Yoichi
余市43°11′ N 140°48′ ETownPop. 16,676Sapporo
Nikka built its first distillery in this fishing and orchard town on the Shakotan coast in 1934, and Kiroro is half an hour inland.
Photo by Ian Lai on Unsplash and others, credited in the gallery
Who should base here
Base here if you want Kiroro with a cheaper room and a distillery tour on a storm day off. It suits drivers, since the trains are slow and infrequent.
The name
i-ot-i
イ・オチThe place where that thing abounds
ainu
The town takes its name from the Yoichi River. The usual reading is i-ot-i, where i (that thing) stands in for snakes, which Ainu speakers avoided naming directly. The Matsumae domain split the river mouth into the Kami-Yoichi and Shimo-Yoichi trading posts in 1599, and the Shimo-Yoichi unjōya trading house survives as the only one left in Hokkaido.
SourceEat · 食べる
Kakizaki Shoten Kaisen Kobo柿崎商店 海鮮工房sushi¥
Upstairs in the orange building on Route 5 across from Yoichi Station. A local fishery company runs it, and the seafood bowls and set meals are big and cheap. Lines form at lunch. Open 10:00–18:00, closed Thursdays.
Hamazen浜善sushi¥¥
Locals come here for sushi and fish landed on the Yoichi coast, like sweet shrimp, squid, octopus and flounder, plus tempura. Lunch 11:30–13:30 and dinner from 17:00; closed Tuesdays.
Rita's KitchenRITA'S KITCHENfine¥¥
The restaurant inside the Nikka distillery takes its name from Taketsuru's Scottish wife Rita. It cooks recipes she made in Scotland and Japan alongside seasonal local dishes, with whisky to match. Open 10:00–15:50.
Yoichi LOOPYoichi LOOPfine¥¥¥¥
An auberge a minute from the station that serves innovative tasting menus and keeps rooms, so you can drink Yoichi wine with dinner and walk to bed. Dinner Tuesday to Sunday, lunch Friday to Sunday; closed Mondays. Book ahead.
Winery Restaurant OcciGabiワイナリーレストラン OcciGabifine¥¥¥
This winery in Yamada-cho serves lunch above the vineyard, with the cellars under the building. Lunch only, 11:00–14:00; closed Tuesdays from November to February, when there is a winter set lunch.
Sennari Ramen千成拉麺ramen¥
Each bowl is made in its own small pot. Order the blended miso or the spicy miso negi. Open 11:00–20:00; closed Mondays.
Bäckerei Yoichiベッカライ余市bakery¥
This neighbourhood bakery in Kurokawa-cho bakes chewy, wheat-forward bread. Pick up lunch for the drive to Kiroro.
Drink · 飲む
663highland / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.5 Nikka Tasting Barbar
The paid tasting bar inside the Nikka Museum at the distillery opens 9:00–17:00 on distillery days. Order a flight of Yoichi single malts and let someone else drive to Kiroro.
Do · 遊ぶ
さかおり / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 Nikka Yoichi Distillery tourculture
Taketsuru founded the distillery in 1934. Guides walk you past the coal-fired pot stills and the stone warehouses, then pour a tasting. Free, but you must book.
さかおり / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 Former Shimo-Yoichi Unjōyamuseum
This is the only Edo-period unjōya trading house left in Hokkaido, built as a base for Japanese trade with the Ainu. Check opening dates in winter before you go.
Fred Cherrygarden / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 Fugoppe Cavemuseum
A cave on the coast road toward Otaru with rock carvings from the late Epi-Jōmon period. Check winter opening before you drive out.
Yoichi smells of the sea and of malt. Masataka Taketsuru chose it in 1934 because the cold, damp air off the Sea of Japan reminded him of Scotland, and the stone pagoda roofs of his kilns still sit beside the tracks in the middle of town. Snow settles on them thick enough to soften every edge. Behind the distillery the town runs out into apple orchards and vineyards that disappear under drifts by January.
It works as a quiet base for Kiroro, which is about half an hour up the valley, and for touring days on Yoichi-dake when the forecast lines up. Eat seafood bowls at Kakizaki Shoten opposite the station, where a local fishing company sells the catch downstairs and serves it upstairs for well under Otaru prices. In the evening Hamazen does sweet shrimp and squid from the bay, and a glass of Yoichi wine is easy to find now that the town has become one of Hokkaido's main wine districts.
Quick answers about Yoichiよくある質問
What does the name Yoichi mean?
Yoichi comes from the local name i-ot-i, meaning the place where that thing abounds. The town takes its name from the Yoichi River. The usual reading is i-ot-i, where i (that thing) stands in for snakes, which Ainu speakers avoided naming directly. The Matsumae domain split the river mouth into the Kami-Yoichi and Shimo-Yoichi trading posts in 1599, and the Shimo-Yoichi unjōya trading house survives as the only one left in Hokkaido.
Is Yoichi a good place to stay?
Base here if you want Kiroro with a cheaper room and a distillery tour on a storm day off. It suits drivers, since the trains are slow and infrequent.
How do you get to Yoichi?
JR local trains run from Otaru in about 25 minutes. Hokkaido Chuo Bus runs buses from Otaru and Sapporo. Kiroro is about half an hour's drive inland.
Ride from Yoichi近くの山
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