Muroran yakitori was first served at food stands for workers around 1933, when Muroran flourished as a steelmaking city.

At that time, pig farming was encouraged to increase food production and produce leather for military boots, so pork offal was sold at food stalls. Because wild birds such as sparrows were also served on skewers, the pork and wild birds were all called yakitori.

Nowadays, pork and onion skewers are common fare in Muroran, Date, Hakodate, and other regions of southern Hokkaido. However, to avoid confusion, pork skewers are often listed on menus as “butasei” (pork meat), while chicken skewers are “torisei” (chicken meat).

Other skewers, such as liver, are usually pork liver, but there are also many restaurants that offer chicken liver. Onions are rarely used on skewers that use organ meat.

The spicy karashi mustard has its own unique taste. It's fun to compare the secret flavors that have been handed down through the generations.

Now, on to our spotlight Muroran yakitori restaurants!

Yakitori Ippei is about a 10-minute walk from JR Higashi Muroran Station. Established in 1950, it’s a popular chain with stores throughout Muroran and Noboribetsu.

Mr. Kato, the store manager, recommends three popular menu items. First, traditional yakitori and gourmet yakitori.

With the eye of a true craftsman, Mr. Kato turns the skewers at just the right time. By adding plenty of sauce, its umami taste soaks into the juicy meat.

Pork shoulder loin is soft and chewy. The sauce is refreshingly sweet with a gradually spicy flavor. The pork retains the umami flavors of the the sauce perfectly, and the combination of the sauce and mustard is amazing.

Another dish, “Uzura no Charcoal Grill” is a rare dish. It’s three quail eggs in skewered and grilled in their shells. Like the pork, they’re twice-grilled with sauce.

You might think "Can I actually eat the shell?!" But, honestly, the taste is amazing! The sensation is similar to eating a shell-on shrimp - the shell is soft with gooey, delicious eggs on the inside.

The third dish, “whole onion” is rounds out a perfect yakitori meal. The large, hot Hokkaido onion is great with ponzu sauce poured over it.

The abundance of delicious flavors in this meal ensure that you won’t get bored while eating. In addition to the goodness of food itself, the synergistic effect between the master's baking technique and the secret sauce make this a highly valued meal.

The restaurant is decorated with antique furniture and items that give it a romantically retro Taisho era atmosphere, and you can enjoy exquisite yakitori while the sound of soothing jazz flows through the shop.

Our second stop is Yoshidaya, about a 3-minute walk from JR Muroran Station. A long-established Muroran yakitori shop that was founded in 1946, but moved to its current location in 2017. If you're looking for food in Muroran, this is the spot for you.

Ms. Shizue Yoshida, the 3rd landlady, operates the restaurant. While part-timers sometimes help, Ms. Yoshida usually handles basic cooking and customer service alone. There’s a homey atmosphere, and regular customers sometimes serve dishes and pour beer when the shop is crowded.

There are several popular menu items including “Muroran Yakitori.”

Other stores often use pork shoulder loin, but Yoshidaya uses pork belly. It seems that the previous manager simply declared that “Only pork belly is to be used for yakitori!” because it has a good balance between lean and fat, has a soft texture, and is delicious even when cooled.

Yoshidaya's sauce is a traditional recipe that was created by Kobayashi-san, who ran a yakitori shop near Yoshidaya when it was founded, and it has been handed down since.

Historically, it had a slightly stronger flavor but has gradually been changed to be milder in accordance with customers’ changing tastes. Although the flavor has been adjusted, the basic ingredients haven’t changed, just their respective measurements.

Pork belly is savory and juicy! It’s softer than shoulder loin because of its fat content. The sauce is not salty, sweet and mellow, and not too thick. The punch of the mustard, along with the sauce, enhance the taste of meat wonderfully.

Aside from yakitori, there are other delicious menu items, the most popular of which is “Beef Strip Stew” (600 yen), featuring slow-stewed beef.

Lastly, “Yaki Onigiri” (180 yen) is perfect for finishing your meal. Rice balls are doused with yakitori sauce and baked. It’s actually an off-menu item, but regular customers order it, so if you do, it may be “delivered.”

You can enjoy the deep flavor of the sauce that has been enriched with the umami of many years, and you’ll be inspired by Ms. Yoshida’s energy. The atmosphere is sure to make you want to come back, and the tastes are unforgettable.

So that’s Muroran yakitori – pork and onions with sauce and mustard. When visiting Muroran, you'll want to try this awesome local food. While you can order pork with salt instead of sauce at many shops, the latter is the standard and it's no exaggeration to say that almost nobody orders the salted variety.

Yakitori Ippei's sauce is rich and sweet followed by a spicy aftertaste, and Yoshidaya’s sauce is rich, mellow and not too heavy. While both soauces have been developed independently, they both pair perfectly with mustard and serve to enhance the flovor of the pork.

If you plan to do some sightseeing around Muroran like the city’s night view, Noboribetsu Onsen or nearby Lake Toya, don’t leave before you’ve have some Muroran yakitori!