Chubu 2016 中部の旅 - Soup Curry Hanjiro スープカレーハンジロー

Visited 20.10.2016 (Thu)





Soup curry fan! Arrived at Azumino city 安曇野市 just in time for lunch. Followed a recommendation in Mappuru Shinshu まっぷる 信州 and took a taxi from Hotaka Station 穂高駅 to Hanjiro ハンジロー, a restaurant that specialises in soup curry スープカレー. I became a fan of soup curry after trying it for the very first time in Hokkaido. As the name implies, it is more soupy than the thicker, gravy like Japanese curry. Usually served together with chicken, a variety of vegetables or seafood, the flavour of the soup curry packs a punch and goes extremely well with rice. Hanjiro occupies a two storey, country style wooden house which stands right beside a stream and is located in the vicinity of a wasabi farm and salmon rearing farm. Though the restaurant was fully packed when we arrived, we were only separated from our lunch by another family standing in the queue. Looked through the menu and decided to have their set lunch which comes with appetiser, ice cream and drink. Ordered two sets of soup curry with assorted vegetables and three different types of mushroom (彩り野菜と３種類キノコのスープカレー), and one set of soup curry with their specialty hamburg steak made from pork and beef (牛と豚こだわり肉のハンバーグスープカレー). Each soup curry is also served with rice. The spiciness level ranges from 0 to 30 and we opted for level 2 spiciness, which is equivalent to medium spicy.





Delicious. Upon stepping into the restaurant, my nose was instantly captivated by the delicious aroma of soup curry that filled the air in the dining area. We were assigned to the window counter seats which face the clear water stream. Started the lunch with a small plate of salad as appetisier. When my soup curry (with assorted vegetables and mushrooms) was served, I was surprised how aesthetically pleasant the dish was. The hearty bowl of soup curry was decorated with colourful, seasonal vegetables such as cherry tomato, pumpkin, broccoli and asparagus and topped with a halved hard boiled egg. Tasted a scoop of the soup and was totally blown away by the multiple layers of flavours that unfolded on my tastebuds. The secret to their soup curry is its Bouillon soup base, created using ingredients such as beef, potherbs and fruits, which are cooked together for 12 hours and left to sit overnight; while the curry is made up of around 20 types of spices. Level 2 spiciness was just right for my palate, complementing the natural sweetness infused in the broth. As for the soup curry with hamburg steak, the meat patty was well seasoned and seared to the right level of doneness. Wrapped up our enjoyable lunch with a scoop of ice cream and hot milk tea.

Glad to discover a good soup curry restaurant outside of Hokkaido!

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Soup Curry Hanjiro スープカレーハンジロー 
長野県安曇野市穂高4857-1
Operating hours: 1100 - 1430 hrs (Lunch); 1730 - 2030 hrs (Dinner)
http://hanjiro.jp/

How to get there?
20 minutes walk from Hotaka Station 穂高駅.

Chubu 2016 中部の旅 - Matsumoto Station 松本駅

Matsumoto Station 松本駅 is a train station on Shinonoi line 篠ノ井線 and the terminus station for Oito line 大糸線 and Alpico Kotsu Kamikochi line 上高地線.



Trains serving this train station include:
(1) Limited Express Azusa あずさ, commuting between Shinjuku 新宿駅 and Minami Otari 南小谷駅, stopping by stations such as Matsumoto 松本駅, Hotaka 穂高駅, Shinano Omachi 信濃大町駅 and Hakuba 白馬駅.
(2) Resort View Furusato リゾートビューふるさと, a seasonal train commuting between Nagano and Minami Otari, stopping by stations such as Matsumoto 松本駅, Hotaka 穂高駅, Shinano Omachi 信濃大町駅 and Hakuba 白馬駅.
Website: https://www.jreast.co.jp/railway/joyful/resortfuru.html
(3) Limited Express Shinano しなの, commuting between Nagoya 名古屋駅 and Nagano 長野駅.
(4) Local trains operating between Matsumoto and Shinshimashima 新島々駅 via Alpico Kotsu Kamikochi line 上高地線.



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What's nearby?

(1) Bus stops, on both the east (Oshiro Guchi お城口) and west (Alps Guchi アルプス口) exit of the train station.





