Goshyoimoya

　On the 4th of October a noodle bar, Goshyoimoya, opened in Rusutsu. There were no pomp or ceremonies, just a quite opening of a small but cute place. Those of you who have been to Rusutsu will probably recall a blue cottage at the entrance of Romulus road. Perhaps you may even have stayed there. The cottage became a ramen shop after an extensive remodeling inside and out, changing everything except the windows which give the place it’s special atmosphere.

　Specializing in Jaga ramen, which can only be tried only here in Rusutsu, the place reflects the traditional Hokkaido cooking philosophy. Namely that food must be made from the freshest ingredients, nutritious, and on top of everything else must be warming, to fight Hokkaido weather.

　It’s probably worth it to start practicing your “slurping” now, so that you can show your proficiency to the chef and compete with the Japanese customers. Another new face in Izumikawa Village. Well, we hope to see many more to come.

The name may have a difficult sound to a foreign ear, but it has an interesting meaning in itself. “Goshyoimo” is an old Hokkaido word for “potatoes”. Long ago Hokkaido farmers presented potatoes to the emperor in big wooden boxes. (Japanese still use them to measure rice and beans, and smaller ones are used for drinking sake on special occasions like New Year.) Each box contained five 6-liter measures called “shyo” (five is pronounced “go” in Japanese.) At that time potatoes were considered just another type of yam (“imo” in Japanese) so they were called Goshyoimo, or “Yams from 5 shyo boxes”. Goshyoimoya was born by adding the character ya (shop) to the word.