Today we woke up at 5 am to fly to Kushiro, on the Northern island of Hokkaido. As we landed, we could see endless green out the window, peeking out beneath the fog. This is a different place than Tokyo, and it seems magical so far.
Signs at the airport
We’ve had an unbelievable day, and in another post I will have to write about the Ainu culture (the indigenous group up here), the Onsen experience (relaxing in the hot springs), and staying in this amazing traditional Japanese hotel. 
Since I need to sleep desperately, I’ll just say for now that we’ve been pampered, and the climax of the amazing day was our unbelievable dinner. We had 10 courses, and I tried all sorts of new things, both unrecognizable and raw. And I’m proud to say that I tried everything. Amazing. Normally, I don’t photograph so much of my food, but can you believe that this was all one meal?
I can’t tell you what all of those foods are, but I ate them, and they were oishii (delicious). Our waitress was very sweet and just kept offering new treats. The view of Lake Akan was stunning, and our group laughed a lot tonight.
Our Kushiro group is only half of the American teachers, because the other 12 went to Hashimoto. We are having a wonderful time so far, and doing lots of bonding, but we already miss the other half of our group. We can’t wait to see them and tell them all sorts of stories of our adventures. It’s only been one day and we are all loving being in Group Kushiro!
The Kushiro Group!
Categories: Japan
Innovation on Earth 
Wow! The food looks delicious. I notice that there was little portions of food. When you tried the food, what was your reaction to it and how did it taste like? How was this food different from America?
Most of it was good. Some parts were strange. It’s hard for me to eat the raw foods, because I’m not used to it, but they taste pretty good actually. The texture is kind of different!
those foods look delicious!!!
I noticed you’re barefoot in one picture. Is there a reason for that? like culture, or something. You might have already covered it and I forgot… my inbox is overflowing with new Innovation On Earth posts among other e-mails! It took me a couple days to realize it was because you were in Japan!
Yes, it is traditional to take shoes off inside in many indoor places. Especially when they have the old traditional mats. Yes, lots of posts! Thanks for following, Lovinia! We are having busy days over here!
What part of Japan is Hokkaido? The food looked delicious? How is Japanese food different from American food?
What part of Japan is Hokkaido? The food looked delicious. How is Japanese food different from American food?
Hokkaido is as far north as you can do in Japan 🙂 Yes, the food is very different. The attention to detail in how they present it is pretty beautiful.
The food looks delicious! 🙂 What kinds of food were there? I saw a bowl of rice, some soup, and what looks like a pig snout. I think I saw some sushi too! Which course did you like the most? Were there any other cultural differences you saw between America and Japan?
~ Anna
All that food looks very oishii (delicious)! The most delicious looking one for me was the very last one that looked like ice cream. I feel ten courses is a lot. How did you feel when all the courses were finished? I would have been stuffed. I am wondering how long did it take for the cooks to prepare everything? How did you feel when you first saw all the food? If the food was in anyway similar to American food how was it similar? How much of each food is served for you? It seems like a lot of food considering the most amount of courses we eat in America is 3. Finally were there any desserts? If yes what were they and how did they taste like? It seems like a lot of fun trying out the new foods!
Hi Adhiti! Yes, it was a lot of food, but it was spread out over a few hours I think. Not all at once! And no desserts this time. There were some similarities to American food, like fish for a main course, but also lots of differences. In Japan, there are more raw foods, like types of sushi. Also, I had a cold bean soup which was really yummy but not something I’ve ever seen before.
What are some differences between the Ainu and the other Japanese people?
Wow, ten courses! Although they are small amonts. The food all looked new to me and cool to try some day . How did you like it?
I loved almost all of it! Except raw shrimp. I like it better cooked.
I love sushi with fish eggs and a few types of raw fish.