East Exit Platform 1:
- Town Sneaker North Course タウンスニーカー北コース (Bus No. 200), for Nawate dori 縄手通り, Matsumoto Castle 松本城, Matsumoto City Museum 松本市立博物館 and former Kaichi School 旧開智学校.
- Asama line 浅間線 (Bus No. 32) for Asama Onsen 浅間温泉.
https://www.alpico.co.jp/traffic/local/matsumoto/asama/

East Exit Platform 2:
- Town Sneaker East Course タウンスニーカー東コース (Bus No. 210), for Matsumoto Timepiece Museum 松本市時計博物館, Nakamachi 中町, AEON Mall and Matsumoto City Museum of Art 松本市美術館.
- Town Sneaker South Course タウンス南コース (Bus No. 220).

East Exit Platform 3:
- Kitashi Inner line 北市内線, comprised of east loop 東回り (Bus No. 100 / anticlockwise) and west loop 西回り (Bus No. 110 / clockwise). Kitashi Inner line east loop bus provides more direct accessibility to Matsumoto City Museum of Art, as compared to Town Sneaker East Course.
https://www.alpico.co.jp/traffic/local/matsumoto/kitashinai/



West Exit: Town Sneaker West Course - Long Course タウンスニーカー西コース ロングコース (Bus No. 230), for The Japan Ukiyo-e Museum 日本浮世絵博物館 and Matsumoto City Open Air Architectural Museum 松本市歴史の里.

For Town Sneaker North and East Course, the bus fare is 200 yen per ride.
For Town Sneaker South and West Course, the bus fare varies between 150 to 200 yen per ride.
Town Sneaker: https://www.city.matsumoto.nagano.jp/kurasi/sumai/bus/town.html



(2) Matstumoto City Tourist Information Center 松本市観光案内所, within the train station.
Operating hours: 0900 - 1745 hrs



(3) Matsumoto Bus Terminal 松本バスタミナール, less than a minute walk from east exit of train station. Alpico Plaza アルピコプラザ, which has replaced the former Ario アリオ, is connected to the bus terminal.
Alpico Plaza: http://www.alpico-plaza.jp/

Matsumoto Bus Terminal 松本バスタミナール:
- Platform 2 for Shin Asama line 新浅間線 (Bus No. 21) to Matsumoto City Museum of Art 松本市美術館 and Asama Onsen 浅間温泉.
https://www.alpico.co.jp/traffic/local/matsumoto/shinasama/
- Platform 3 for Utsukushigahara Onsen line 美ヶ原温泉線 (Bus No. 31) to Utsukushigahara Onsen 美ヶ原温泉.
https://www.alpico.co.jp/traffic/local/matsumoto/utsukushigaharaonsen/
- Platform 5 for Kuko, Asahi line 空港・朝日線 to Shinshu Matsumoto Airport 信州まつもと空港.
https://www.alpico.co.jp/traffic/local/matsumoto/kuko_asahi/
- Platform 8 for direct Airport Shuttle エアポートシャトル to Shinshu Matsumoto Airport 信州まつもと空港.
https://www.alpico.co.jp/traffic/local/matsumoto/airport_shuttle/

(4) Midori, a shopping mall connected seamlessly to the train station. Here, you are find MOS Burger (Level 1), Matsumoto Kiyoshi (Level 2) and Starbucks Coffee (Level 3). Restaurants are located on 4th floor of the shopping mall.
https://www.eki-midori.com/matsumoto/

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Commemorative stamp:

Chubu 2016 中部の旅 - Shinshimashima Station 新島々駅, 2 Day Free Passport ２デーフリーパスポート

Shinshimashima Station 新島々駅 (AK14) is the terminus station on the 14.4 km long Kamikochi line 上高地線 operated by Alpico Kotsu アルピコ交通. It takes about 30 minutes to travel from Matsumoto Station to Shinshimashima Station by train. Shinshimashima Bus Terminal is connected seamlessly to this train station, where regular bus services operate from here to several sightseeing spots in the Northern Alps - Kamikochi 上高地, Norikura 乗鞍 and Shirahane Onsen 白骨温泉.





2 Day Free Passport
For my trip, I purchased a 2 Day Free Pass to cover my travelling expenses incurred during bus rides within Matsumoto city, train rides between Matsumoto and Shinshimashima, and bus rides to Kamikochi and Shirahone Onsen, over two consecutive days. Apart from unlimited bus and train rides (operated by Alpico Kotsu) for two days in designated area, one is also entitled to discounted entrance fee to several places of interest such as Matsumoto Castle (610 yen > 550 yen) and Matsumoto Art Museum (410 yen > 310 yen) with this convenient transport pass. The 2 Day Free Passport can be purchased from Matsumoto Bus Terminal, Shinshimashima Bus Terminal or Kamikochi Bus Terminal.
2 Day Free Passport = 7,000 yen
2 Day Free Passport + 1 [3 consecutive days] = 8,500 yen
Website https://www.alpico.co.jp/en/2day-free-passport/



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What's nearby?

