The best season for a drive is here! It's great to drive wherever your heart takes you, without a fixed destination. It's also great to drive with a purpose, wanting to eat this or see that. The liberating feeling of driving endlessly down a straight road amidst lush green foliage is unique to Hokkaido! This time, let's start our journey from the Sorachi region!

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"Drive safely, please!"

"Leave it to me! Nice car!"

Filming day in May, postponed a week due to rain. We hoped for sun, but faced gloomy skies from the previous day's downpour. Further delays were impossible, so we went, cloudy weather notwithstanding! Well then, we are a couple from Osaka. This time, a photographer knowledgeable in Hokkaido tourism will be our escort. We're excited! What kind of scenery will they show us, what delicious foods will they tell us about, Our hearts are filled with anticipation. First, let's rent a car. Sapporo Rent-a-Car offers the cheapest mid- to long-term rentals. We moved for my husband's job, but will return to Osaka. I dream of renting a car for a month after his retirement to tour Hokkaido! Still far off, though... Highly recommended for those with time! Inquire by phone about rental periods/insurance; feel free to discuss itineraries. Robust coverage is key for long-term rentals.

There's an optional compensation system called "Complete Peace of Mind Package," so please consider it.

We borrowed a new Elgrand! The car-loving photographer's eyes lit up, happily pressing buttons. I get it, but shouldn't we leave? (lol) So, after finishing the interior photoshoot, we finally got in. Wow, I see the photographer's interest. The chic interior is calm. Black leather seats feel great; I want to keep stroking them. The spacious, luxurious interior impressed. My husband, driving this cool, big car, seems more dependable! Alright, let's go!!

"There are so many stylish souvenirs!"

"The pancakes are delicious too!"

The drive begins! The first stop is "NORTH FARM STOCK" in Iwamizawa City. Nav says 37 mins via Hokkaido Expressway (Sapporo IC-Iwamizawa IC, toll 1,010 yen). A quick trip! Arrived quickly! Worried about scattered rain, but it held. The shop's white and wood exterior is simple yet stylish. The mini-garden entrance is lovely. Let's go in. So cute!!! The interior, the products sold, and the product package designs—everything is cute!! This shop handcrafts all its agricultural products in-house, committed to Hokkaido ingredients (all main ingredients are Hokkaido-sourced). Products focused on 'ingredients,' 'handmade,' 'Hokkaido.' Perfect souvenirs for out-of-prefecture visitors! Lovely package designs women will adore. They had a wide selection of items perfect for small gifts, as well as miscellaneous goods like tableware. Our photographer sent a Mother's Day gift from here, and his mom loved it. Direct shipping is a great service! Everything, from the pure white interior to the natural wood display shelves, is wonderful! How many products?! 100? 200? Jams, pickles, sauces, pasta, pancakes, drinks, soups, sweets... So many categories! I want to try everything! My inner foodie is unleashed! The two foodies discussed various options and decided on their purchases. We chose a Hokkaido wheat pasta set with two sauces, mixed vegetable pickles, healthy carrot salad, and melba toast for snacks. Wow, these alone promise a splendid dinner. Taste details in part two. There was one more product that really caught our eye: a pancake mix made with Hokkaido-grown wheat. Staff highly recommended it. But we wanted it fresh, so we decided to eat it here. That's right, "NORTH FARM STOCK" also has a cafe menu. Eat-in spaces are available, including on the 2nd floor and garden-view areas. Of course, takeout is also available! We ordered the plain pancake box (420 yen) and got a window seat with a courtyard view. The plain pancake's sweet, gentle dough was clear. Fluffy, moist, chewy. Maple syrup and powdered sugar perfectly balanced the butter's saltiness—a meticulously crafted taste! It seems we spent nearly two hours here. Time for the next spot. As we left, we found something fun! A handheld face-in-hole board for Instagram/SNS, even used for our profile pic. Speech bubble types too. These things get popular! With hashtags and location marks, it's truly the age of Instagram.

After taking a commemorative photo outside, we headed to the next spot.

"The view from the small hill is the best treat!"

"Let's get some soft serve too!"

Next up is Hōsui Winery, also in Iwamizawa City. A winery, really?! I love alcohol, I love wine! Am I that obvious? Just a stone's throw from the previous shop, Hōsui Winery was a small winery with an excellent location on a small hill. Though small, it became famous as a filming location for the 2014 nationally released film 'Tears of the Grape,' starring Yo Oizumi, and now attracts visitors from all over Japan. The winery's name is Hōsui (meaning 'treasure water'). It's likely named after the local area, but it sounds wonderful, as if wine itself is a precious water. They currently offer three types of red wine and four types of white. The president mentioned that winemaking in an area with over 2 meters of snow is a constant struggle, making it difficult to offer a wide variety or large quantities. Nevertheless, they pour their passion into crafting delicious wines, carefully taking time and effort in the brewing process.

I'd love to try Hokkaido wine, but it turns out we didn't come here to buy wine this time. Oh no!

The photographer recommended fruit vinegar, surprisingly. Fruit vinegars made by 'Shokusai Yushu Dining &Cafe Amica' (Amica) in the city are consigned for sale here at the winery. From several types of fruit vinegars, we chose 'Bacchus Vinegar' and 'Pinot Noir Vinegar,' made using pomace from Hōsui Winery's winemaking process. Since they're red and white, it might feel like drinking wine. Also, wanting a souvenir, I bought a 'RICCA' wine glass featuring the winery's brand logo. RICCA (六花) means snowflake. I plan to enjoy the fruit vinegar in this glass! With souvenirs in hand, we took our time exploring the winery. On the 2nd floor, the actual set used in the movie 'Tears of the Grape' was on display. I was very curious to see how this would look in the film! While visiting locations after watching a movie is fun, the reverse is also intriguing. I'll definitely rent it and watch it when I get home! Finally, we had some soft serve. A short break, gazing at the vineyard in front of the winery. Just about 10 days ago, when the photographer visited, dandelions were blooming profusely under the grapevines. Now they've turned to fluff, but perhaps the ever-changing natural scenery is the greatest treat this winery offers. The soft serve was a generous portion, topped with an original sauce made from grapes harvested at this farm, simmered without sugar, over rich milk from Okoppe, a town known for its dairy. It's almost more like a parfait than soft serve! Regent red grapes and Bacchus white grapes. The sweet and sour grape flavor enhances the sweetness of the soft serve. It contains no alcohol, so drivers can enjoy it worry-free! This winery also offers wine tasting, but drivers, please be absolutely sure not to sample any. Not even one glass! Enjoy the grape flavor with soft serve or fruit vinegar, and save the wine for home! To be continued in the second part!