Places to Eat in the Abashiri Area
There is a pleasant variety of places to eat in the Okhotsk region, from Japanese food to Western food, from fast food to slow food, from cafés to more formal restaurants, as well as land food and sea food. But in most areas, because we are in the countryside, your choice of cuisine might not be available where you happen to get hungry, and you'll be happy if you find anything at all. Convenience stores manage to suffice in a pinch. I hope the information below and on the other pages will help you find something more quickly, and make it enjoyable for you as well.
Important caveat: Places to eat in the region tend to come and go, open hours change, and prices have also gone up in recent years, so it is not always possible to keep information up to date!
We start with Abashiri here; use the links above for other areas.
Abashiri area
Downtown area, both south and north of the Abashiri River
- Abashiri Michi-no-Eki ("Roadside Station") 2nd floor
Wide variety of standard Japanese food including local dishes.
Open: 11:00~16:30 daily Closed: 31 Dec ~ 1 Jan only
Price: ¥800~¥1,500.
Other: Non-smoking; various payment methods; kids okay.
Access: 1.7 km on main road from Abashiri train station heading east, left side, facing harbor; sufficient parking.
Comments: If you are in Abashiri and looking for lunch, this is a fun place for birders. The restaurant is on the 2nd floor, and the seats along the window have a good view over the mouth of the Abashiri River and beyond to Cape Notoro. You will want your binoculars with you. Set meals include a bowl of rice and miso soup. Noodles and seafood dishes are also on the menu. Order and pay for your food at the machine by the entrance, sit where you like, wait for your number to be called, pick up your food, then return your dishes when you're finished.
* If you are taking an Abashiri Nature Cruise (Spring ~ Autumn) or Drift Ice Cruise (late January ~ March), your boat will leave from the dock behind the Michi-no-Eki.
* Information provided by the Abashiri Tourism Association and a souvenir shop with local products are also available here.
* In the Ryu-hyo Glass Museum very near the Michinoeki, there is a Café that overlooks the river. It's also possible to sit outside when the weather permits!
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Bistarai Bistarai (ビスターレ・ビスターレ)
Nepalese & Indian curries
Open: 11:00~21:00.
Closed: Tuesdays, Year-end/New-year holidays.
Address: Kita 6-jo Nishi 1-chome 2-2, Abashiri
Price: Lunch around ¥1,000~1,500; Dinner ¥1,500+
Web: Info & Map
Other: Non-smoking; cash only; kids okay.
Access: Located north of Abashiri River, next to (east of) Kosei Hospital. From downtown Abashiri, cross Abashiri Bridge (at Mister Donuts) and turn left at the light by a Mitsubishi car dealer. (If you go straight, you are headed toward Cape Notoro.) From Abashiri station, cross Shimbashi Bridge in front of the station and follow the road for about 1 km till you pass the huge Kosei Hospital on the right. You will then see the restaurant as it looks in the photo. Parking for 4 cars.
Comments: Arjun, from Nepal, started this restaurant in 2005, just before I started to live in Abashiri. It was one of the first restaurants I went to, since I noticed it from the bus window as I rode to the Abashiri bus terminal from the airport. His wife waitressed. Arjun is a happy, hard-working person. Now there are Bistarai restaurants in Kitami, Kushiro, Obihiro, Asahikawa, and Sapporo as well. It's a good place to get a proper feed when you are hungry, such as after birdwatching at Cape Notoro.
The four below are in Abashiri's main "Apt 4" downtown neighborhood.
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Hamachou (浜長)
Popular among locals. Varied menu including set meals, soba, spaghetti, rice bowls, etc. Around Y1,000. Tends to be busy during lunch hour. Open 11:00-20:00 (last order 19:00); closed Sundays.
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Darumaya Ramen (だるまや ラーメン)
Popular ramen restaurant. Large portions of fried chicken (kara-agé) as well. Website
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Frontier (フロンティア)
Mainly Western-style food. Egg omelette and Frontier bento are good. ¥850-¥1400. Open for lunch and dinner most days. Website
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White House (ホワイト・ハウス)
Western-style meals with beef, pork, chicken and prawns. Open for lunch and dinner, except Thursdays. Generous portions. Website
Yobito, town at the entrance to the Yobito Birdwatching Trail
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On (温)
Homemade soba noodles and tempura
Open: 11:30 ~ 15:00 except Mon, Tue, Wed.
Address: Yobito 190-1, Abashiri
Price: ¥800~¥1,500
Web: (In Japanese), has photos, menu, etc.
Other: Non-smoking; cash only; kids okay
Access: About 7 km from downtown Abashiri on route 683, turn left when you see the sign to Tokyo University of Agriculture (TUA), or on route 490 from the Komaba area of Abashiri, take the first right after the entrance to TUA. You will see a tall wooden sign at the entrance to On at a curve in the road. From Yobito, head toward Memanbetsu on 39, turn left at the light and follow the signs to TUA.
Comments: Another place where you can watch birds while you eat. One of the best soba restaurants in the area. The soba noodles are made on site. The tempura is separately ordered side dishes, superb quality, especially the prawns (ebi). "On" is popular during the lunch hour, so after 1:30 pm would be a better time to go.