(1) Shinshimashima Bus Terminal 新島々バスタミナール, just beside the train station.
Bus services:
- Shinshimashima 新島々~Kamikochi 上高地:
https://www.alpico.co.jp/traffic/local/kamikochi/shinshimashima/
* Bus ride from Shinshimashima to Kamikochi takes about 1 hour.
- Shinshimashima 新島々~Norikura Kogen 乗鞍高原:
https://www.alpico.co.jp/traffic/local/kamikochi/norikurakogen/
- Shinshimashima 新島々~Shirahone Onsen 白骨温泉:
https://www.alpico.co.jp/traffic/local/kamikochi/shirahone/
* Bus ride from Shinshimashima to Shirahone Onsen takes about 1 hour.





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Commemorative stamp:

Chubu 2016 中部の旅 - Hotaka Station 穂高駅, Hotaka Jinja 穂高神社

Hotaka Station 穂高駅 is a train station located along Oito line 大糸線 in Azumino city 安曇野市. The city lies east of the Northern Alps and is blessed with abundance of mountain spring water, favouring the cultivation of rice, soba, wasabi, apples, etc. For my trip, I came to Azumino to visit two of its well known places of interest, Hotaka Jinja 穂高神社 and Daio Wasabi Farm 大王わさび農場. However, I hope to return to this city again after discovering that it has so much more to offer, especially the beautiful scenery of vast agricultural fields and mountainous landscape. The tranquil environment here also saw the birth of numerous art museums, such as Tokuzan Art Museum 碌山美術館, Azumino Arthills Museum 安曇野アートヒルズミュージアム and Azumino Chihiro Art Museum 安曇野ちひろ美術館.

Trains serving this train station include:
(1) Limited Express Azusa あずさ, commuting between Shinjuku 新宿駅 and Minami Otari 南小谷駅, stopping by stations such as Matsumoto 松本駅, Hotaka 穂高駅, Shinano Omachi 信濃大町駅 and Hakuba 白馬駅.
(2) Resort View Furusato リゾートビューふるさと, a seasonal train commuting between Nagano and Minami Otari, stopping by stations such as Matsumoto 松本駅, Hotaka 穂高駅, Shinano Omachi 信濃大町駅 and Hakuba 白馬駅.
Website: https://www.jreast.co.jp/railway/joyful/resortfuru.html

Limited Express Azusa.

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What’s nearby?

(1) Bus stop, in front of the train station.
Bus services:
- Azumino Shuyu Bus East Loop Daio line あずみ野周遊バス 東回り 大王線, departing Hotaka Station for Hotaka Jinja 穂高神社 and Daio Wasabi Farm 大王わさび農場.
- Azumino Shuyu Bus West Loop Chibiro Alps Park line あずみ野周遊バス 西回り ちひろ アルプス公園線, departing Hotaka Station for Alps Azumino National Government Park 国営アルプスあづみの公園, Azumino Arthills Museum 安曇野アートヒルズミュージアム and Azumino Chihiro Art Museum 安曇野ちひろ美術館.
Both bus services are available between 3 July to 31 November - daily during the summer season; on weekends and public holidays outside of summer season.
https://www.azumino-e-tabi.net/transportation/azumino-excursionbus
http://www.azumikanko-taxi.co.jp/2011/02/040-03.html

(2) Tourist information center 安曇野市観光案内所, located beside the train station.

(3) Hotaka Jinja 穂高神社, 3 mins walk from the train station.
Surrounded by towering cedar trees, this beautiful wood constructed shrine is where Wadatsumi no Mikoto 綿津見命, a sea deity and ancestor of Azumi clan (who migrated from northern Kyushu to Azumino) and Hotakami no Mikoto 穂高見命 are enshrined. One trivia about Azumino is that there are many Dosojin 道祖神 or traveller's guardian deity being worshipped in this city. Keep a lookout for a huge stainless steel Dosojin (depicting an old couple), which was erected in the premises of Hotaka Jinja in 2013 (Heisei 25), to commemorate the people of Nagano Prefecture achieving the highest life expectancy in Japan. Hotaka Station building was also inspired by this shrine which explained why its exterior bears some resemblances as well.
http://www.hotakajinja.com/index.html

Stainless steel Dosojin depicting an old couple, symbolising good health, longevity and loving marriage/relationship.

