Foodies Asia (en)For "foodies" who are particular about food.

 

Ina City in Nagano, where soba is delicious, is an area that soba lovers cannot miss!

In Ina City, which spreads throughout Ina Valley, there are unique sobas such as “Takaten Soba” in the east and “Gyosha Soba” in the west that can only be eaten here.

We pick up 5 especially recommended soba restaurants.

Please try them out when you visit Minami Shinshu.

 

 

Recommended restaurants for Takato soba

Takato Soba is a soba noodle dish that is eaten with grated daikon radish broth and grilled miso.

Actually, during the Edo period, “Takato Soba” was forgotten and it is interesting that it was popular in Fukushima Prefecture.

Nowadays, it has been “reverse imported” and become a specialty of Takato, but the main style uses broth squeezed from grated daikon radish that is flavored with miso.

 

1) “Takato Soba Masuya (高遠そば ますや)“ in Takato-cho

Ave. Budget: 1,000-2,000 JPY

A strict soba noodle restaurant that only competes with “Zaru Soba,” without “Tempura” or “Kake Soba.”

There are three basic types: “Takaten Soba,” “Edo-style broth,” and “Iwafu dashi zaru,” and during the seasonal periods, “Inan Valley indigenous zaru” is also available.

The popular “Samadhi” allows you to taste and compare the three types of soba noodles: “Gen (photo),” “Nuki,” and “Inaka.”

 

Access

About 20 minutes on foot from “Takato Station” bus stop

 

 

 

 

2)  “Ikkoku (壱刻)” in Takato-cho

Ave. Budget: 1,000-2,000 JPY

This restaurant can be considered as one of the representative soba noodle shops in Takato Town.

In addition to the traditional “Takato Soba,” there are also popular alternative types of soba.

One of them is a flat soba noodle that is similar to fettuccine. Depending on your preference, you can also eat it mixed with olive oil.

It’s a delightful dish that is more fragrant than satisfying to the throat, and it’s irresistible to those who prefer such tendencies in soba noodles.

 

Access

About 1 minute on foot from “Takato Station” bus stop

 

 

 

 

3)  “Beni Sakura (紅さくら)“ in Takato-cho

Ave. Budget: 1,000-2,000 JPY

Located about 5 minutes by car from the center of Takato, this soba shop can be found along the Tsuetsuki Kaidō, heading north.

It’s run by a female owner and is known for its light and airy soba noodles.

Although the Takato soba is also good, the recommended dish is the “Gozen” set meal, which features seasonal local cuisine served on a lined up array of small plates, priced at 1600 yen.

It offers a more affordable and authentic experience of Ina Valley’s traditional food culture, compared to other local dining inns.

 

Access

This shop is located along the “Takaharu Sketch Road / National Route 152”. It is a 30 minute drive from the Ibi interchange and a 35 minute drive from the Suwa interchange.

Information on how to get there by public bus >

 

 

 

 

 

Recommended restaurants for Gyoja soba

“Gyoja Soba,” which is said to be the origin of Shinshu soba, is said to have originated from around Ina city.

Its history is said to date back to the Nara period, where wandering ascetics who received hospitality from the villagers of “Uchi no Kaya” gifted soba seeds as a token of gratitude, giving rise to the culture of enjoying soba.

4) “Gyoja Soba Baian (行者そば梅庵)” in Arai,　Uchi no Kaya

Ave. Budget: 1,000-2,000 JPY

The soba noodle shop in “Uchi no Kana” that is said to be the origin of “Gyoja Soba” is this “Bai-an”.

The characteristic of the flavor is also in the soba tsuyu(broth).

The way of eating it by adding ginger and green onion as a seasoning to the broth made by dissolving grilled miso, which is common with Takato soba, is characterized.

Since the seasoning is quite effective, the compatibility with the thickly sliced soba is superb.

“Duck Plow Grilled”, which retains the atmosphere of “Suki-yaki” said to be grilled with farm machinery plow, is also recommended.

 

Access

Located about 20 minutes by car from the Ina Interchange/Ina Station.

*There are no public transportation options. It takes about 1 hour and 45 minutes on foot from Ina Station (about 7km)

 

 

 

 

Other recommended soba restaurants

5) “Hibisaryo Ren (日々茶寮 連)” in Takato-cho

Ave. Budget: 1,000-2,000 JPY

“Hibisaryo Ren” is a Japanese restaurant located in the village of Fujisawa in the Takato Sketch Road (former Tsuetsuki Road, Route 152) stretching from the center of Takato towards Chino.

The restaurant used to be a popular Ryotei in Kamakura, but its owner moved to Fujisawa due to poor health.

Despite its quiet location, it has many dedicated fans and has become a hidden gem.

You can enjoy their soba with a good balance of spiciness and flavor.

Their other dishes are also highly regarded.

It can also be enjoyed as a casual soba kaiseki.

 

Access

Along “Takato Sketch Road / Route 152”.

About 25 minutes by car from Suwa Interchange / About 30 minutes by car from Ihoku Interchange

Information on how to get there by public bus >

 

 

 

 

 

About access to Restaueants beyond Takato

“National Route 152” is a highway that runs through the rugged South Alps, connecting Hamamatsu on Shizuoka and Ueda on Nagano.

The restaurants “Sakura” and “Ren” introduced on this page are located along this Route 152.

It is called “Takatto Sketch Road” in Local.

Access from the Takato on Ina side is not difficult, so it is okay to drive if you are careful in winter when the roads might freeze.

However, the Tsuetsuki pass on the north side has a winding mountain road and there are few tourist spots, so public buses do not run, except for high seasons, as the number of passengers is low.

 

The distance from Chino Station to “Ren” is about 16 km by car.

If you are coming from the Kanto area, taking this route might be a good choice.

 

Directions by public transportation

From Inashi Station to Takato

There are relatively frequent buses on weekdays, with 13 round trips, and on weekends and holidays, with 8 round trips, so you can schedule your trip with other nearby attractions.

 

Beyond Takato from Ina-shi Station

<weekdays>
*To go, you can take the bus departing from “Ina City” bus stop at 11:38, transfer to the bus heading to “Takato Station” at 12:05, and arrive at “Kurikin” bus stop closest to “Kurenai Sakura” at 12:13 and at “Odai-guchi” bus stop closest to “Hibi Chasho Ren” at 12:27.

*To return, take the bus departing from “Odai-guchi” bus stop at 14:02 and from “Kurikin” bus stop at 14:17, transfer at Takato Station and arrive at “Ina-tsuchicho” bus stop at 15:27.

 

<holidays>
Public transportation is not convenient because there are only two round trips a day.

*For the trip, you can transfer from the 7:49 AM bus at “Ina City” bus stop to the 8:45 AM bus at “Takaten” station, but you will arrive at “Kurikoma” bus stop at 8:53 AM and “Otaidai-guchi” bus stop at 9:07 AM, which is a considerable amount of time until lunch time. The next bus is around 2 PM, so lunch time is over…

*For the return, there is a bus from “Otaidai-guchi” bus stop at 2:58 PM and from “Kurikoma” bus stop at 3:12 PM, arriving at “Ina-douri” bus stop at 3:58 PM.

reference: JR Bus Kanto HP