Local Specialties

Food & Beverages

Fruit

Significant temperature differences between the daytime and night in this area makes for an ideal climate to raise very delicious fruit such as apples, "Kyoho" grapes and peaches.

Mushrooms

Mushrooms are one of the major agricultural products representing the town of Yamanouchi. Widely known as a superb health food, mushrooms are not only tasty but can be easily added to supplement various menus such as hot-pot dishes, soups and fries.

"Onsen Manju" (hot-spring-steamed buns)

Onsen-Manju There are two types of "Onsen Manju" buns with a bean-jam filling: "Issa Manuju" are one-bite-sized buns featuring the rich flavor of raw sugar; and "Onsen Manju" are more moderate in sweetness. Both types are popular as souvenir items.

"Sugakawa Soba" (buckwheat noodles)

The area's well known Sugakawa Soba are traditional buckwheat noodles using fibers of a mountain vegetable called "yama-gobo" as a binder. Their substantial texture is pleasingly crisp and "al dente" that is hard to forget.

"Chimaki" (rice dumplings wrapped in bamboo leaves)

Chimaki "Chimaki" are handmade rice dumplings wrapped in bamboo leaves and boiled in gushing hot-spring water. The fresh fragrance of bamboo leaves coupled with the rustic flavor of "kinako" soybean flour arouse the appetite.

"Shiga Kogen Miso" (fermented soybean paste)

"Shiga Kogen Miso" is a premium naturally fermented soybean paste. There are no artificial additives and it features a taste unchanged from days of old. This traditional soybean-based seasoning is highly recommended as a health food.

Apple Juice

Apple juice from Yamanouchi is 100% pure apple juice made from the popular "Sun Fuji" variety which is prized as the "King of Apples" in Japan. It is recognized as one of the "Nagano Prefecture-Certified Authentic Foods," i.e. excellent foods that are derived from locally produced ingredients using centuries-old traditional or highly original techniques.

Saké and Beer

Sake "Engi" is a two-hundred-year-old brand of saké produced by a brewery located in Yudanaka Shibu Spas. Beer made with crystal-clear spring water from Shiga Kogen and the choicest malt and hops is also highly popular among visitors and locals alike.

"Yukemuri Soba Nabe"

Soba Nabe This is a hot-pot dish featuring mushroom-cap-shaped cakes made from soba (buckwheat flour) cooked with a variety of locally produced fresh mushrooms such as "Enoki-dake," "Shimeji" and "Nameko" as well as seasonal vegetables. The flavor of the prized "Shinshu (Nagano) Miso" soybean paste richly enhances the taste. Though a relatively new addition to Yamanouchi's local specialties, it should definitely not be missed.

Handicrafts

Bamboo Ware

Bamboo ware is a traditional handicraft that has been handed down in the Sugakawa district for centuries since the Edo period. Designated one of Nagano's Prefectural Traditional Crafts, it has been the winner of the Japan Handicraft Award. Using thin bamboos that are crooked near the root, the whole process is a manual one from splitting and peeling to weaving. Bamboo ware items thus made exude a pleasingly rustic charm and warmth, making them great souvenirs and gifts to take back home.

Lathed Wood Crafts

Lathed wood crafts produced in Yamanouchi, embodying a centuries-old woodworking tradition, have been prized for their beautiful natural grain. Wood craft items include trays, teacups, seasoning containers and many others which are so superbly made that anyone will wish to use them for many years as favorite daily utensils.

"Choju-bashi" Chopsticks

Bamboo Chopsticks "Choju (longevity)-bashi" chopsticks, with carvings of "Kanchiku" (a rare bamboo whose shoots grow in mid-winter) on their surfaces, are handmade one by one into various shapes -- round, square, and up to 30cm-long according to one's personal preference.

YAMANOUCHI TOWN