Continued from post here and you can view the start of the journey at this link.
The next morning, it was time to check out of Chalet Furuyi and wrap up our adventures in Furano. The weather was perfect. It was sunny and warm but not humid, nothing like the summers we experienced in Tokyo and Kyoto. It was pretty much like our summer weather in California. Being our last day in Furano, we really wanted to take advantage of the some of the remaining attractions it has to offer. Our first visit was the Furano Cheese Factory.
We arrived around 10 am, and surprisingly, it was relatively empty as it looked like we were able to avoid the tour buses when we arrived. The Furano Cheese Factory lets visitors observe the production process of the local camembert type cheese from behind windows. Besides seeing the process of making local cheese, there is also an ice cream and pizza factory, as well as workshops for making ice cream, butter, bread, and cheese.
Prior to entering, we decided to visit their ice cream parlor first as the weather was warm and perfect. Both the ice cream parlor and pizzeria was on the outer area of the cheese factory. We skipped the pizzeria as we had other plans for lunch later.
The ice cream parlor had lots of unique and fun favors. The focus of the parlor is to combine the unique richness of the Hokkaido milk with the local produce. We found the current flavors of pumpkin, asparagus, grape juice, corn, milk and cheese.
I tried asparagus and corn flavor. The Hokkaido milk contained a strong milk taste and was very rich and smooth, producing some amazing ice cream that’s very creamy. It paired really well with the corn and, surprisingly, the asparagus. We also tried grape juice ice cream which was popular with our little ones, and pumpkin. The flavors of the local produce really stood out in each flavor.
The main hall of the factory was spacious and showcased the history and process of making cheese in the local region. We really loved the triangular architecture of the interior building.
There were some fun displays and exhibits that provided fun photo opportunities. Here, my youngest was having fun posing for one of the exhibits of how early cheese was made.
My younger son pretending to be “milking” the cow with one of the old-coin-operated displays.
There is a market section where you can purchase some of the locally produced items and additionally, you can sample three of the local cheeses. Here, it included the sepia (cuttlefish ink), maison de pierre, and a wine cheddar. The maison de pierre and wine cheddar was good, but couldn’t compare to cheese in the US or Europe.
Here is an up close view of the cuttlefish ink cheese, which love or hate it, you have to try it. While I like squid ink in dishes like pasta and risotto, I’m not quite sold on this combo with a fermented dairy product. The taste of the cuttlefish ink, which is like squid ink, had a slightly salty taste. Furthermore, that tiny hint of the “sea taste” was all gone, probably during the fermentation process. It wasn’t bad, but was not special.
With all the discussion of the local Hokkaido milk, we had to try it ourselves. It was very creamy, with a texture almost like half-and- half but with a strong milk flavor. It was really good. You can see why the ice cream, cheese cake, and other baked goods in Hokkaido are some of the best in the world.
We made reservations for our children to learn how to make ice cream. The available class that was not too late for us was in the afternoon, so we decided to come back to the downtown area of Furano to have lunch and kill some time before coming back.
We headed for Furano Marche in the downtown area, which is a co-op for the local farms and businesses to sell their items. It’s been a place we visited the last couple of days for me to get my coffee fix, and about a 15 minute drive away from the cheese factory.
Directly across the street from Furano Marche and next to its second building of Furano Marche, is Genba Soup Curry. Soup curry is my list of eats while in Hokkaido and while it originated from our next destination of Sapporo, we could not resist trying it in Furano when we saw the shop.
Soup curry uses more water than regular sauce like curry, giving it a soup-like consistency with a spicy taste and paired with a rainbow of vegetables. I had the classic soup curry which is served with a side bowl of rice. The classic soup curry has large chicken leg and paired with its local produce: kabocha (squash), bell peppers, carrots, and a soft boil egg. With the first bite, you get the spiciness from the spice blend as well as the umami from the broth that fills your mouth and was pretty addicting from beginning to end. I thought I would not like the chicken leg as it was boiled, but it was tender and the meat fell of the bone- but not in an overcooked way. It was expertly cooked and the curry broth helped to flavor the meat.
My wife had the natto curry. You have the same soup base curry but with “chunks” of natto and minus the chicken. Natto, which is a fermented soy bean, is usually served in breakfast, and something we came to acquire a taste for from our frequent travels to Japan. If you like natto, this was really good complement to the spices as you get that cheese-like kick.
We ended up really enjoying the soup curry. Regrettably, we did not have the opportunity to try venture into some of the more famous shops in Sapporo later on. But it will definitely be in our plans the next time we come back, as Sapporo is the claimed birthplace of soup curry.
After lunch, we hung out at the various shops in Furuno Marche. I had a latte and my wife had a matcha latte that we had to highlight, as the barista was skilled in creating images with the foam.
Additionally, we have to share our funny experience ordering hot chocolate for the kids. I asked for hot chocolate, but they said they did not have hot chocolate and apologized for it, but later mentioned they did have hot cocoa. My wife and I laughed, and we learned how to order hot “chocolate” next time for the kids.
We did more shopping at one of the markets of the co-op. You can get some nice local produce, that while not cheap, has some of the best tasting fruits and vegetables I ever tasted.
We bought some corn, which you can eat raw. At about $3.80 US for each ear, they were pretty expensive, but they were amazing as each kernel was plump, sweet, and juicy. Furano corn is simply the best corn I ever had.
We also bought two types of strawberry that looked simply perfect. They were both delicious, but the smaller ones were actually sweeter and full of that floral strawberry flavor.
You can also get some perfect Furano cantaloupe. Although much cheaper than what you get in Tokyo, at $25 per melon. It’s still quite pricey, although you can not get the taste like it in the States.
We went back to the cheese factory and headed towards the class. At the appointed time, my kids put on their aprons, and it was funny watching them listen to the instructor who was speaking in Japanese. They had no clue what she was saying, but the instructors were patient and used to hosting foreigners. They used lots of gestures that was intuitive for our kids so they were able to follow along.
Here, the Hokkaido milk was poured into cups, and then sugar was stirred. It was pretty easy to follow for everyone. Everyone’s content was poured into the ice cream maker.
While the machine makes the ice cream, the kids got to make the wafer batter which they then poured into the waffle machine to make your own waffle cone.
We took pictures while we waited for the ice cream machine to finish the churning process as well as the kids eating the corners of their waffle.
Once the ice cream machine was done, we got the finished product. The ice cream was really smooth and creamy due to the use of Hokkaido milk. While I originally decided not to reserve a spot for the class due to the language barrier, it turned out really well and the kids really enjoyed themselves.
Next up will be our post on visiting the Furano Jam Factory and Furano Winery before we headed to Sapporo.