When looking for hotels in Japan I seek out properties with onsen, ideally rotenburo which are outdoor onsen. I love the feel of the cold air while soaking in the hot springs and even better if I can see the stars at night. Onyado Nono is a chain in the Dormy Inn group. Dormy Inn…
Tag: Matsumoto
Matsumoto Mingei Hotel Kagetsu
Matsumoto has a rich history of mingei, traditional Japanese crafts. The Matsumoto Hotel Kagetsu celebrates the mingei philosophy. The hotel opened in Meiji 20 (130 years ago). The older part of the hotel has rooms with some Matsumoto folk craft furniture. This part of Nagano is known for its hot springs waters and the hotel has…
Fried Chicken in Matsumoto
Fried chicken at Shizuka near Matsumoto Castle. Sanzokuyaki 山賊焼 fried chicken is a local specialty in Matsumoto, Nagano. I love fried chicken and this one was crispy and juicy. Shizuka is an izakaya traditional Japanese pub. In the evening nihonshu flows and there is a long list of saké-friendly small bites like basashi horse sashimi,…
Matsumoto Kissa Senzu Wagashi
Kissa Senzu serves modern and traditional wagashi sweets inside of the historic Kaiundo confectionary shop, opened in 1884 in Matsumoto. Monaka, a crispy wafer is served with a flight of three types of red beans (smooth, chunky, and whole). A fun way to compare the textures. Dorayaki of two small pancakes stuffed with sweet anko…
Metoba Soba in Matsumoto
Metoba is a soba shop on the Metoba river that flows through Matsumoto in Nagano. Nagano is famous for its harvest of buckwheat grains for soba. I asked if there were any local dishes we could try and was recommended the soba pancake called soba usuyaki (literally thin and grilled). A bit thinner than Western-style…
Matsumoto cohiludo Oyaki
We are visiting Matsumoto in Nagano for winter holidays. One of our first stops was at the charming cohiludo café. It is on the main street leading to Matsumoto Castle from the station. Oyaki are stuffed dumplings, a local dish from Nagano prefecture. My favorite is the Nozawana, a mustard green leaf – also a…
Tsuruya Supermarket in Nagano
We love visiting local supermarkets when we travel. Tsuruya is a chain of supermarkets in Nagano that has been on our Go List since it was featured on a television program. It has a strong private brand (PB) program that is very popular with their customers. These items on this blogpost are all PB products…
Food Sake Tokyo 