1
Handmade Soba Alps

Founded in 1894 (Meiji 27), "Teuchi Soba Alps" is a restaurant where you can enjoy artisanal soba prepared by the fourth-generation owner. A popular menu item is the "Yamabiko Set," which allows you to compare three types of soba: 100% buckwheat soba, 80/20 soba, and mizu-soba. The mizu-soba, made from the highest quality hulled buckwheat kernels coarsely ground in a stone mill, has an elegant flavor.

There are three ways to eat it. Dip the soba slightly in water to enjoy its texture and aroma, eat the soba with salt on your chopsticks to savor its sweetness, and enjoy it with the dipping sauce. The soba dipping sauce is a sharp, savory style designed to bring out the sweetness of the buckwheat. Enjoy it however you prefer.

The interior has a calm, Japanese atmosphere

There are both tatami mat and table seating options, and you can view a well-maintained Japanese garden from the back of the restaurant.
As international tourists also visit, an English menu is available, which includes explanations such as "Why do we drink soba water?" and "The origin of 80/20 soba."

Teuchi Soba Alps

• 3-1-13 Asama Onsen, Matsumoto City, Nagano Prefecture MAP
• From Matsumoto Station, take the Matsumoto Electric Railway bus bound for "Asama Onsen via Shinshu University" for about 20 minutes, and get off at "Hot Plaza Asama-mae," then walk for 1 minute.
• 11:00–14:00 (L.O.) *No evening business
• Tuesdays and Wednesdays
• 0263-46-1471
• Free

2
Asama Onsen Gotenyama Observation Deck

From the observation deck (850m above sea level), which can be reached by a 40-minute trek from the center of Asama Onsen, you can enjoy a panoramic view of the Northern Alps and the Matsumoto Plain.
There are mainly three routes to the observation deck: the course from the Gotenyama trailhead, which has a relatively gentle path (30 minutes); the course from the side path of Misha Shrine (45 minutes); and the course from near Yakushido (40 minutes). It is an enjoyable spot that also features historical sites such as the Ogasawara family mausoleum associated with the lord of Matsumoto Castle, Yakushido, and Gotenyama Tenmangu Shrine, as well as famous autumn foliage spots.

Walking course around historical sites

On the course starting near Yakushido, if you pass through the red torii gate next to the hall and climb the steep stone steps, Gotenyama Tenmangu Shrine will appear in the pine forest. It is said that in the early Edo period, in 1659 (Manji 2), Tadamoto Mizuno, the lord of Matsumoto Castle at the time, renovated the Asama Goten (the hot spring villa of the Matsumoto Castle lord) and enshrined Sugawara no Michizane as its guardian deity, and the shrine retains the architectural style of the early Edo period. This is a route where you can experience both the history and nature of Matsumoto.

3
Hot Plaza Asama

Located in the heart of the Asama Onsen district, this is one of the four day-trip hot spring facilities in Asama Onsen. It features seven different types of baths, including a large public bath, an open-air bath, a sauna, and a bubble bath, as well as a relaxation room and a 70-tatami mat hall. You can easily drop by to use the facilities, and there is even a free footbath at the entrance.
The hot spring, which is supplied with 26 tons of source water daily, is a colorless, transparent, mildly alkaline simple spring that is reputed to warm you to the core.

Large public bath and the open-air bath visible in the back

The hot spring on the first floor includes a large public bath and an open-air bath, as well as a sauna and a cold water bath. Enjoy the hot spring by trying out the various baths, and then relax in the large hall on the second floor after your soak. You are welcome to bring your own food and drinks, making it a comfortable space to unwind.

At dusk, the folk-style building with its tiled roof and white walls takes on a charming atmosphere as lanterns are lit under the eaves. Since it is open until midnight, it is recommended for those arriving late or for healing the fatigue of the day at the end of your journey.

