"Suiyō Dōdeshō," a local Hokkaido program, remains highly popular even after its regular broadcast ended.

With DVDs and merchandise regularly released and related events held, this program continues to captivate fans across Japan, affectionately known as "How Do You Like Wednesday?" enthusiasts.

The TV show "How Do You Like Wednesday?" has visited many places not only within Japan but also overseas, and of course, there are many "sacred sites" for fans within Hokkaido.

Among the most popular locations for fans are the HTB headquarters in Sapporo and Hiragishi Takadai Park, which is used for filming the opening and closing segments of the program. However, for domestic projects, they have also visited the vicinity of Hakodate several times.

This time, we'll introduce some locations in and around Hakodate that can be seen as sacred sites for "Suiyou Dou Deshou" (How Do You Like Wednesday?), enjoyable for both fans and non-fans alike!

Table of contents
1. Hakodate Station
2. Soft serve ice cream from Coffee Room Kikuchi
3. Minami Kaigan Onsen
4. Onuma Dango from Numa no Ie
5. Country sign of Shikabe Town
Summary

I visited Hakodate Station, a major tourist hub in Hakodate City, as part of a "three-night trip from Sapporo to Hakata using only overnight buses."

This trip, which began in 2001 as a special project commemorating the 5th anniversary of "Suiyou Dou Deshou," took us to Hakodate Station on the first day of the project, by taking the express bus "Aurora-go" (now "Express Hakodate-go") that runs between Sapporo and Hakodate.

When Takayuki Suzui and Yo Oizumi got off the Aurora bus at the time, Yo Oizumi's hair at the back of his head was seen flattened in front of the Harbor View Hotel (now Four Points by Sheraton Hakodate) in front of Hakodate Station. However, the current Hakodate Express bus arrives at bus stop 13 in the station bus terminal.

The area around Hakodate Station was renovated and remodeled in 2003, so the appearance of the area in front of the station in 2016 is different from when the filming took place.

Although the train station and bus terminal have now been renovated, the late-night bus (express bus) service between Sapporo and Hakodate is still in operation.

<Hakodate Station>
Address: 12-5 Wakamatsucho, Hakodate City
Telephone number: 0138-23-3085

The Hokkaido showdown for "Showdown Archipelago ~A Tale of Conquering the Land of Sweets~," in which the How Do You Like Wednesday? crew splits into "Mr. Team" led by Takayuki Suzui and "Demon Team" led by Director Fujimura, and competes in a battle to claim territory by eating famous sweets from all over Japan as fast as possible, took place at "Coffee Room Kikuchi," a coffee shop in Yukawa-cho, Hakodate City.

If you only want soft serve ice cream, you can purchase it at the takeaway counter.

What you can enjoy here is a refreshing soft-serve ice cream with a slightly crunchy texture.

The soft serve ice cream comes in three flavors: vanilla, mocha, and mixed.

If you can't eat three like you did during the competition, we recommend choosing the mixed flavor, which lets you enjoy both vanilla and mocha at once.

The location where the "How Do You Like Wednesday?" team ate soft serve ice cream during their competition was a green space next to the Matsukura River, a short distance from Coffee Room Kikuchi.

This is also the spot where Ken Yasuda dropped his soft-serve ice cream. The surrounding buildings have been renovated, so it looks a little different from back then, but why not try the soft-serve ice cream here, which still tastes the same as it did when the project was first conceived?

 

<Coffee Room Kikuchi>
Address: 3-13-19 Yukawa-cho, Hakodate City
Telephone number: 0138-59-3495
Opening hours: 9: 00 to 22: 00
Closed: December 30th - January 1st
Price: Soft serve ice cream 260 yen each

In the 1996 program "Journey to Cure Hemorrhoids," a segment featuring Yo Oizumi trying to cure his hemorrhoids, filming took place at Minami Kaigan Onsen, which was then part of Todohokke Village.

As you head down the narrow, single-lane road towards the hot springs, you'll come across a signpost.

The free, mixed-gender open-air bath built on the coast has different bathing times depending on the tides.

The "How Do You Like Wednesday?" crew arrived just as it was high tide, and Yo Oizumi was in a lukewarm hot spring bath, with the bathtub submerged in seawater, as shown in the photo.

Since it's a mixed-gender open-air bath, swimwear is a must for those who wish to bathe, but there are separate changing rooms for men and women, so you won't have any trouble finding a place to change.

It's a rare hot spring, so even if you're not a fan of the "How Do You Like It?" series, if you like hot springs, it's a place you'll want to visit at least once.

While you can generally enjoy the baths 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, if you want to bathe in a hot spring at the perfect temperature, be sure to check the bathing hours on their website before you go!

If the waves are high due to the weather on that day, please refrain from bathing even if it is within the permitted bathing hours.

 

<Minami Beach Hot Springs>
Address: 100 Esanmisaki-cho, Hakodate City
Phone number: 0138-86-2111 (Hakodate City Todohokke Branch Office)
Regular holiday: No holidays
Admission fee: Free

In the 1997 TV program "A Journey Through the Country Signs of 212 Municipalities in Hokkaido," they visited "Numa no Ie," a place located near Onuma Park, a national park in Nanae Town.

On the way from Toyokoro Town to Shikabe Town, I came across Onuma's specialty, "Onuma Dango."

In the program, they buy Onuma dango at Numa no Ie and eat it in Onuma Park.

The dango at Numa no Ie are not served on skewers; instead, bite-sized dango covered in plenty of sweet bean paste are packed in a box.

You can choose from two flavors: soy sauce and sesame, or soy sauce and red bean paste. The "How Do You Like Wednesday?" team chose the soy sauce and red bean paste dumplings.

In the program, they were shown eating Onuma dango in Onuma Park, but there are tables and chairs in front of the Numa no Ie shop, so you can eat it right there after you buy it.

<The House in the Swamp>
Address: 145 Onuma-cho, Nanae-cho, Kameda-gun
Telephone number: 0138-67-2104
Opening hours: 8: 00 to 18: 00
Regular holiday: No holidays
Price: Small box 390 yen, Large box 650 yen

After eating Onuma dango, the "How Do You Like Wednesday?" crew headed to their destination, Shikabe Town.
I took a photo in front of the country sign on National Route 43, the Onuma-Shikabe Line, and stayed in Shikabe Town for about 3 seconds.

*The image above shows the town sign of Shikabe, taken from National Route 278.

As of September 15, 2016, Hokkaido Prefectural Road 43, the Onuma Park Shikabe Line, which features the country sign shown on the TV program "Suiyou Dou Deshou," is currently operating under alternating one-way traffic due to a landslide caused by a typhoon.

The town's country sign depicts a geyser and the town's mascot, "Karls-kun."

Shikabe Geyser Park, where you can see a geyser, is also a roadside station and a tourist spot where you can enjoy a footbath while watching the geyser.

After seeing the town signs, why not enjoy some sightseeing around town?

<Shikabe Town>
Address: 43-1 Komami, Shikabe-cho, Kayabe-gun (Country sign)

Summary

We've introduced five locations in and around Hakodate that are considered sacred sites for the TV show "Suiyou Dou Deshou" (How Do You Like Wednesday?).

It's fun to tour the area while chatting about "How Do You Like Wednesday?", but even if you're not a fan, these are all spots that you can thoroughly enjoy.

If you visit these spots, you might just run into other fans of "How Do You Like Wednesday?"

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