1
Korogawa Sankirai

Excellent soba with a focus on local production for local consumption

This soba restaurant is located in the Minami-Korogawa area, a village on the southern edge of Nikko City. With the motto of "local production for local consumption," the restaurant is particular about its ingredients. The buckwheat noodles are made from buckwheat seeds produced in Nikko and milled by the restaurant itself. The soba noodles are aromatic and have a good firmness, and go well with the slightly thicker dipping sauce.
The menu offers five to six dishes, including juwari-soba and seasonal soba. The "Yuba (yuba) Soba" is highly recommended. The combination of the crispy, light texture of the batter and the fluffy yuba is exceptional.

Local Guide

Yuba tempura is fluffy and great! You can also enjoy the view of the river flowing from the restaurant.

Gentle to the touch, the dishes are inspired by the nature of the Korogawa River.

The restaurant's building is a log house made from 80-year-old local cedar trees. The interior has a high ceiling, giving the restaurant a spacious feel, and large glass windows offer a view of the surrounding mountains and the clear waters of the Kurokawa River that flows in front of the restaurant. Wild birds such as kingfishers and goshawks sometimes visit the restaurant, and every year around the end of the Golden Week holiday season, a large mountain Fuji tree blooms with light purple flowers.
The pottery featuring the nature of the Korogawa River is also very beautiful. The pottery was created by a potter from Mashiko Pottery in Tochigi Prefecture, and depicts the vine plant Sankirai (which gives the restaurant its name), the flow of the Kurokawa River, and a forest of trees on the opposite bank of the river.

Korogawa Sankirai

• 395-1 Minamikoiraigawa, Nikko City, Tochigi Prefecture MAP
• 20 minutes drive from JR Imaichi Station or Tobu Railway Shimo-Imaichi Station
• 11:00-15:00 (L.O. 14:30)
• Thursday
  *Only closed on Tuesdays throughout the year January 1-3
• 0288-63-2121
• Free
• Reservations accepted on weekdays only; no credit cards accepted; no smoking in the restaurant

2
Gen soba kappa

Soba connoisseurs will be impressed by the juwari soba.

The fine buckwheat noodles are made from carefully selected brown buckwheat from all over Japan, milled by the restaurant's own milling process, and made with domestically produced flour for the binding and beating of the buckwheat. Nihachi soba comes in two varieties: "Rural," which has a strong aroma, and "Marunuki," which has a smooth texture. The juwari soba has an irresistible freshness and flavor that even soba connoisseurs will be impressed with. The "Jyuwari 2-kinds of Soba" is especially popular, available only on weekdays, and is a great way to compare two types of gen-soba from different regions as Jyuwari soba.
The wasabi is made from Azumino, Shinshu. The moderate spiciness and sweetness of the wasabi, which leaves a tangy taste in the nose, enhances the flavor of the soba noodles.
Freshly ground buckwheat flour is kept at a constant humidity and temperature, so you can enjoy fresh buckwheat noodles any time of the year.

Local Guide

The soba noodles have a light greenish color because they are made from carefully selected, high-quality brown buckwheat. The soba has a slight sweetness when you bite into it.

Relaxed seating with sunken kotatsu or tatami room

The restaurant offers counter, table, sunken kotatsu, and tatami room seating, and the tables are large enough for two people to sit comfortably.
The restaurant's reputation has spread by word of mouth, and many fans come from outside of the prefecture to visit.

Gen soba kappa

• 44-7 Seo, Nikko City, Tochigi Prefecture MAP
• 10 min. walk from Tobu Railway Oyamukai Stn.
  5 minutes drive from Imaichi I.C. on the Nikko City-Utsunomiya Road
• 11:00～14:45 L.O. (Closes when soba noodles are sold out)
• Wednesday, Thursday
• 0288-25-8111
• Free

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Kisuge no Sato Soba Iori An

Enjoy nihachi soba made with local ingredients

The famous Kamimiyori Kisuge no Sato restaurant, located in Kamimiyori, the gateway to Shiobara hot springs, has opened a branch inside the "Nikko Kaido Nico Nico Honjin" roadside station. The restaurant serves handmade nihachi-soba made with 20% wheat flour and 80% buckwheat flour, using seasonal Nikko brand buckwheat flour and local spring water from Kamimiyori, such as "summer soba," "Nikko aoi soba," "Nikko summer and autumn higan soba," and "ice-temperature ripened soba. The soba is characterized by its firmness and smoothness.

