Hokkaido, Japan's top producer of milk, uses raw milk from cows raised in its vast natural environment to make dairy products such as butter and cheese, as well as a wide variety of ice cream and soft serve.

In the Okhotsk Abashiri region, there are milk products that have been popular with locals for many years, such as "Okhotsk Abashiri Milk" and "Higashimokoto Milk," and ice cream and soft serve made with these milks are very popular.

This time, we'll introduce places and shops around Abashiri (from Memanbetsu Airport to Abashiri) where you can enjoy delicious soft-serve ice cream made with fresh milk.

Table of contents
1. Memanbetsu Airport, the gateway to the sky: "Honoka Airport Antenna Shop"
2. Michi-no-Eki Märchen-no-Oka Memanbetsu "Antenna Shop Honoka"
3. "Squirrel's Forest," a specialty gelato shop offering authentic gelato.
4. "café&cake Kazahana," a lovely cake shop with terrace seating.
5. The view from Mt. Tento is also superb at the "Okhotsk Drift Ice Museum".
6. A hidden gem of a cafe: "Shokudo Cafe Manma"
7. "Roadside Station Ryuhyo Kaido Abashiri" facing the Sea of ​​Okhotsk

Memanbetsu Airport, the gateway to the Okhotsk Abashiri region, is known for its fantastic views from the air! Many people say that the views from the plane are amazing, and you can enjoy the scenery of each season from above, including Lake Kussharo, Lake Mashu, the moss phlox in spring, and the sunflower fields in autumn.

At "Antenna Shop Honoka Airport Store" located on the 2nd floor of the airport, you can enjoy soft serve ice cream from "Higashimokoto Dairy House," a cheese factory in Higashimokoto, and "Shiroi Koibito Soft Serve Ice Cream" (350 yen each).

This is "Higashimokoto Dairy House's" original soft-serve ice cream, "Dairy House Cheese" (350 yen). It boasts a refreshing taste while still showcasing their signature cheese flavor, making it highly recommended for cheese lovers.

Honoka Airport Antenna Shop
HP:http://www.marchen-hill.com/
Address: 201-3 Memanbetsu Chuo, Ozora-cho, Abashiri-gun, Hokkaido 099-2371
TEL：0152-77-3412
Hours: 8: 00 ~ 20: 00
Closed: New Year's holiday
Parking lot: Yes

Now famous nationwide for its rural scenery, the Fairy Tale Hill is home to the "Roadside Station Fairy Tale Hill Memanbetsu," where visitors can enjoy a free-to-use dog run and a small rose garden, as well as purchase local vegetables, seedlings, and specialty products from the surrounding area.

At "Antenna Shop Honoka" located inside the roadside station, you can also purchase soft serve ice cream from the cheese factory "Higashimokoto Dairy House" and "Shiroi Koibito soft serve ice cream."

"Shiroi Koibito Soft Serve Ice Cream" is an original soft serve ice cream from Ishiya Seika, famous for its popular confection "Shiroi Koibito." It comes in three flavors: white, black, and mixed, and has a rich taste with Hokkaido-produced fresh milk and the white and black chocolate from Shiroi Koibito.

Michi-no-Eki Märchen-no-Oka Memanbetsu Antenna Shop Honoka
HP:http://www.marchen-hill.com/
Address: 96-1 Showa, Memanbetsu, Ozora-cho, Abashiri-gun, Hokkaido 099-2356
TEL：0152-75-6160
Hours: 9: 00 ~ 18: 00
Closed: New Year's holiday
Parking lot: Yes
Access: Approximately 10 minutes by car from Memanbetsu Airport

Located about 15 minutes by car from Memanbetsu Airport, along National Route 39 leading to Abashiri Tentozan, is the gelato shop "Risu no Mori." It attracts many visitors from both within and outside Hokkaido, and is a place I would recommend as "the place to go for gelato in Hokkaido!"

The gelato base uses pasteurized milk from Abashiri, the local area. In addition to classic gelato flavors such as pistachio, caramel, and rum raisin, there is a wide variety of flavors available, including local ingredients such as corn, pumpkin, and silver vine, as well as seasonal flavors like mojito (summer) and chestnut (autumn).

This is the limited-edition spring "Sakura" flavor (370 yen). It's a creamy and light gelato with a subtle cherry blossom flavor, a gelato that evokes the feeling of spring both in appearance and taste.

Squirrel Forest
HP:http://www.risunomori.com/
Address: 418 Yobito, Abashiri City, Hokkaido 099-2421
TEL：0152-48-3053
Opening hours: 10:00 AM - 18:00 PM (summer), 10:00 AM - 16:00 PM (winter)
Closed days: Irregular (closed on Wednesdays during winter)
Parking lot: Yes
Access: Approximately 15 minutes by car from Memanbetsu Airport

"Café & Cake Kazahana," a cake shop surrounded by the magnificent nature of Okhotsk, resembles a farmhouse nestled in the European countryside. Its open terrace seating, where you can enjoy the sparkling sunlight filtering through the fresh greenery and a panoramic view of Lake Abashiri, is also a major attraction.

The cakes and baked goods made with locally sourced ingredients are "safe and secure," and are very popular locally. The shop has a reputation as a place where you can enjoy delicious sweets while experiencing the nature of Okhotsk.

