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Abashiri    Tofutsu Lake    Shari/Shiretoko

Places to Eat around Shari & Shiretoko

• Kohikiya (こひきや)
  Café, curry & rice, pizza
  Op: 11:00~18:00 on Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri, Sat; 13:00~18:00 on Sunday
  Cl: Wednesday; also Tuesday in Oct~Dec. Some irregular holidays as well. *According to Kohikiya's website, there is a green flag at their "こひきや" sign on the main road when they're open (photo). Tel: 0152-28-2123
  Ad: Minehama 110, Shari-cho
  Price: ¥1,000~¥2,000
  Web: In Japanese
  Other: Non-smoking; no credit cards; kids not mentioned
  Access: Minehama is a small fishing village along route 334 to Utoro, about 20 minutes east of Shari. If you are heading toward Utoro (Shiretoko), there is a right turn in the town at the こひきや sign, then there is a left turn at another sign (after passing an elementary school on the right), and fairly quickly you get there. It is adjacent to the Shari Pottery Kiln (Shari-gama) that runs the café. The kiln's website is here. Map
  Comments: This is a beautiful spot, well worth planning a stop if you are heading toward Shiretoko or the other way. The kiln's gallery of pottery is here as well. Nakamura-san, who started the kiln in 1983 after coming to Minehama from Hagi, a traditional pottery town in western Japan, fires his wares in a nobori-gama (climbing kiln). He and now also his son focus on using clay sourced in Hokkaido, not rich in suitable clay like most other parts of Japan, and use Hokkaido wood as fuel to fire their pottery. (Many Hokkaido potters use Japanese larch, a tree not native to Hokkaido but very plentiful after having been planted here since the late 19th century.) The pottery that the Nakamuras produce at Shari-gama is rich in variety and offers a pleasing complement to the ambiance of your lunch or coffee at Kohikiya.

• Ikkyuya (一休屋)
  Shiretoko cuisine (seafood such as salmon roe on rice, etc.)
  Op: 11:00~18:00 daily (closes earlier if sold out)
  Cl: Irregular holidays but open on Sunday (info from Tabelog). Tel: 0152-24-2557
  Ad: Utoro-higashi 13, Shari-cho
  Price: ¥1,000~¥2,900
  Web: In Japanese
  Other: Non-smoking; no info about credit cards; kids okay
  Access: Very close to Utoro bus terminal. Limited parking, but 5 minutes walk from the Utoro Michi-no-Eki where you can park instead if necessary. Map
  Comments: Open since 1958, located in center of Utoro. Seafood is very fresh and good. I've eaten here several times, good every time. Specialty is various salmon roe (ikura) and sea urchin (uni) dishes, but the menu has much more. While foot-free in Utoro, it is nice to walk down to Uronko Rock, or even to the top of it to see what birds and plants you will find there.