(4) Tokuzan Art Museum 碌山美術館, 7 mins walk from the train station.
From its outwards appearance, one may mistaken this building as a church. This art museum, nearest to the train station, is dedicated to the works of Moriye Ogihara 荻原守衛 (Rokuzan 碌山), a sculptor who was born in Azumino and brought modern western style bronze sculpture to Japan. Turn left after exiting from the train station and keep a lookout for a brick path which will lead to the art museum.
http://rokuzan.jp/



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Commemorative stamp:

Chubu 2016 中部の旅 - Hakuba Station 白馬駅

Hakuba Station 白馬駅 is a train station located along the Oito line 大糸線. The 105.4 km railway line connects Matsumoto Station 松本駅 in Nagano Prefecture to Itoigawa Station 糸川駅 in Niigata Prefecture. Hakuba-mura 白馬村 lies east of Ushirotateyama mountain range 後立山連峰 which forms a section of the bigger Northern Alps and Hakuba Happo-one Snow Resort 白馬八方尾根スキー場 was one of the venues in Nagano Prefecture which hosted the 1998 Winter Olympics. Came to Hakuba because I wanted to visit Happo-ike 八方池, a small lake located 2,060 m above sea level in which the reflection of the three peaks of Hakuba 白馬三山 (Shirouma dake 白馬岳 - 2,932 m, Hakubayariga dake 白馬鑓ヶ岳 - 2,903 m and Shakushi dake 杓子岳 - 2,812 m) can be clearly seen on its water surface on a good day.





Trains serving this train station include:
(1) Limited Express Azusa あずさ, commuting between Shinjuku 新宿駅 and Minami Otari 南小谷駅, stopping by stations such as Matsumoto 松本駅, Hotaka 穂高駅, Shinano Omachi 信濃大町駅 and Hakuba 白馬駅.
(2) Resort View Furusato リゾートビューふるさと, a seasonal train commuting between Nagano and Minami Otari, stopping by stations such as Matsumoto 松本駅, Hotaka 穂高駅, Shinano Omachi 信濃大町駅 and Hakuba 白馬駅.
Website: https://www.jreast.co.jp/railway/joyful/resortfuru.html



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What's nearby?

(1) Bus stop, in front of the train station.
Bus services:
- Alpico Bus Hakuba Station - Hakuba Happo - Tsugaike line (白馬駅 - 白馬八方 - 栂池線)
- Alpico Bus Hakuba Station - Hakuba Happo - Sakurawa line (白馬駅 - 白馬八方 - 猿倉線)
Bus schedule: https://www.alpico.co.jp/traffic/local/hakuba/
* Both buses stop at Hakuba Happo Bus Terminal 白馬八方バスタミナール, the nearest bus stop to Happo Gondola Lift Happo Station 八方ゴンドラリフト八方駅. From the bus stop, it takes another 15 minutes to walk to Happo Station.

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Chubu 2016 中部の旅 - Yoritsuki Ryori Kurabu 寄り付き料理 蔵部

Visited 17.10.2016 (Mon)



Rustic. Lunch was the first thing on our mind when we reached Obuse. Came to Kurabu 蔵部, a restaurant occupying a portion of the sake warehouse of Masuich Ichimura Sake Brewery 桝一市村酒造場. Kurabu serves yoritsuki ryori 寄り付き料理, a term used to describe the meals that are prepared for the people who had to work and stay in the brewery during the winter months. The restaurant aims to bring out the best in locally sourced ingredients using simple cooking methods, an important element of yoritsuki ryori. Stepped into the former warehouse with traditional "kawara" style roof and was greeted by a rustic ambience. The open kitchen concept draws the diners closer to the chefs, as well as the delectable aroma of food that are prepared upon order. Staying true to its traditional roots, Kurabu even has a kamado 竈, a traditional Japanese charcoal or wood fired stove, which they use to cook rice in a copper pot, just like how it was prepared for the sake brewing workers in the old days.