This soft-serve ice cream (310 yen) is made with "Okhotsk Abashiri Milk," available only during the summer, and fresh cream from Hokkaido. The natural flavor of the milk pairs perfectly with the slightly sweet waffle cone.

café&cake Kazahana
HP:http://www.abashiri-fuka.com/
Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/abashiri.fuka/
Address: 121-7 Yobito, Abashiri City, Hokkaido 099-2421
TEL：0152-48-2006
Opening hours: 10:00 AM - 19:00 PM (Last order: 18:00 PM in summer, 17:00 PM in winter)
Closed on Wednesdays (or the following day if Wednesday is a public holiday).
Parking lot: Yes
Access: Approximately 20 minutes by car from Memanbetsu Airport

In addition to the paid drift ice experience area, there are other attractions such as the "Okhotsk Drift Ice Museum," a popular spot where you can experience drift ice throughout the year, the "cafe & restaurant 360" where you can enjoy lunch and coffee, and an observation deck where you can see the Sea of ​​Okhotsk, Lake Abashiri, and the Shiretoko mountain range.

On the first floor, "Café de Clione" offers a café menu and local specialties, where you can easily enjoy coffee, soft drinks, parfaits, and "Chigiri Tempura," a frozen fish paste dish originating in Abashiri.

The most popular item is the "Drift Ice Soft Serve Ice Cream" (300 yen), which has an irresistible salted caramel flavor made with salt from the Sea of ​​Okhotsk! This soft serve ice cream is made by "Risu no Mori," a gelato specialty shop in Yobito, but unfortunately it is not sold at "Risu no Mori" and is an exclusive menu item at "Café de Clione."

Okhotsk Drift Ice Museum "Café de Clione"
HP:https://www.ryuhyokan.com/restaurant/
Address: 244-3 Tentozan, Abashiri City, Hokkaido 093-0044, Japan (Okhotsk Drift Ice Museum 1F)
TEL：0152-67-7643
Opening hours: May to October 8:30 AM to 6:00 PM (last entry 5:30 PM)
November to April: 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM (Last entry at 4:00 PM)
Open from 10:00 to 15:00 during the New Year's holiday period (last entry at 14:30).
Closed days: None (follows the schedule of the Okhotsk Drift Ice Museum)
Parking lot: Yes
Access: Approximately 20 minutes by car from Memanbetsu Airport

Located inside the Okhotsk Cultural Exchange Center is "Shokudo Cafe Manma," a popular spot among locals. If you enter the center and head straight to the back, you'll see a large soft-serve ice cream cone.

Located within the center, it might be an unfamiliar place for tourists visiting Abashiri. However, the building houses an "Information Center" area where you can find brochures and information on tourist spots and restaurants in Abashiri, making it a useful place to get tourist information.

This cafe operates under the concept of "safe, secure, and comforting meals like those your mother would make," and offers a wide variety of dishes made with plenty of locally sourced ingredients.

The "Abashiri Milk Soft Serve Ice Cream" (300 yen) is a soft serve ice cream with a mild sweetness and a light flavor that allows you to enjoy the original taste of milk.

Cafeteria/Café Manma
Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/cafe.manma
Address: 1F, Okhotsk Cultural Exchange Center (Echo Center 2000), 3-3, Kita 2-jo Nishi, Abashiri City, Hokkaido 093-0072, Japan
TEL：0152-61-4828
Business hours: 11:00-18:00 (last order at 17:00)
Closed on Mondays (or Tuesdays if Monday is a public holiday).
Parking lot: Yes
Access: Approximately 30 minutes by car from Memanbetsu Airport

Facing the Sea of ​​Okhotsk and offering panoramic views of the Shiretoko Peninsula, "Roadside Station Ryuhyo Kaido Abashiri" is a must-visit spot when you come to Abashiri. The attached tourist information center provides information on sightseeing and events, recommendations for delicious food and places to enjoy, and assistance with accommodation arrangements.

On the first floor, the "Local Specialty Products Sales Corner" sells agricultural and marine products from the city and surrounding areas, as well as local souvenirs and sweets. At the "Takeout Corner," you can enjoy local gourmet foods such as "Salmon Chanchan Yaki Manju" and "Abashiri Zangi Manju," as well as soft serve ice cream made with local milk.

"Risu no Mori," a gelato specialty shop in Yobito, offers an original "Drift Ice Soft Serve Ice Cream" (350 yen). It is sold exclusively at "Michi-no-Eki Ryuhyo Kaido Abashiri" and has a refreshing mint flavor with a hint of lemon, topped with small candies.

Roadside Station "Drift Ice Road Abashiri"
HP:http://www.hokkaido-michinoeki.jp/michinoeki/2986/
Address: 4-chome, Minami 3-jo Higashi, Abashiri City, Hokkaido 093-0003
TEL：0152-67-5007
Opening hours: 9:00 AM - 18:30 PM (Takeout counter: 10:00 AM - 17:30 PM)
Closed: New Year's holiday (12/31 - 1/1)
Parking lot: Yes
Access: Approximately 30 minutes by car from Memanbetsu Airport

Final thoughts

In this convenient age where delicious food from all over the country can be delivered to your home via online shopping, it's easy to order ice cream in a cup via refrigerated delivery. However, soft serve ice cream, which is difficult to take home, is something you want to enjoy in person, right?

Why not take a soft-serve ice cream trip to Hokkaido, the dairy kingdom, and visit the Abashiri region of Okhotsk, which boasts soft-serve ice cream made with fresh, pasteurized milk?

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