🍜 Yataki-an

In Yoshinoyama, famous for its stunning cherry blossoms in spring and vibrant autumn leaves, there is the only soba noodle shop. The local owner trained at one of Japan's top three soba noodle shops in Togakushi, Nagano Prefecture. He uses the renowned water from Yoshinoyama and carefully makes soba noodles by hand, kneading and cutting them with care. The soba flour is made from buckwheat grown in the Shinshu Yatsugatake region, ground using a stone mill, resulting in exceptional flavor. The dipping sauce is made by extracting broth from carefully selected katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes), saba bushi (dried mackerel flakes), and hidaka kombu (kelp) using Yoshinoyama's water, then simmered with domestically produced marudai soy sauce, hon mirin, and coarse sugar, perfectly complementing the soba noodles. Fresh wasabi from Azumino, Shinshu, enhances the taste even further. In addition to classic bamboo sieve soba, hot soba soup, and Nioh soba served with fried mochi, seasonal dishes are also offered, such as new tea soba made with Yamato tea, ume hachi soba with homemade pickled plums, and vinegar citrus soba served with vinegar citrus. The space, transformed from an old house, is also charming.

You can taste the famous Yoshino spring water combined with hand-kneaded and hand-cut soba noodles. They use the richly flavored Shinshu Yatsugatake buckwheat. The dipping sauce made with domestic ingredients and the fresh wasabi from Azumino Hotaka in Shinshu are also major highlights. The tempura made from seasonal local ingredients is another signature dish. The soba restaurant, converted from an old traditional house, has a unique charm.