On the day of our visit, there were four mains to choose from its lunch menu and all the mains are served with rice cooked using kamado, miso soup and side dish.
- Thinly sliced layered roast Shinshu beef 信州産牛肩ロース重ね焼
- Roast miyuki pork marinated in miso and sake lees みゆき豚ロース味噌酒粕漬焼
- Sashimi platter comprised of three different types of fish お造り三種盛り
- Grilled fish of the day 本日の焼魚

Conventional washoku meal: sashimi platter served with rice, miso soup and side dish

Back to basics. Had the sashimi platter for myself and ordered the grilled fish of the day for my parents. The sashimi platter comprised of fresh catch of the day - Kanpachi 勘八 (greater amberjack/yellowtail), red seabream 真鯛 and salmon サイモン, and salmon was served as the grilled fish of the day accompanied with salad. Though there are no complex seasoning to overwhelm the palette, these simple washoku (Japanese cuisine) are equally satisfying and are apt testaments to what "less is more" meant. Looking back at all the Japanese food I have eaten before, fresh sashimi together with fragrant Japanese rice is one of my favourite comfort food that I will crave for every now and then.





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Yoritsuki Ryori Kurabu 寄り付き料理 蔵部
長野県上高井郡小布施町大字小布施807
Operating hours: 1100 - 2200 hrs (last order at 2000 hrs)
https://www.obusekurabu.com/

How to get there?
10 mins walk from Nagaden Obuse Station 長電小布施駅.

Chubu 2016 中部の旅 - Yawataya Isogorou Honten 八幡屋礒五郎 本店, Yokomachi Cafe 横町カフェ

Visited 16.10.2016 (Sun)





Essential. After visiting Zenkoji, as it was still too early to have dinner, we decided to rest our legs in one of the cafes in the vicinity. Came to Yokomachi Cafe 横町カフェ, a cafe attached to Yawataya Isogorou Main Shop 八幡屋礒五郎 本店. Wataya Isogorou is well known for their shichimi togarashi 七味唐からし, a spice mixture which is an important condiment in every Japanese household. Personally, I like a dash of shichimi togarashi in my bowl of udon to add a tint of spiciness and enhance the flavours of the soup. The main ingredients of Wataya Isogorou's shichimi togarashi are chili pepper 唐辛子, dried citrus peel 陳皮, seasame seed 胡麻, hemp seed 麻種 (otane), shiso 紫蘇, Japanese pepper 山椒 (sansho) and ginger 生姜, and the ingredients may differ from places to places. In the past, there was an old saying that buying a can of their brand's shichimi togarashi served as a proof that one has visited Zenkoji. Till today, Wataya Isogorou's spice mixtures are popular items and souvenirs that travellers will bring back home with after visiting Zenkoji.

Yawataya Isogorou has been around since 1736, when the founder first started selling shichimi togarashi around Zenkoji. The main shop was established in 1952 (Showa 27) and underwent renovation in 2008 (Heisei 20). The shop looked like a kura (traditional Japanese style warehouse) and is easily identifiable by two gigantic chilies hung on both sides of its main entrance. Was surprised to see quite a number of people shopping inside the shop and this goes to show how popular their products were. Walked through the small crowd to come to Yokomachi Cafe, which is located behind the shop. In contrast to the shop's traditional exterior, the cafe took on a modern and chic design. On every table, there are a total of eight different cans of spice mixtures which patrons can test on their food to determine which best suit their taste.

Spice macarons. Apart from desserts and drinks, Yokomachi Cafe also serves several types of curries, such as beef curry, butter chicken curry and vegetable curry, which are suitable for a lunch appetite. We ordered two sets of desserts to share, accompanied with coffee and tea. Both desserts were seasonal items introduced during autumn - crispy and fragrant chocolate chip scones which were baked with honey and eaten together with cream, chocolate sauce and yuzu powder (650 yen), and a set of miso flavoured cakes and macarons made from sweet potatoes and sesame (480 yen). In fact, macarons is one of their signature items and the flavours of these macrons are definitely not the typical ones we get from our usual sweets and confectionery shops. Was surprised to find out that the flavours included the seven ingredients of shichimi togarashi, such as chili pepper, ginger and sansho. The shells of the macarons are made from almond powder and meringue, with butter cream sandwiched between the shells. Was not adventurous enough to try out the spice macarons at that point of time and went for the safer option (sweet potatoes). Have made a mental note to try them the next time I visit Nagano again.





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Yawataya Isogorou Honten 八幡屋礒五郎 本店, Yokomachi Cafe 横町カフェ
長野県長野市横町86-1
Opening hours: 1000 - 1900 hrs (last order at 1830 hrs)

http://yawataya.co.jp/yokomachi-cafe/

How to get there? 

(1) By bus. Board any bus from Nagano Station Zenkoji Exit 長野駅善光寺口 Bus Terminal Platform 1 and alight at Zenkoji Iriguchi 善光寺入口.