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航空券付きプラン
提携法人専用予約
2024.08.31
If you get off at the Hakodate City Tram "Matsukazecho" and head in the opposite direction from Hakodate Station, you will come across a long sandy beach called Omorihama. In the summer, high school students train for their club activities or practice for their school festival performances, and many families come to stroll along the beach, making it a familiar place for Hakodate residents.
Located on the way from Matsukazemachi Station to Omorihama, the Fuji Reika factory and store is visited by many people, including locals and foreign tourists, looking for ice cream. It is a homey shop run by the couple, Mr. Akihiro Nakamura, the manager, who has experience working as a hotelier in Tokyo and Hakodate.
Founded in 1947, Fuji Reika manufactured and sold ice cream, popsicles, and other frozen desserts to movie theaters in Hakodate, a city bustling with North Pacific fishing at the time. However, with the decline of North Pacific fishing and the closure of many movie theaters, the company switched to manufacturing authentic ice cream for hotels and restaurants, and is said to have thrived as a store beloved by local residents to this day.
"Fuji Reika's ice cream, which is based on fresh milk and cream from Hokkaido, has been made with the utmost care ever since," says Nakamura.
There are two main types of ice cream: one is the "yellow base" which uses egg yolks as an ingredient, and the other is the "white base" which is made only with dairy products. Fuji Reika's ice cream is white base, and is made entirely by hand using a generous amount of milk, fresh cream and condensed milk made to a special consistency.
"When the white-based ice cream melts in your mouth, the rich sweetness and aroma of the milk spreads, and it has a pleasant aftertaste that quickly disappears," and the rich and elegant ice cream is used by many restaurants in the city. Fuji Reika 's products are also chosen for the cream soda used at Sabo Kikuzen.
Fuji Reika says that they always have at least 40 different kinds of ice cream and sorbet on display, and they have many carefully crafted flavors that use natural ingredients from the Hakodate area and Hokkaido. What's even more surprising is that they also have seasonal limited edition products.
These flavors were created by the couple thinking about whether they could elevating the interesting things they found in their daily lives into ice cream, such as popular sweets they saw on TV, seasonal ingredients they saw in stores, and specialty ingredients from the city they heard about through word of mouth, and they made many prototypes.
"All of our products are produced in small batches and are entirely handmade. That's why once we have an image in mind, we can quickly make a prototype and try out various flavors," Nakamura says with a smile, and his eyes could be seen with the curiosity and inquisitiveness of a boy.
When we asked Nakamura for tips on how to enjoy their signature ice cream, he told us, "If the ice cream is too cold when it's just taken out of the freezer and still solid, the lightness that spreads when it melts in your mouth is halved." Imagine soft, whipped cream, and try it with it slightly more melted than usual, and you'll be amazed by the milky taste that spreads in your mouth. Even the melted ice cream is so delicious that you'll want to drink it all up.
"Our ice cream is made from fresh Hokkaido milk, fresh cream, condensed milk, and natural flavoring ingredients, so I think you can enjoy its natural deliciousness." "We are particular about the flavor taste and are always making improvements, so the product we are currently offering is the best tasting. We are introducing a selection of products that we can offer to our customers with confidence."
Hearing Nakamura say, "Some people also enjoy it at nearby Omorihama Beach," I immediately headed to the beach with ice cream in hand. Enjoying ice cream while feeling the sea breeze and watching the rolling waves will take you to an even more sparkling time in Hakodate's summer. Fuji Reika has remained there unchanged, just like the sea of the Tsugaru Strait that stretches out before you. Learning about its history and the uncompromising ingredients and manufacturing methods will make the taste of the ice cream and your memories of Hakodate even deeper.
Fuji Ice Cream
Phone: 0138-22-3819
Address: 18-15 Omoricho, Hakodate, Hokkaido
Access: 5 minutes walk from Hakodate City Tram "Matsukazecho"
HP: https://www.fujireika.com/
Social Media: https://www.instagram.com/fujireika_homemade_icecream
*For details on opening hours and holidays, please check the link above.