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Toryu Hanten (陶龍飯店)
Popular local Chinese-style restaurant. Good food at reasonable prices (~¥1100). In walking distance to/from the entrance to the Yobito Birdwatching Trail.
- Jiiji (ジージ)
Main meals here are curry in generous servings. My favorite is pork cutlet on rice with curry (about ¥1400). The owner has been a potter and made most of the cups and plates. Just across the street from Jiiji is the Rimo Gelateria where you can explore a myriad of creative flavors for dessert!
Komaba, Abashiri's shopping area, and gateway to Komaba Kinohiroba Forest Reserve
(Simple map, opening in a separate window)
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Hotto Motto Bento (ほっともっと弁当)
Take-out bento restaurant
Open: 10:00~23:00 daily
Address: Komaba-kita 6-1-17, Abashiri
Price: up to ¥1,000
Web: Menu with photos and prices
Access: Across the street from Basic supermarket and 7-Eleven convenience store, on the corner. Map
Comments: When the weather is good, you can get a bento lunch here, take it to Komaba Kinohiroba Forest Reserve, and enjoy it at a picnic table there (map) while you watch nuthatches and other birds. Very few people around. The main entrance to the forest is two blocks behind the big blue and white Aoyama clothes store. Parking for about 5 cars at the entrance, as well as at Hotto Motto. The food here is simple but good. The Makunouchi bento has a variety of goodies in it for about ¥680; menus change regularly. Hotto Motto is a nationwide chain.
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Hazeya Coffee (はぜや珈琲)
Café serving coffee and cake
Open: 11:00~18:00, Check calendar on website.
Address: Komaba-kita 3-9-7, Abashiri
Price: ±¥600
Website: In Japanese
Access: A bit hard to find. Coming up from downtown Abashiri, pass First discount liquor store, and take the second left. Map
Comments: A great place for coffee, drip and espresso, from around the world. Bean sales as well. Roasted on site. Behind Hazeya is an entrance to the west end of Komaba Kinohiroba Forest Reserve, which in total is a few kms in length. There is a picnic table at the end of the path that leads to the other side with a view of the Sea of Okhotsk.
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Mosburger (モスバーガー)
Fast-food hamburger restaurant with pleasant, relaxing atmosphere
Open: 9:30 ~ 23:00
Price: ±¥1,000
Other: Non-smoking; various payment methods; kids okay
Access: Just past McDonald's on the right heading east, by Sapporo Drugstore and Uniqlo parking lot. Map
Comments: If you'd like to take out and have your meal outdoors, the main entrance to Komaba Kinohiroba Forest Reserve, where you can find a picnic table, is a short walk from here, about 200 m behind the big blue and white Aoyama clothes store across from Basic supermarket.
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Tsuki (鮨ダイニング「月」)
Spacious sushi restaurant open for lunch and dinner
Open: 11:00~21:45 daily
Address: Komaba-kita 5-83-27, Abashiri
Price: Lunch ¥1,000~¥2000; Dinner ¥2,000+
Web: In Japanese
Other: Separate smoking/non-smoking sections; various payment methods; kids okay
Access: Faces main road, next to Palo game center, on left after you pass Yamada Denki. Parking in front of restaurant, or if full, turn at the next left and you'll find another parking area at the side of the restaurant. Map
Comments: When we want to eat sushi, we usually buy it at Basic supermarket and have it at home, but Tsuki is a good, affordable place to go if you want to dine out. Various types of seating available. Calling ahead for a reservation is recommended if your group is five or more. A sister sushi restaurant downtown is Kiyomasa, behind the Central Hotel (try to get there early and sit at the counter, as the rooms upstairs are a bit small, and talking with the sushi chef is part of the fun of going to these places). Another sister sushi restaurant is Big Sun, in the Shiomi area.
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Katsuriki Tonkatsu (かつ里喜 トンカツ)
For hearty pork cutlet (tonkatsu) meals.
Open: 11:00~21:00 daily (Lunch: 11:00-14:30)
Address: Tsukushigaoka 2-7-7, Abashiri
Price: ¥1,200+
Web: In Japanese
Other: Non-smoking; various payment methods; kids okay
Access: Parking available.
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Linden (リンデン)
Good, quiet place with healthy food for lunch. ¥1,100.
Open: 11:30~14:00, closed Sunday and Thursday.
Address: Tsukushigaoka 2-7-7, Abashiri.
Other places in Komaba we like to go to:
Nakau (affordable yet good fast-food-style udon, beef bowls, etc.; open 24 hours, good Japanese-style breakfast with salmon, natto, miso soup and rice), in front of Yamada Denki; Sampachi Ramen (Chinese noodles), yellow building near Nakau; free ice cream available from the freezer in front of you when you check out!
*Walking from the Co-op supermarket area to Kinohiroba Forest Reserve is also possible, as there is another entrance via the residential neighborhood behind Shimamura and Hard Off. Walk through the ally between those two stores, out the employees' parking lot in the back, then turn left when you see your way clear to the forest. The entrance is near a small playground for kids. (See PDF map of Komaba mentioned above.)
*Another park within walking distance from the Nakau/Sampachi area is Komaba Park. Cross the main road (to the Lawson side) and walk west past Lawson about 200 m up the slope until you get to the entrance to the park where you see trees and a stream below. The park is about 600 m long. The trees and stream provide a good environment for birds.
