Nagano

A local dish of Matsumoto and Shiojiri: a whole chicken thigh marinated in garlicky soy sauce, coated in potato starch and fried. It is crisp outside and juicy inside, and the garlic aroma whets your appetite. One theory says the name is a pun: bandits take things away, toriageru, which sounds like frying chicken, tori ageru. It is popular in set meals and bento and comes in generous portions. Enjoy it together with a visit to Matsumoto Castle.

Typical price

¥900–1,500

Where

Matsumoto, Shiojiri

A local dish of Komagane. Shredded cabbage is spread over rice, and a freshly fried pork cutlet dipped in a special sauce is laid on top. You can enjoy the crisp cutlet, the crunchy cabbage and the sauce's balance of sweetness and tang. Many shops in the city serve it, each with its own sauce and cutlet thickness. Enjoy it together with sightseeing in the Central Alps or a drive through the Komagane Highlands. It is filling and very satisfying.

Typical price

¥1,000–1,500

Where

Komagane

A local dish of Ina made with thick steamed Chinese noodles, mutton and cabbage. There is a soup style served in broth and a yakisoba style that is stir-fried. A key feature is adding vinegar, sauce, sesame oil, shichimi chili pepper and more to taste, finishing the flavor your own way. It is a dish unique to Ina, where people have a culture of eating mutton, and many shops in the city serve it. You will not find it anywhere else. Many people find it addictive after the first try.

Typical price

¥700–1,000

Where

Ina

The general name for soba made in Nagano. The highland climate, with big temperature differences between day and night, suits buckwheat, and soba-making has thrived here since long ago. It is fragrant with a firm bite, and eating it cold on a bamboo tray lets you enjoy its true flavor. The prefecture has many well-known soba areas, such as Togakushi and Kaida Highlands. In autumn, the new soba season, soba festivals are held around the prefecture, and some places offer soba-making experiences. Enjoy it with wasabi and green onion.

Typical price

¥800–1,500

Where

Throughout Nagano

Soba made in the Togakushi area of Nagano City and counted among Japan's three great soba. It is served in bocchi-mori style, with bite-sized bundles arranged in the shape of horseshoes. The flour is often ground from whole buckwheat including the husk, giving it a strong aroma. It has long been served to pilgrims visiting Togakushi Shrine. Many soba shops line the approach to the shrine, and eating soba after walking the cedar-lined path is recommended. Finish by drinking the soba cooking water.

Typical price

¥1,000–1,800

Where

Togakushi, Nagano City

A Nagano local dish of flour or buckwheat dough wrapped around fillings such as nozawana greens, eggplant, pumpkin or red bean paste, then grilled or steamed. In mountain areas where rice was hard to grow, it has long been eaten as a staple and snack. Depending on the area it is grilled, steamed, or grilled then steamed. Nozawana oyaki is the classic, salty with a crunchy bite. Near Zenkoji Temple you can eat them freshly made as you walk. With so many fillings, comparing them is fun.

Typical price

¥150–300 each

Where

Nagano City and throughout Nagano

Nagano's most famous pickle, made with nozawana greens said to come from Nozawa Onsen village. In Nagano's harsh winters, nozawana harvested in autumn was pickled and eaten through the winter as a preserved food. It has a crunchy texture and a refreshing taste, perfect with rice. Nagano families often serve it with tea. It is also delicious as an oyaki filling or stir-fried. You can buy it at souvenir shops throughout the prefecture. It is a staple of the Nagano winter table.

Typical price

¥300–800

Where

Nozawa Onsen and throughout Nagano

In Nagano, areas such as Ina have long had a culture of eating horse meat. Horses were used for farming and transport, which is said to be the background. Nagano horse sashimi is mostly lean red meat, light yet full of flavor the more you chew. The classic way is to eat it with ginger or garlic and sweet soy sauce. You can try it at izakaya and soba shops, and locals also serve it at celebrations. Its bright red color whets the appetite.

Typical price

¥1,000–2,000

Where

Ina, Matsumoto and around

A local dish of the Nagawa area of Matsumoto. A single serving of soba is placed in a small bamboo basket called a toji-kago, dipped into a hot pot full of ingredients to warm it, and eaten. Toji is said to come from tojiru, to throw the soba into the pot. The pot contains mushrooms, wild vegetables, chicken and more, eaten along with the soba. It was eaten in cold mountain villages to warm the body. Sharing a pot with others is part of the fun, and the broth is delicious to the last drop.

Typical price

¥1,500–2,500

Where

Nagawa, Matsumoto

A local dish of cooked rice half-mashed, shaped into flat sandal shapes or balls, skewered, brushed with a sweet and savory sauce and grilled. It is loved in the Kiso and Ina areas of southern Nagano. The sauces, made with walnuts, sesame, miso and more, vary by area and shop. The aroma of the toasted sauce is irresistible. You can eat it freshly grilled in the post towns along the Nakasendo and at roadside stations. It has long been a simple snack of the mountain villages, and it makes a great treat on a trip.

Typical price

¥200–400 per skewer

Where

Kiso, Ina and around

A traditional sweet of Obuse, a town famous for chestnuts: chestnut paste kneaded together with chestnuts candied in syrup. The chestnut flavor is so rich it feels like eating chestnuts themselves. Obuse chestnuts are said to have been presented to the shogun's family in the Edo period. The town has a row of long-established chestnut confectioners, where you can also enjoy chestnut rice, Mont Blanc and other chestnut dishes and sweets. It is a perfect souvenir from a stroll around Obuse.

Typical price

¥1,000–2,500

Where

Obuse

A local bread long loved in Nagano: a big, fluffy square bun filled with sweet buttercream. The packaging often features an illustration such as a boy drinking milk, and its retro look is part of the charm. It is sold at many bakeries and supermarkets in the prefecture, and the size and cream vary from shop to shop. It is filling and perfect for breakfast or a snack. With its simple flavor, it is loved by people of all ages.

Typical price

¥200–350 each

Where

Throughout Nagano

A sweet from a Nagano confectionery company and one of the prefecture's best-known souvenirs. It is a thin Western-style wafer cookie with a cream filling. Its light, crisp texture and gentle sweetness make it easy to enjoy for children and adults alike. The name comes from the rock ptarmigan, raicho, Nagano's prefectural bird, which lives high in mountains such as the Northern Alps. Individually wrapped, it is easy to share and perfect for the office. It is widely sold at stations and highway rest areas. It goes well with coffee or tea.

Typical price

¥500–1,500

Where

Throughout Nagano

A jelly-like sweet made with fruit juice by a long-established shop in Ueda. Flavors use Shinshu fruits such as apricot, grape, apple, peach and ume. Each piece is wrapped in edible rice paper, with a chewy texture and the natural sweet-tartness of fruit. Its colorful look is beautiful, and Nagano people have loved it for a long time. The main store in Ueda is also known for its retro Western-style building. You can really taste the fruit.

Typical price

¥500–1,500

Where

Ueda