Walked around and found it

A tantalizing topic

Try the delicious glutinous rice dishes around Nayoro

Words by Azusa Yajima
Photographs by Keiji Tsuyuguchi
Translation by Xene Inc.

Nayoro Bagel

Paradise for vegetable lovers! "Glutinous Rice Lunch"

Farm restaurant ORTO

"Orto" means "vegetable garden" in Italian. "Our restaurant's concept is to create ways for guests to truly appreciate delicious vegetables. We want our diners to appreciate the spirit and dedication of the producers, so we carefully select each and every ingredient." Toshirio Koya speaks passionately about his restaurant. After mastering his craft as a hotel chef, Koya was inspired to return to his hometown to continue his career of bringing local ingredients to new heights. The windows of his new restaurant gaze across fields of vegetables.

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Toshirio Koya

We ordered the "Motto Mochi Gome Lunch" (Lunch featuring glutinous rice), and were surprised by the beautiful arrangement, generous servings, and creative ways to use glutinous rice. Served with our choice of bread or rice, a glutinous rice dessert, and coffee, all for a very reasonable 980 yen.

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“Motto Mochi Gome Lunch”

Farm restaurant ORTO

Hours: Lunch 11:00 to 14:00 Diner 17:00 to 20:00
Closed: Every Thursday
1084-2 Nisshin, Nayoro, Hokkaido, Japan
Tel.: 01654-3-0722
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Sekihan (glutinous rice with red beans) is a must try at Nayoro Bagel!

Shop's Garden SENKA

"We make our bagels not from glutinous rice flour, but steamed glutinous rice. We get the best texture from kneading by hand, although we can only make small batches." Megumi Aihara introduces us to the world of glutinous rice bagels. Her husband and the owner of Nayoro Bagel, Makoto, chimes in with a touch of pride, "Every recipe she dreams up becomes a new hit." Like their bagels, they built the business from scratch – Makoto even built the log house shop by himself.

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Makoto and Megumi Aihara

Of Nayoro Bagel's thirty offerings, "Sekihan" (glutinous rice with red beans) is the crowd favorite. Kneading in glutinous rice -- known for its stretchy, springy texture in rice cakes -- gives the bagels a wonderfully toothsome bite. The recipe contains no milk, eggs, or butter, making the sekihan bagel just as popular among those with food allergies.

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Sekihan Bagel, 260 yen

Shop's Garden SENKA

Hours: Shop 10:00 to 18:00 , Cafe 11:00 to 15:00
Closed: Every Tuesday
1106 Nisshin, Nayoro, Hokkaido, Japan
Tel.: 01654-3-0760
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And old-time favorite! "Kinako Mochi no Pan" (roast soy flour and glutinous rice bread)

café Fuumu

"Here in Furen, there didn't seem to be any cafés, so I was inspired to start a place where anyone could stop by," reminisces the owner Hitomi Nakao of opening her café three years ago. With a wide variety to choose from, Fuumu is a local favorite, even among the elderly who are more accustomed to rice than bread.

The "Kinako Mochi no Pan" (roast soy flour and glutinous rice bread) contains gyuhi, a very soft rice confection, providing a tender yet chewy texture to complement the gentle sweetness of roast soy flour.

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Hitomi Nakao showing her wonderful smile

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Plump and tempting “Kinako Mochi no Pan”, 180 yen

café Fuumu

Hours: 10:00 to 18:00 
Closed: Every Sunday
68 Honcho Furen, Nayoro, Hokkaido, Japan
Tel.:080-3266-5787
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JAPANESE