Traditional Japanese @ Karamatsu, New Furano Prince Hotel (Hokkaido, Japan)

It felt so good to be back in Japan, like slipping into a familiar robe. We travelled to Furano again to ski and snowboard, because we had liked the powder snow so much last time. We stayed at the same ski-in ski-out resort which is really conveniently located close to the chair lifts and slopes, and the ski/snowboard schools and rental shop on the ground floor made it the perfect hotel to base ourselves at. There are a few restaurants in the hotel, which we perused a few times for dinner so that the kids could have a reasonable bed time. On our first evening at the New Furano Prince Hotel, we had a lovely Japanese dinner at Restaurant Karamatsu. The pricing was reasonable for a hotel restaurant, and we were all satisfied with our meal. The staff were extremely helpful with regards to our boy's allergies, even calling in the hotel's translator to help clarify.

Some seats at the sushi bar:

Plenty of tables:

We each ordered different set courses for dinner: Kids Menu (1850yen) for the 6-year-old, hubby chose Saika (5150yen), and I ordered Shisai (3600yen).

The Kids Course included a lot of goodies that appeals to kids, like shrimp and vegetable tempura, corn dog, omelette, chicken karaage (fried chicken) and pumpkin korokke (Japanese croquette). There were also more healthy items like tekkadon (thinly sliced tuna sashimi on rice), sashimi salmon and amaebi (sweet shrimps), chawanmushi (Japanese steamed egg custard), and soy sauce-soaked ikura (salmon roe). A glass of juice and bowl of miso soup were also included:

This was hubby's Saika appetiser - a variety of sashimi (tuna, salmon and shrimp), hot potato soup, tofu and blanched leafy greens in flavourful dashi:

The appetiser in the Shisai set contained sashimi salmon and scallop and the same blanched leafies and potato soup as in the Saika course:

A delicious nimono of simmered vegetables and teriyaki yellowtail in hubby's Saika course:

The same teriyaki yellowtail also featured in the Shisai course, as well as a tasty chawanmushi (steamed egg custard):

Saika set: shabu-shabu pork from Kamifurano, and with a delicious goma-dare (sesame sauce) drizzled over it. Tender and tasty:

The final course of the Shisai set also featured Kamifurano pork, in a soup stew with Pacific cod. It was accompanied by a scallop takikomi-gohan (seasoned rice), miso soup and tsukemono (pickled vegetables):

The Saika Course came with three types of sushi and miso soup:

Vanilla ice cream and a slice of sweet Japanese pear was the dessert in the Kids Course:

The Saika Course also included a dessert - salted ice cream, mizu youkan (a jellied dessert made of red adzuki bean paste) and a slice of juicy Japanese pear:

I love Japanese food for its unadulterated and wholesome nature which highlights each ingredient with minimal adornment. This was a good first meal to start our trip with.

Restaurant Karamatsu
12th Floor
New Furano Prince Hotel
Nakagoryo
Furano, Hokkaido
Japan 076-8511
Hotel Tel.: +81 (0)167-22-1111