8 Japanese restaurants for lunch in Yatsugatake, Kiyosato, and Kobuchizawa
The Yatsugatake area is home to many Western-style restaurants such as Italian and French, but there are also many hidden gems of Japanese cuisine. Here are some lunch spots where you can enjoy Japanese cuisine using Yatsugatake's ingredients.
*Please note that due to the prevention of the spread of the new coronavirus, the hours of operation may change and the cafe may be closed. Please check in advance before visiting.
1Nature Shop
Delicate natural cuisine that is beautiful in taste and appearance.
A set lunch restaurant with natural cuisine where you can enjoy the unique ingredients of Yatsugatake to your heart's content. The owner and his wife, who trained as live-in apprentices under the owner of "Sen-nin Hut," a famous restaurant for wild vegetables and gibier cuisine, will entertain you with healthful dishes that use plenty of seasonal mountain bounty, such as wild vegetables in spring, river fish in summer, and mushrooms in autumn.
The lunch menu always offers about 10 dishes, including the seasonal Yatsugatake set meal, tempura set meal, and highland vegetable salad set meal. In the evening, only omakase courses are available upon reservation.
A spectacular view of the Southern Alps is also a treat!
The set menus come with several miniature side dishes, such as dressed vegetables and omelets, soup, and black rice. Even the dressings and teas are homemade, and the dishes are so delicately arranged that it is hard to decide which to start with.
The restaurant's interior, tastefully decorated with dried flowers handmade by the owner's wife and woodwork by an artist living in Yatsugatake, has a stylish and relaxing atmosphere. You can enjoy a relaxing lunch time with a view of the Southern Alps through the large windows.
- Shizenya
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5471 Tanido, Oizumi-machi, Hokuto City, Yamanashi MAP
Approximately 8 minutes by car from JR Kai Oizumi Station
11:00 - 15:00 (Reservation priority) *17:00 - 21:00 (Reservation required, 3,500 yen or 5,500 yen omakase course depending on season)
Closed on Wednesdays and during winter (Dec. to Mar.) *Closed irregularly.
080-5387-6350
Free of charge
2Hideyoshi
Modern Japanese cuisine that combines tradition and innovation
This is a must-visit restaurant when you want to enjoy delicious Japanese food in a relaxed atmosphere. The owner, who is originally from a ryotei restaurant in Nishi-Azabu, carefully prepares his dishes using ingredients from Yatsugatake and fresh seafood collected from all over Japan. The base of his cuisine is Japanese, but he sometimes incorporates Western ingredients such as blue cheese and fresh cream. The dishes are full of originality and are not only tasty but also visually beautiful and exciting.
Ingredients and individuality shine through in each dish
Lunch, available only on Saturdays and Sundays, is a weekly course that changes from 1,800 yen to 3,000 yen. From appetizers to desserts, the restaurant uses ingredients from Yamanashi and Nagano prefectures as much as possible, including organically grown vegetables from Kobuchisawa, mushrooms gathered in the mountains by the owner himself, heirloom eggs from Haramura, and Shinshu salmon, as well as seafood directly from 70 to 80 fishing ports across Japan. We also recommend spending a relaxing time with a wide selection of Yamanashi sake and wine.
- Hideyoshi
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- 3332-171 Kamisasao, Kobuchizawa-cho, Hokuto City, Yamanashi MAP
- 5 min. drive from JR Kobuchizawa Station
- April-November: 12:00-13:30 (Open only on Saturdays and Sundays *Course only), 17:00-22:30 December-March: 12:00-13:30L.O., 17:00-20:30L.O. (Reservation priority)
- Thursday (irregular holidays)
- 0551-36-4270
- Free of charge
3Izutsuya
A famous eel restaurant that is gaining a reputation both inside and outside of the prefecture
The first name that comes to mind when talking about eel restaurants in Yamanashi Prefecture is Izutsuya, located within walking distance of Kobuchizawa Station. Many people from inside and outside of the prefecture come to enjoy the taste of this restaurant, and on holidays there are long lines of people waiting in line.