Hot Plaza Asama

• 3-16-3 Asama Onsen, Matsumoto City, Nagano Prefecture MAP
• From Matsumoto Station, take the Matsumoto Electric Railway bus bound for "Asama Onsen via Shinshu University" for about 20 minutes, and get off at "Hot Plaza Asama-mae," then walk for 1 minute.
• 10:00–24:00 (Last admission at 23:00)
• Tuesdays (or the following day if a public holiday)
• Bathing fee: Adults 750 yen, Children (elementary/junior high school students) 400 yen, Free for children under elementary school age
  Fees: Rental towel 220 yen, Bath towel for sale 220 yen
• 0263-46-6278
• Free

4
Miyajima Shoten

Miyajima Shoten is the only shop that sells "Oshinko Mochi," a representative local sweet of Asama Onsen that has been passed down since the Meiji era. The production of "Oshinko Mochi" was interrupted during the war and it disappeared, but the previous owner of Miyajima Shoten revived it, and it continues to this day.

The sweet is modeled after the auspicious crane, and the skin, made from ground white rice flour (joshinko), has a chewy texture and firm consistency, filled with mildly sweet smooth red bean paste. You can purchase them starting from one piece (95 yen), with packs of 6 (570 yen), 10 (950 yen), and 16 (1,520 yen) available. They also offer hot spring manju and other souvenirs.

Miyajima Shoten

• 1-31-20 Asama Onsen, Matsumoto City, Nagano Prefecture MAP
• From Matsumoto Station, take the Matsumoto Electric Railway bus bound for "Asama Onsen via Shinshu University" for about 27 minutes, get off at "Yusaka," and walk for 1 minute.
• 8:30–19:30
• Year-end and New Year holidays
• 0263-46-1658
• None

5
Okashidokoro Mitsukido Miyata Specialty Store

The famous "Asama Onsen Manju" is well-known for its packaging, which features text and illustrations designed by the late Rokusuke Ei, who visited Asama Onsen for many years.
The dough comes in two types: brown sugar and buckwheat flour, and they always have smooth and chunky red bean paste available. Depending on the time of year, other types of bean paste are added, such as cherry blossom or green pea paste in the spring, and miso paste made with Shinshu miso in the summer. From autumn to winter, you can enjoy a variety of flavors depending on the season, such as chestnut paste.
If you order by 9:00 PM the night before, they will have them freshly made for you the next morning.

Okashidokoro Getsudo Miyata Meisan-ten

• 3-2-1 Asama Onsen, Matsumoto City, Nagano Prefecture MAP
• From Matsumoto Station, take the Matsumoto Electric Railway bus bound for "Asama Onsen via Shinshu University" for about 27 minutes, get off at "Yusaka," and walk for 1 minute.
• 8:00–20:00
• Wednesday
• 0263-46-2528
• None

6
Tsukemono Kissa (Pickle Cafe)

In Shinshu, the culture of enjoying pickles as a snack with tea is deeply rooted. At "Tsukemono Kissa" (Pickle Cafe), we offer handmade pickles and Japanese sweets with the hope of sharing this culture with tourists.
We always have 10 types of pickles available, and you can also enjoy the "plum pickles, takuan (pickled daikon), and nozawana" that received the most votes at the local seasonal event, the "Nozawana Pickling Master Contest." In addition, we offer a variety of light meals and sweets, including handmade soba noodles made with "Azumino spring water," the famous Asama Onsen confectioneries "Oshinko-mochi" and "Oyaki," and even a unique "coconut zenzai."
For tea, we use Uji Tawara tea sourced from Kyoto, which is a deep-flavored sencha.

Enjoy the shop's signature flavors in a great value set menu

The "Soba-kiri Set" is a great value menu that includes zaru soba, grilled rice balls, three types of pickles, a mini-sized coconut zenzai, and Uji tea, allowing you to enjoy the shop's signature flavors all in one. The "Handmade Soba" menu, which the owner prepares fresh every day, also comes with pickles and Uji tea. We also offer creative dishes such as Spanish-style soba with prosciutto and olive oil. It is a shop that can be used not only as a casual cafe to drop by, but also as a place for a full meal.

Tsukemono Kissa (Pickle Cafe)

• 2-4-19 Asama Onsen, Matsumoto City, Nagano Prefecture MAP
• From Matsumoto Station, take the "Shindai-Yokota Loop Line" or "Yokota-Shindai Loop Line" for about 20 minutes, get off at "Asama Onsen Iriguchi," and walk for about 4 minutes.
• 11:00–18:00 (L.O. 17:30)
• Tuesdays
• 0263-46-7550
• Free