When planning a trip, it is easy to add one more place to visit—and then another. Before you know it, your schedule has stretched well into the evening, and you may no longer make it back to your hotel in time for dinner.

That is exactly what happened to us during our trip to eastern Hokkaido. We had come a long way, and naturally we wanted to see as much as possible. So, for our night in Kawayu Onsen, we decided to make a dinner reservation at Miraku Sushi, a long-established sushi restaurant in the onsen town.

Visiting a restaurant for the first time can be exciting, but it can also make you a little nervous. What will the food be like? Will the atmosphere be welcoming? Google Maps reviews can be helpful, but we have sometimes found that our own experience differs from what we expected.

As we walked from our hotel through the quiet streets of Kawayu Onsen, with hardly anyone around, we could not help feeling a little uncertain. But once we arrived at Miraku Sushi, those worries soon disappeared.

We enjoyed a wonderful selection of seafood, including local specialties from eastern Hokkaido. Just as memorable as the food was the friendly conversation with the chef. Sitting at the counter, talking about the ingredients and the region, we found that the experience made the sushi taste even better.

Our meal included an assorted tempura platter and the restaurant’s special omakase local sushi selection. We also enjoyed Pacific saury from Nemuro, an autumn favorite, and oysters from Akkeshi. Later, we ordered additional pieces: fresh saury nigiri and a gunkan-maki topped with a raw Akkeshi oyster.

By the time we left, the uncertainty we had felt on our way to the restaurant had been replaced by a sense of happiness and satisfaction. Everything was delicious, and Miraku Sushi is now on our list of places we would love to visit again.

In our video, we have kept the scenes largely in the order they happened so that you can enjoy the atmosphere of the evening and the conversation at the counter with us. We also reveal the total cost of our dinner near the end.

Video chapters

00:00　Opening
00:30　Walking from our hotel to Miraku Sushi
01:48　A toast with sake and a conversation about sightseeing around Kawayu Onsen
05:36　Miraku Sushi and the great sumo champion Taiho
07:24　The dedication and craft of chefs
09:00　Assorted tempura and a conversation about the Northern Territories
11:39　Special omakase local sushi selection
13:30　Autumn flavors: Nemuro saury and Akkeshi oysters
16:30　Extra orders: fresh saury nigiri and Akkeshi oyster gunkan-maki
19:18　The chef’s recommended sake for sushi: “Kappa”
22:10　Tasting the oyster gunkan-maki
24:05　How much did dinner at Miraku Sushi cost?

Related video

An unforgettable dinner at Shogetsu Ryokan in Nemuro

About Miraku Sushi

Miraku Sushi is located in the onsen town of Kawayu, in Teshikaga, eastern Hokkaido. The restaurant is known for sushi and seafood dishes featuring seasonal ingredients. It is also associated with the great sumo champion Taiho, who is said to have visited the restaurant.

Although Kawayu Onsen is inland, eastern Hokkaido is home to rich fishing areas, including Nemuro and Akkeshi. At Miraku Sushi, we were able to enjoy seafood from this remarkable region while staying in a mountain onsen town.

Address: 1-5-36 Kawayu Onsen, Teshikaga, Hokkaido, Japan

Opening hours and closing days may change, so we recommend checking with the restaurant before visiting.

Taiho: The Great Sumo Champion Who Grew Up in Teshikaga

Taiho, the 48th yokozuna, or grand champion of sumo, was born on Sakhalin in 1940 and spent part of his childhood in Teshikaga. He became one of the most celebrated sumo wrestlers of the Showa era, winning 32 top-division tournament championships.

During his youth in Teshikaga, Taiho worked at a forestry office while attending evening high school. Kawayu Onsen is also home to a museum dedicated to his life and achievements. The connection between Taiho and Miraku Sushi adds another local story to a meal in this onsen town.

Kawayu Onsen: Strongly Acidic Waters Near Mount Io

Kawayu Onsen is located in Teshikaga, within Akan-Mashu National Park. The surrounding area is known for its volcanic landscapes, including Lake Kussharo, Lake Mashu, and Mount Io, also known by its Ainu name, Atosanupuri.

One of the defining features of Kawayu Onsen is its strongly acidic water, with a pH of around 1.7. Hot spring water also flows through the town in a stream, making the connection between the onsen and its landscape easy to see. Volcanic heat and gases in the Mount Io area play an important role in the region’s hot spring environment.

The composition of the water can differ from one source to another. If you would like to learn more about the water at a particular bath, look for the hot spring analysis report displayed at the facility.

Akkeshi Oysters: A Delicacy from Eastern Hokkaido

Akkeshi, on the Pacific coast of eastern Hokkaido, is famous for its oysters. They are cultivated using the environments of both Lake Akkeshi and Akkeshi Bay and are among the region’s best-known seafood specialties.

Oysters are often associated with autumn and winter, but Akkeshi is known for shipping oysters intended for raw consumption throughout the year. The cool water in the area helps producers manage the oysters’ maturation and makes year-round supply possible.

At Miraku Sushi, we ordered an Akkeshi oyster as gunkan-maki: a piece of sushi rice wrapped in a strip of nori and topped with a raw oyster. It was a delicious way to enjoy the oyster together with the rice and seaweed.

#KawayuOnsen #MirakuSushi #Teshikaga #EasternHokkaido #HokkaidoFood #Sushi #AkkeshiOysters #NemuroSaury #JapanTravel #FSPublishingTravel