In a Japanese-style room with tatami mats and Scandinavian furniture, you can enjoy Kanto style broiled eel, kabayaki and shirayaki, which are grilled with great care by the chefs. We purchase the most delicious eels of the season and grill them slowly over binchotan charcoal with the sauce that has been used continuously since the establishment of the restaurant.
Superb eel grilled over binchotan charcoal by skilled chefs
The most popular menu item is the special stacked box, which is available in limited quantities. It is a stacked box containing a large-sized broiled eel. Other popular dishes include "Unabako Ni-nou," which offers two types of eel, kabayaki and shiroyaki, and "Kame-Shio no Unagi," which combines shiroyaki with mountain salt and sansho (a Japanese pepper). Eels grilled with the skillful techniques of our artisans are so fluffy that they seem to melt in your mouth. It takes about 40 minutes from the time of order to the time of serving, but it is a superb taste you will not want to wait to try.
4Nakamura Farm Dining Area
Chicken and egg dishes that make the most of the flavors of the ingredients are exquisite!
This popular Dining Area offers dishes using chicken and eggs from Nakamura Farm, a poultry farm located at the southern foot of Yatsugatake. The chicken is fed with Yatsugatake's groundwater and a unique blend of feed, and is raised on a flat-fed chicken farm, which means that the meat is free of excess fat and the more you chew it, the more the original flavor of the chicken spreads. The restaurant offers a variety of dishes centered around the chicken and eggs produced by the company. Nakamura Farm's oyakodon," a bowl of rice topped with a rich, tender egg, has won the gold medal in the oyakodon category of the National Donburi Grand Prix organized by the National Donburi Federation for five consecutive years.
Fully enjoy the chicken nurtured by the nature of Yatsugatake
The menu also includes "Yatsugatake Tamago no Tamagokake Gohan (rice with egg)," "Concentrated Kottori Ramen" and "Teba Gyoza (wing dumplings)," which maximize the flavor of the chicken and egg. All of the dishes are simple, yet cooked with great attention to detail, including temperature and timing. There is also a full lineup of desserts, including pudding and ice cream made with Yatsugatake eggs.
In addition to the Dining Area, there is a direct sales area where you can purchase eggs, chicken, and processed egg products, as well as a store specializing in sweets.
- Nakamura Farm
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- 4986-524 Higashi-ide, Takane-cho, Hokuto City, Yamanashi MAP
- 20 min. walk from JR Kai Oizumi Station
- 10:00 - 20:00
- Tuesdays and Wednesdays (subject to seasonal changes; check HP)
- 0551-47-5030
- Free of charge
5Ajinoren Kazunobu
Enjoy fresh fish dishes that go well with sake!
This small restaurant, which mainly serves fish dishes, was opened five years ago by the owner, who was a sushi chef in Kiyosato for 30 years. Fresh fish purchased every morning at the local wholesale market in Kofu is grilled, boiled, sashimi, fried, or otherwise prepared in the most suitable way. The rice and miso soup that accompanies set meals, such as "Mr. Oshiba's Family Rice" produced by a rice-growing expert from Takane Town and miso soup made with additive-free Yamago miso from Gomi Soy Sauce Store, are also popular for their delicious taste.
Craftsmanship at its best!
Along with fresh fish sashimi, popular dishes include "Kakuni-ni (pork stew)," made with sauce that has been added over 30 years, and "Nakamura Farm Meisui Jidori Chicken Lemon Stew," made with chicken wings from Nakamura Farm in Yatsugatake and simmered for about 1.5 hours with soy sauce, garlic, ginger, and lemon, all of which are locally produced for local consumption as much as possible. A variety of alcoholic beverages that go well with a la carte dishes, such as Yamanashi wines, Japanese sake, and shochu from Kyushu, are also available, so the restaurant is crowded with tourists and regulars not only at lunch time but also in the evening.
