Gastronomy Fabulous Must-Try Soft Serve in Hokkaido’s Dairy Wonderland

Machimura Farm Milk Garden is operated directly by a dairy farm founded over 100 years ago. Their Dairy Milk Soft Serve is made from fresh milk direct from the dairy, with a simple yet rich flavor. The taste of their basic ice cream is the best for enjoying the flavor of the milk itself. They have several shops that offer their soft serves around Sapporo, but some desserts are exclusive to the Machimura Farm Milk Garden, so make sure to visit the farm itself!

Interested in soft serve based on the famous Hokkaido confection Shiroi Koibito? You can enjoy it at shops in Hokkaido like the popular Sapporo tourist spots Shiroi Koibito Park and Ishiya Cafe. The three flavors are White, Mixed, and Black. It’s the ultimate combination of Hokkaido milk and the different flavors of chocolate used to make Shiroi Koibito. They have a regular size and a jumbo size, so the jumbo size is a great deal if you want to make the most of it!

Competition between ice cream shops is fierce at New Chitose Airport. The Premium Milk Soft Serve at Kinotoya has won the Soft Serve General Election at New Chitose Airport two years running. Made with fresh milk, it has a rich flavor and satisfying portion sizes. In addition to New Chitose Airport, you can also enjoy it at shops in Sapporo. Be sure to check out the Uji matcha soft serve with Tokachi sweet red beans sold only at the New Chitose Airport factory shop and the Kinotoya farm shop!

Cape Kamui at the tip of the Shakotan Peninsula is a picturesque place known for the rugged landscape and beautiful sea, called Shakotan Blue. These days it’s a popular spot for its fabulous view. The mint-flavored soft serve at the Kamui Banya gift shop is beautiful Shakotan blue. Despite the vivid color, the mint is refreshing but not overwhelming, perfect for Hokkaido summers. Kamui Banya is open from April to October. Enjoy Shakotan Blue through your taste buds as well as the scenery!

Santa no Hige (Santa’s Beard) is the marquee treat at Popura Farm and a registered trademark. It’s an impressive sight, featuring half of a choice melon topped with soft serve ice cream. The luxurious flavor pairing of firm melon and smooth ice cream is available nowhere else. This is an alluring combination you should definitely try. You can also get it with melon flavored ice cream, or with toppings like sweet azuki beans and chocolate sauce. If you’re not sure you can finish it yourself, you can try the small size (1/4 of a melon).

This soft serve is a specialty of Farm Tomita, famous for its lavender flowers. It’s made with lavender extract that gives it an elegant aroma and refreshing aftertaste. They also have vanilla flavor made with Hokkaido cream, and melon flavor made with Hokkaido melon juice. This colorful ice cream not only tastes great, but it’s also photogenic! Enjoy this original ice cream while you take in the view of gorgeous lavender fields.

Takasago Shuzo has been in business for over a century. Sake Lees Soft Serve is sold at the direct sales shop for a limited time from May to September. They carefully blend sake lees from the brewery’s leading top-quality sake Asahi Kamui into a soft serve mix made from fresh milk. The creamy milk creates an exquisite harmony with the aroma and flavor of sake lees. It doesn’t contain alcohol, so it’s fine for kids or those who can’t drink alcohol.

Misakidai Park is located on a highland with a magnificent view of the sun sinking into the Japan Sea and Mt. Rishirifuji in the distance. The whole park is part of Michi no Eki Romantic Road Shosanbetsu. Charming pink Haskap Soft Serve is sold at Restaurant Hokkyokusei from late April to mid-October. The acidity of the sweet and sour haskap honeyberries, a Hokkaido specialty, is perfectly balanced by the sweetness of the cream, with a smooth texture.

Hakodate Wine has been making additive-free wine for over 20 years. Their wine soft serve is sold at the Hakodate Wine Budokan direct sales shop next to the winery. The three flavors offered are red grape, white grape, and mixed. Each contains a blend of the wine and fruit juice used in Hakodate Wine, and the subtle grape aroma is irresistible! Their soft serve contains less than 0.5% alcohol, so it’s OK to eat even for children and drivers.

In Tokachi area, home to many dairies and farms, the Tokachi Hills is a vast scenic garden on a hilltop based on the concepts of flowers, food, and farming. Their popular and delicious Azuki Bean Soft Serve is sold at the Hills Cafe here. It’s made with Erimo Shozu brand beans from Tokachi, and it’s so rich it’s just like eating the sweet red bean paste! The rich aroma of azuki beans and the smooth, balanced sweetness is irresistible.

Iceberg Soft Serve is a salted caramel soft serve made with salt from the Sea of Okhotsk. You can try it at the cafe on the 1st floor of the Okhotsk Ryu-hyo Museum. The blue salt topping uses natural coloring from seaweed, giving it the look of a real iceberg. It brings out the sweetness of the caramel and a subtle bitter note, which creates the addictive harmony of sweet and salty! It’s an Okhotsk Ryu-hyo Museum exclusive, so check out this local ice cream if you’re in Abashiri.