lot of land - something that’s pretty scarce across the rest of Japan. They have the room to rear cows and produce top-notch dairy products. Apologies to any lactose-intolerant people out there!
Here’s a reminder of the rules, for people who haven’t played before. 
Reviews from previous days do not count.
Everyone who joins in will get a special commemorative badge!
Bonus yen!