- Ajinoren Kazunobu
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- 277-4 Otsubo, Gomachida, Takane-cho, Hokuto City, Yamanashi MAP
- 5 min. from JR Nagasaka Station by car
- 11:30 - 14:30 (L.O. 14:00), 17:00 - 21:30 (L.O. 21:00)
- Mondays (closed the following day if Monday is a national holiday)
- 0551-47-2500
- 12 cars free of charge
6Sake Brewery Restaurant Daimin
Reputation for dishes unique to a sake brewery using koji and sake kasu
This restaurant is under the direct management of Yamanashi Meizo, a long-established sake brewery founded in 1750 in Daigahara on the Koshu Highway. In the stylish old private house-style restaurant, which utilizes materials from the sake brewery's retirement residence, you can enjoy a menu of traditional recipes with new twists, using fermented foods unique to the brewery, such as sake kasu and koji. Our top recommendation is the "Salmon marinated in koji set meal. Salmon marinated for 20 days in rice malt used for sake brewing is soft and fluffy, soaked in the sweetness and flavor of the malted rice. It is also nice to be able to enjoy a variety of dishes such as a small bowl of seasonal vegetables, a thickly baked egg, and country soup.
Healthy fermented dishes served with sake
At the Restaurant, we highly recommend tasting their signature sake along with your meal. All the dishes served in the Restaurant are a perfect match for the "Shichiken" brand sake, which is nurtured by the water and rice of Hakushu. If you find a bottle you like, you can purchase it at the adjacent main house. A wide variety of processed products such as sake lees, amazake (sweet sake), and salmon pickled in koji (malted rice) are also available, making them perfect souvenirs.
7Dandelion Restaurant
A local community café that emphasizes local production for local consumption
Located just off the Nagasaka IC, Tanpopo Shokudo is a community café where you can enjoy simple home-style cooking. In addition to using it as a cafeteria, locals who care about food safety gather here for its prepared foods, fresh vegetables from local farmers, and original seasonings. The restaurant uses ingredients from Hokuto City as well as "identity proven" ingredients handled by the nationwide "Seikatsu Club Co-op. The ingredients are carefully prepared with a focus on safety and security, and are grown in an environmentally friendly manner.
Safe and secure ingredients prepared in a simple way
The lunch menu always includes five to six dishes, such as dandelion curry, croquettes, and mackerel with yakumi sauce. All of the homemade dishes have a gentle and comforting taste.
A deli day is held once a week (including a yakitori day on two days a month), and irregular fairs (Chinese fair, shish-kebab fair, etc.) are held as well, which are always a great success.
- Dandelion Restaurant
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- 3913 Oyada, Nagasaka-cho, Hokuto City, Yamanashi MAP
- 5 min. drive from JR Nagasaka Station
- 11:30-17:00
- Sunday, Monday
- Sunday, Monday 0551-45-6890
- Free of charge
8Restaurant Mutsumi (BOKU)
Enjoy local cuisine unique to Yamanashi Prefecture
The Restaurant is located on the premises of Mutsumi, a pet-friendly cottage with a dog run in Kiyosato. In addition to udon noodles made with delicious Yatsugatake water and flour, set menus and a la carte dishes made with local ingredients are also available. We recommend "Ozara," a local dish of Koshu. Cold udon or houtou with a glutinous texture is served with homemade warm broth made from Rishiri kelp, dried sardines, dried bonito flakes, Uru-me flakes, and other ingredients. The sauce is filled with seasonal vegetables from Yatsugatake. During the cold season, "yumori" (boiled noodles) is also popular.
Local gourmet foods and thick soft ice cream are also popular
After enjoying local delicacies such as "Koshu Torimotsuni," which is chicken entrails seasoned sweet and spicy with sugar and soy sauce, and "Koshu Sauce Katsudon," a bowl of rice topped with Koshu's unique sauce, we recommend the rich soft ice cream available at the adjacent store. The shop is known for its excellent soft-serve ice cream that can only be tasted here, such as the soft-serve milk ice cream with a moderate sweetness, the bitter authentic chocolate soft-serve ice cream, and the soft-serve milk ice cream with fresh cheese mixed into it.
- Restaurant Boku
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- 3545-2411 Kiyosato, Takane-cho, Hokuto City, Yamanashi MAP
- 10 min. drive from JR Nagasaka Station
- 11:00～14:30 L.O., 17:00～19:30 L.O.
- Wednesday
- 0551-48-3068
- Free of charge