A popular menu item is "Nikko hitori-soba," cold soba noodles and kakiage (deep-fried tofu) dipped in warm tsuyu (soy sauce). It is served with yakumi (condiments), tororo (grated yam), and hot spring egg, allowing you to enjoy the soba in a variety of flavors.

Other dishes include "Sumi Soba Matching," an assortment of black charcoal soba and regular soba. We also recommend unusual soba noodles such as "Chitake soba," a local delicacy, and "Kumaseiro soba," which is served with bear soup.

Local Guide

The menu is diverse, ranging from standard dishes to local specialties such as "yuba" and "chitake. You can enjoy Nikko's famous buckwheat noodles in a casual atmosphere.

Recommended as a place to take a break

As a roadside station, the restaurant has a spacious interior. The tatami room seating area with large tables is a comfortable place to sit and relax. The bearskin on the wall is another highlight of the restaurant. Photographs are also displayed, delighting visitors. Visitors can also complete their shopping at the souvenir corner, which offers a wide selection of products unique to Nikko.

Kisuge no Sato Soba Iori

• 733-1 Imaichi, Nikko City, Tochigi Prefecture MAP
• 5 min. walk from Shimo-Imaichi Station on Tobu Railway
• 11:00-18:00 (L.O.17:30)
  Ends as soon as all the food is gone.
• 3rd Tuesday of the month
• 0288-25-5778
• Free

4
Houtokuan

Enjoy soba noodles in an old private house along the cedar trees in Nikko

At Houtokuan, located on the grounds of the lushly green Nikko Cedar Namiki Park, visitors can enjoy nihachi soba (buckwheat noodles) made from homemade buckwheat flour. The thin, firm buckwheat noodles are easy on the throat, and the aroma of the buckwheat spreads with every mouthful. In addition, the "Tenzaru Soba" comes with crispy tempura with about five kinds of seasonal vegetables, making it a hearty dish.

Most of the regular customers who are fascinated by Houtokuan's buckwheat noodles make it a regular practice to order buckwheat noodles to go along with their meal when they visit the restaurant. It is such an addictive taste that you will want to eat it right after you finish it.

Enjoy your meal in an open-air veranda

The building, a restored old farmhouse of the Houtoku Shiho farmer's home invented by Nikko's associated farmer, Ninomiya Sawanori (Kinjiro Ninomiya), is rich in atmosphere. Enjoying soba noodles while sitting on the veranda and admiring the fresh greenery, autumn leaves, and other seasonal scenery makes one feel happy. The relaxing moment will fill your heart.

Local Guide

The soba noodles are thin and firm. Eating soba on the porch is a special experience! Taking a walk in Suginamiki Park after dinner is also recommended.

Houtokuan

• 383-1 Segawa, Nikko-shi, Tochigi MAP
• 10 min. walk from Tobu Railway Kami-Imaichi Stn.
• 11:00-15:00
• Every Thursday and January 1-3
• 0288-21-4973
• Free

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San-tate-soba Nagahata-an

Enjoy authentic soba in a historic soba area

The Nagahata area, with its large daily temperature difference and morning and evening mist, is said to be the best place for soba production, and the best quality soba has been produced here since the Edo period (1603-1868). Surrounded by soba fields, this restaurant also uses locally grown unpolished soba and serves only "morisoba," "kakesoba," and "zarusoba. For many years, the restaurant has maintained its policy of serving soba "santate" (freshly ground, freshly beaten, and freshly boiled), using buckwheat flour milled in the morning for the day's use. The thinly sliced soba noodles have a softly fragrant aroma that goes down your throat with a wonderful sensation. The cold soba-tsuyu (buckwheat sauce) and crunchy green onions enhance the freshness of the soba.

Local Guide

The menu consists only of soba noodles, and you can bring your own tempura and other dishes. In winter, you can taste Kenchin Jiru.

Enjoy "Mitate" soba in a peaceful house

In the Nagahata area, housewives have been making soba for their families for a long time. When this restaurant opened about 30 years ago, local residents brought together the skills they had inherited from their own families and studied them over and over. The current style of soba is "Hikigurumi-shichiru" (70% buckwheat), in which the hulls of the buckwheat are ground together with the buckwheat. Sobayu (buckwheat water) is also thicker, so you can enjoy the lingering taste of the buckwheat until the very end. Another feature of soba is that you can order as much soba as you want to eat, from 1 gou to 1 sho, and the 3 gou buckwheat noodle is the perfect volume for two women.

