February 2025
Shiroi Koibito Park – Sapporo
Aside from the world’s best cold water fish, milk, and chocolate are two famous products of Hokkaido.
Dairy farming dates back to the Meiji Restoration, when Western methods of agriculture were introduced, transforming Hokkaido into Japan’s dairy hub. Hokkaido milk is famous for its distinctive taste and texture due to the region’s cool climate and lush pastures, its minimal processing helping to retain its original flavor and nutrients, and the unique minerals found in Hokkaido’s soil contribute to its flavor.
It is rather obvious that chocolate does not originate from Japan; however, the country has been known to put its own spin on this confection. New chocolate products are constantly being introduced, and people in Tokyo have been known to line up in front of famous chocolatiers to buy the latest chocolate creations.
White chocolate fondue for lunch at Shiroi Koibito Park
It is thought that chocolate was first introduced to Japan in 1797. In the early 1900s, chocolate became a larger import into Japan but was still somewhat confined to the upper classes and as a “medicine”. In the 1920s, chocolate factories began production in Japan and it has grown from there.
The fruit for the chocolate fondue
Milk chocolate rules the roost in Japan’s chocolate world, but bitter chocolate is beginning to find a niche as well.
One of the most popular chocolates in Japan, and my favorite, is matcha (green tea) flavored chocolate. The sweetness of chocolate combined with the bitterness of matcha makes a divine flavor combination.
My day consisted of a visit to Shiroi Koibito Park, a theme park owned by Ishiya, a local chocolate company. The company’s flagship product and one of Hokkaido’s most famous souvenirs is the Shiroi Koibito cookie, which consists of two thin butter cookies with a layer of white chocolate in between.
The architecture of the theme park is highly European
*
*
This is a theme park, so truly geared to children. However, watching the cookies being made is fascinating.
*
*
There is a rather massive gift shop, so going home with boxes of cookies is a very easy thing to do, whether you have space in your luggage or not.
Another famous Hokkaido chocolate is Royce. Established in 1983, Royce is famous for its “Nama Chocolate,” a ganache made with melted cacao and fresh cream and dusted with fine cocoa powder.
Japanese sweets are very different from those of America. Not so sweet, they are, nonetheless, delicious and addicting.