An original seafood bowl made with a mountain of salmon roe, and a Hokkaido wagyu beef steak cooked right in front of you… This is a scene from the breakfast hall of a business hotel in Susukino, a downtown area of Sapporo. With prices now so high, hoteliers are admitting that they are not making any profit, but they are fighting a battle over breakfast that they cannot afford to lose. The movement to serve lavish breakfasts is gaining popularity across the country. This is no exception not only in resort and hot spring areas, but also in business hotels located in urban areas. Sapporo, a tourist destination, is said to be a “battleground for breakfast,” with hotels competing fiercely for the top spot. “A chicken race? Even if that’s the case, it’s a competition that you can’t back out of,” explains Kimura Yusuke, a director in charge of the area east of Osaka Prefecture at Vessel Hotel Development (headquarters: Fukuyama City, Hiroshima Prefecture), which operates hotels nationwide, including the popular Vessel Inn breakfast chain. In September, the company revamped the breakfast buffet at Vessel Inn Sapporo Nakajima Park in Susukino. In addition to a live kitchen where Kuroge Wagyu beef steaks from Tsukigata Town near Sapporo are grilled in front of customers, the restaurant has also started serving Hokkaido’s three major ramens from Sapporo, Hakodate, and Asahikawa on a daily basis. The restaurant was already well-known for its seafood sashimi, but has now expanded its menu to include more dishes that are more Hokkaido-style. President Yoshiro Seo even attended the unveiling ceremony just before the product was made available to customers, showing just how much effort the company has put into the product. President Seo laughed bitterly and said, “Costs have risen and, to be honest, we’re not making a profit,” but added, “We aim to provide the best breakfast in Japan that will please our customers.” Breakfast Increases Satisfaction There is data showing that breakfast is an important element for hotels. …(The following is a paid version, 1208 characters remaining) Mainichi Shimbun 2024/9/30 06:00 (last updated 9/30 06:00).
>>22 I don’t see groups like that these days, but the old Japanese guys are often more annoying. I guess when economic power is reversed, manners and civility are also reversed.
In Hakodate, you can drink as much alcohol as you like from the morning. You can eat seafood, drink sparkling wine, take a dip in the hot springs, and then go home. The contradiction is that you have to pay for alcohol at dinner.
I try to eat some kind of meat in the morning, but steak is a bit of a stretch, but if it was available at a hotel breakfast I’d probably eat it. I like to put a little bit of salmon roe on my rice.
For breakfast, I’d be happy with scrambled eggs, bacon or sausage, orange or grapefruit, toast, porridge, miso soup, or soup. I’d rather have a normal breakfast for under 10,000 yen than a business hotel that costs 10,000 yen a night and has a fancy breakfast. Depending on the time I’m moving around, I often can’t eat breakfast.
It’s the weaklings who say “starting in the morning” that have brought down Japan. Capable men eat heartily from the morning. On the other hand, they don’t need much at night.
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