If you’ve ever been to Hokkaido, or had it sitting on your travel wishlist, you’ve probably heard people go on and on about the food. Especially the ice cream. Honestly, I used to wonder what all the fuss was about. How different could it really be? And then I tried it.

So I get it now.

There is dairy, and then there is Hokkaido dairy, where the cows graze on its wide open farmland and pastures. You can genuinely taste the difference, the milk is richer, creamier, and cleaner than anything I’d had before. I know that sounds like a lot to say about milk, but honestly, one bite of the ice cream and you’ll understand exactly what I mean.

The ice cream is perfectly smooth, just sweet enough, and has this clean, honest richness that’s hard to describe until you’ve had it. No need for any fancy toppings.

One of the best parts was all the flavours to try. We’re talking everything from vanilla and chocolate to red bean, matcha, melon, and even lavender. I said yes to pretty much everything we came across. No regrets. Zero.

When you’re walking ten miles a day through Hokkaido, ice cream stops being just a treat, it becomes a recovery strategy. I may have officially declared it its own food group. My kids felt the same way. Every single day they were looking forward to the next flavour, and honestly stopping at one cone was the real challenge for all of us. Some days I didn’t even try to stop at one. Still no regrets.

It’s one of those simple joyful things that just stays with you. If you ever find yourself in Hokkaido, don’t walk past those ice cream stands. Stop. Grab a cone. Savour it slowly. You won’t regret it, I promise.

Simply Salt & Soul

The Salt (The Science): There’s actually a real reason Hokkaido dairy tastes so different, and it’s not just in your head. Grass-fed dairy in general tends to have a better nutritional profile than grain-fed, with higher levels of fat-soluble vitamins and a more balanced Omega-3 to Omega-6 ratio. Hokkaido’s reputation comes from its wide open pastures, clean environment, and consistently high farming standards. And because the milk is fresher and higher quality, it needs fewer additives and stabilizers to hold up, which means what you’re eating is pretty close to the real thing with nothing extra added in.

The Soul (The Wellness): There’s a difference between eating something mindlessly while distracted and actually sitting with it and enjoying it. In TCM, the sweet flavour is associated with the Earth element, that feeling of being grounded and satisfied. When we’re relaxed and present while eating, the body stays in a more restful state, which actually supports digestion. Letting yourself enjoy something without guilt or overthinking isn’t just good for the soul, it’s good for the body too. Sometimes a really good ice cream cone is all the reminder you need to just slow down and be in the moment.