Autumn in Hokkaido is a comma before the long period of white winter. Autumn's food season too scurries almost directly from summer to wintry tastes, so here's a look at how the locals keep warm, starting in November and feasting all the way into May.
Hokkaido residents never tire of ramen. There are many regional twists on this noodle dish, such as adding butter, corn, Hokkaido potatoes, cabbage or, for a special wintry treat, a thin layer of melted lard on top of the soup. The scalding oil traps both flavor and heat and is used for any soup base, but especially miso ramen, which originated in Sapporo in the 1950s as a healthy, light taste.
The second wave of miso ramen started in the '60s with a small shop whose kanji could be read Junren or Sumire. The ramen featured a thick, filling soup infused with the complex taste of full-bodied pork and its oils merged with rich, robust miso. Though it was neither healthy nor light, the people of Sapporo loved this new, hearty version of miso ramen, and the owner's sons opened two separate shops that have since grown into Sapporo's most famous ramen chains, Junren (www.junren.co.jp) and Sumire (www.sumireya.com).