“The Mujahed family’s HALAL trip to Tochigi from February 14th to 15th, 2016”(Part.2)

For strawberry picking, which was the other objective of our trip, we went to “Sano Tourist Farm Agri Town” by taxi from Sano station.
http://www.itigogari.com/
Although we had no prior knowledge, according to our taxi driver, it was a large farm managed by JA, well known in the area.
At Agri town, you can pick and eat all the bright red “tochiotome” strawberries grown inside the big greenhouse with a time limit of 30 minutes. We were not allowed to bring them outside the greenhouse, so we just ate as much as we could! Each piece of fruit was big, glossy, bright red, and was nothing like the strawberries you find in Tokyo. They were all juicy and very sweet.

30 minutes of continuous eating will make you pretty full, so you might want to consider skipping breakfast before going.
We went without reservation, but reservations are available if needed.
Strawberry picking is a must if you are visiting Tochigi when strawberries are in season!

We went back to “Select Inn Sano-Ekimae” to pick up our luggage and then rested for a while at the lobby until our stomach settled before going to “NIKKOKEN” to end our trip.
https://www.halalgourmet.jp/restaurant/352

Mr. Goka, whom we deeply respect, is the owner of “NIKKOKEN,” and is known by almost everyone in the HALAL world. There were many Japanese customers when we went, making it clear that his ramen is loved by not only Muslims but also by local people.
The famous “Sano ramen” was unfortunately sold out when we visited here during the previous HALAL event, so this was our second try.
We were finally able to eat the ramen after longing for it!
Not being able to forget the amazing taste of the “chicken katsu-don” we had the last time, we ordered both Sano ramen and chicken katsu-don.

We were served kara-age on the house, and the three of us ate up the crispy juicy goodness without even exchanging words.
And as for our long-cherished Sano ramen….It was too good to be true!
In the same manner as the dishes at “Le coeur” we had the day before, the high-quality ramen was of such high quality that no one would guess that it was HALAL unless they were told so.
It was lighter tasting compared to common ramen, suiting the taste of women and children, but still denoted rich body and umami, and it felt like I could eat it forever.

The hand-made flat noodles with body filled with lots of love from Mr. Goka mixes well with the soup, and my husband and I were fighting over it. I usually can’t finish the ramen soup, but Sano ramen was different – I drank it all!
The chicken-katsu-don was filling as usual. Rice and chicken cutlet with soft, mild egg and soup stock creates an amazing harmony in your mouth, making you feel happy.

Eating out is one of the greatest concerns that Muslims have when going on trips, but there is no need to worry when travelling in Tochigi Prefecture (Ashikaga and Sano area). This was a very meaningful trip that made me confident that if me, originally a non-Muslim, and my husband, who was born a Muslim, can be fully satisfied, Tochigi os a place where everyone, including Muslims, non-Muslims, Japanese, and foreigners can be fully satisfied.
Everyone, please visit the above places when sightseeing in Tochigi Prefecture!