San-tate Soba Nagahata-an

• 635-1 Nagahata, Nikko-shi, Tochigi MAP
• 5 minutes from Tobu Railway Myojin Station by car
  5 minutes drive from Imaichi I.C. on the Nikko City-Utsunomiya Road
• 11:00~15:00 (last entry at 14:30) *Close when all soba is gone.
• Tuesdays and Fridays (open if Tuesday falls on a national holiday)
• 0288-27-2488
• Free

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So-in, Warabino

A popular restaurant where both soba and sweet dishes are delicious

Kusamasa Warabino is located along Tochigi Prefectural Road No. 279, Okuwa-Osawa Route, and is marked by a sign that reads, "I want to let you eat freshly brewed buckwheat noodles. Located next to the Omuro Dam, the restaurant is popular for its excellent location where you can dine while enjoying a view of the waterfront.

It is also famous as a soba restaurant where you can also enjoy sweet dishes. Popular menu items are "morisoba" and "anmitsu" (sweet bean paste). The soba noodles are made from locally grown Omuro buckwheat in Nikko, milled on a millstone, and served with ground water to enhance the flavor of the buckwheat noodles. Anmitsu" is a combination of agar made with spring water and sweet bean paste kneaded in the store, and is known for its deliciously smooth texture.

Local Guide

The "Weekday Lunch Set" (1,680 yen), limited to 30 servings, is a popular menu item that draws a line out the door even before the restaurant opens. The set includes a rolled egg, seasonal vegetables, buckwheat noodles, and a sweet dish.

Liberating counter seats

The Omuro Dam, which was built for agricultural use and is fed by water from the Nikko mountain range, spreads out in front of the counter facing a large window. While enjoying delicious soba noodles and sweet dishes, visitors can enjoy watching the seasonal changes in the surrounding grove of trees and the various migratory birds that visit the waterside.

Local Guide

Although it is a popular restaurant with many customers waiting in line, it is nice to take a walk around the dam during the waiting time on a fine day.

Souin Warabino

• 2009-1 Omuro, Nikko City, Tochigi Prefecture MAP
• About 5 minutes from JR Shimono-Osawa Station by car
  Approximately 5 minutes by car from Osawa I.C. on Utsunomiya Nikko Road
• 11:30-15:30 (L.O. 15:00) *Last entry at 15:00. Closing time may be earlier depending on the number of customers.
• Wednesdays, 2nd and 4th Thursdays
• 0288-23-8022
• Free

7
A Short Break: Nouka

Aromatic handmade buckwheat noodles served in an old house in the satoyama

Surrounded by a peaceful satoyama landscape, the soba restaurant features a nostalgic and tasteful space. The interior of the renovated old private house is a cozy and relaxing space with tatami mats and a sunken hearth.

We recommend the "Koyasumi Supesharu" (short break). This is a hearty set that includes soba noodles, wild vegetable tempura, yuba sashimi, and rice with barley and toro (barley and rice). The handmade soba noodles, made with water from the Nikko mountain range, are coarsely ground, highly aromatic, and very popular. The soba is sold out only as the owner makes it in order to keep the flavor the same, so reservations by phone are recommended if you go after noon.

Local Guide

The soba noodles have a nice smooth texture. The maitake mushroom tempura is also delicious! The interior of the restaurant has a very warm atmosphere, with antiques placed everywhere.

Enjoy "Nohua-style" soba in a restaurant full of emotion

We also recommend the "Chitake no Seiro Soba" made with chitake, an aromatic and flavorful mushroom that is harvested in summer. Chitake is one of Tochigi Prefecture's local culinary ingredients, and the "small break" is to enjoy the flavor of the broth.
Tempura of maitake mushrooms and tempura of wild vegetables in spring are also popular.

short break Nuka

• 71 Kobayashi, Nikko-shi, Tochigi MAP
• Approximately 20 minutes by car from Kamikouchi Smart I.C. on the Tohoku Expressway.
• 11:00～14:00
• Thursday, 1st Sunday
• 090-7736-3354
• Free