Restaurants in Matsumoto

[mascarpone]

My wife and I will be in Matsumoto on for three days next week. I am award that Soba is a regional specialty there. Any recommendations on particular restaurants for this and other regional specialties?

Also, any recommendations on any restaurants that do not necessarily feature regional favorites that are very good restaurants anyway?

This trip is our honeymoon.

I would be prepared to have one very nice meal ($60 USD per person), as well as some other very good, but less expensive options.

[sanrensho]

I wish I could help you, because my wife is from Matsumoto and I used to visit quite a bit. However, it's been a few years for me personally, and whenever we visit my wife's parents, we try to enjoy as much food from the garden as possible.

The best soba I had was a long drive outside of Matsumoto (accessible only by car), so I wouldn't even know where to start to give you directions.

In addition to soba, another specialty of the region is "oyaki," which are filled buns. Apples too and, to a lesser extent, basashi (raw horse meat). I'm sure the Tourist Information Office can point you in the right direction for a ryokan or kaiseki meal.

(If you can read Japanese, there's a ton of information out there...)

I hope you have a great honeymoon.

Edited August 24, 2007 by sanrensho (log)

[Hiroyuki]

My father is from Shinshu (aka Nagano), but I'm not familiar with Matsumoto specialties. Browsing through various sites, I have confirmed that Matsumoto is famous for its Shinshu soba, sansai (edible wild plant) dishes, oyaki (also known as yakimochi), and basashi (raw horsemeat).

As sanrensho points out, if you can read Japanese, you can have a lot of information from sites such as:

http://gourmet.gyao.jp/search/p20_t_a10900...gc_y_sk_r_ibase

http://www8.plala.or.jp/okusan/sinsyu/spot...u/tokusan01.htm

This site says miso pan (bread) is a speciality of Matusmoto.

And this one says that sanzoku yaki (chicken flavored with ginger and garlic and deep-fried) is another.

Matsumoto for a honeymoon?? How cool!

[sanrensho]

For the oyaki, I recommend the nozawana (a type of green) filled ones. Also good are the ones filled with kabocha squash and, if I recall correctly, miso-flavored eggplant.　I think I've had walnut miso filled ones as well that were quite good.

Here's a blog with lots of photos of lunch options to whet your appetite.

http://www.matsuaz.com/blog_bozu/

There's also a massive wasabi farm in nearby Hodaka, if you want to stretch your legs a bit. A little bit touristy, but still fascinating and lots of wasabi products on sale including various tsukemono (pickles), fresh wasabi and wasabi ice cream.

http://www.daiowasabi.co.jp/

Matsumoto proper is quite compact, so with three days, you might also want to schedule a trip to a nearby onsen (hot spring).

Edited August 25, 2007 by sanrensho (log)