We took last Friday off to celebrate our wedding anniversary💒 and decided to visit Nagano/Gunma prefectures for what we love: good food🍴, nature🌳 and onsen♨️.
Start with good food at a rare cured ham maker in Japan
On Friday, we visited 高山村 (Takayama Village) 45 minutes drive east from Nagano train station.
A population of 6,000, Takayama Village is quaint but there are 6 vineyards, plenty of apple and grape orchards as well as some of the very rare Japanese cured ham maker, Tonya.
I called Cured Ham Tonya in advance for what I planned as a quick visit to their store to purchase some ham before heading to our accommodation.
Yet, the joy of travel is that you never know who you meet and what you end up doing. We spent 4 hours drinking wine and eating his cured ham as we chatted away about Takayama Village, wine and ham as we enjoyed the view of his vineyard.
The cured ham maker, Sato san is also a wine maker. 30 years ago, he learnt how to make wine in New Zealand near Auckland and just before the pandemic, he visited Spain to learn how to make cured ham from one of the most prestigious jamon maker, Joselito.
As my husband’s from New Zealand and also a fellow wine lover, conversation flowed as easy as the wine flowed like we were old friends.
Not just consuming his produce, he showed us where his hams are cured too.
These are 2 weeks old cured hams in a cool 2 degrees temperature controlled room:
while the more aged hams are resting downstairs. Look how different aging makes them look!
During the ham making seasons, he runs cured ham making workshops where people from all around Japan salt brine a leg of ham with Sato san and return 2 years later to collect their produce.
With big dreams, a big heart and a big smile, Sato san’s cured hams are in good hands.
Cured Ham Tonya
Address: 〒382-0821 Nagano, Kamitakai District, Takayama, Maki, 2502-7
by appointment only
Historical ryokan surrounded by nature: Fujiiso
The most known ryokan in the area, 藤井荘 (Fujiiso) has been in Takayama Village since the late 1800s and this was where we stayed a night.
Although the old buildings were completely burnt down with fire and the current building was established in the ’80s, its history and regal air remains.
Surrounded by the nature of Matsukawa Valley, their lounge, private dining rooms and rooms all have unobstructed view of nature.
Every group is offered a private dining room and the course menu was filled with local delicacy. What I didn’t know was that traditionally, girls day which I always celebrated on March 3 was celebrated a month later on April 3. The region continues with the old tradition so our meal had a Girls Day theme.
What doesn’t change is their famous Pon pon nabe where skewered food including apple and apricot gets deep fried in olive oil by the table.
Nagano being famous for apple, I loved how we apple in pickles and deep fried.
Their whole Japanese breakfast was also offered in the private dining room with steamed vegetables as salad:
Fujiiso
Check in: 15:00, Check out 11:00
Address: 3563 Yamadaonsen, Takayama, Kamitakai District, Nagano 382-0816
Website:https://www.fujiiso.co.jp/
Fujiiso also offered a complimentary ticket to the town’s public onsen called 山田温泉大湯 (Yamada Onsen Ooyu) which offered a small luke warm and big hot onsen in a wooden building.
We warmed ourselves up on a rainy day after we checked out from Fujiiso before our drive to Kusatsu.
Ohyu public spring
Address: 〒382-0816 Nagano, Kamitakai District, Takayama, Yamada onsen 3580
https://goo.gl/maps/27xeG3x2hLLBVk9M6
Opening hour: 6:00am-9:00pm
Usually, from Takayama to Kusatsu takes an hour along Yamada dairy farm but the pathway was closed during winter. We went around on the main road which took just under 2 hours.
Kusatsu
We visited Kusatsu back in January 2020 (please read the blog post from my first visit to Kusatsu where I explain about the town in more detail) and it hasn’t changed its position as the #1 onsen in Japan voted by the “travel pros” (people working in the travel industry) now 19 years running.
With some snow remaining here and there, many local tourists hopped in and out of onsen to stay warm, took photos in front of 湯畑 (Yubatake) that cools off the 50+ degrees celsius natural hot spring along this 70m pathways before connecting to the free onsen and accommodations.
The outskirt free onsen were not open to tourists “due to covid-19” but we enjoyed the spacious outdoor onsen, 西の河原露天風呂(Sainokawara rotenburo/ Open-air hotspring) and a few free onsen in the tourist area of Kusatsu surrounding Yubatake.
There were new face onsen, foot onsen and some investments around town
but Yubatake during day or light up at night sure is their biggest draw card!
After soaking in acidic onsen to our hearts content, we drove to our final destination for our trip to Karuizawa.
Picture book museum
Just over an hour drive from Kusatsu by car led us to Karuizawa and our first stop was Karuizawa Picture Book Museum. It offered 3 exhibition spaces including Peter Rabbit, Fairy Tales and a history of picture books as well as picture book library.
The space reintroduced me the classic tales that I wanted another weekend for just reading through Grimm tales, Aesop, Peter Rabbit and all the iconic characters in the beautiful Karuizawa nature!
Karuizawa Picture Book Museum
Opening hour: 10:00am-4:00pm, closed on Tuesday
Entry price: 900 yen per adult
Address: 182 Nagakura, Karuizawa, Kitasaku District, Nagano 389-0111
Website: http://museen.org/ehon/
Strawberry picking
We booked a 50 minute strawberry picking experience at Toranoonouen 30 minutes away from the main area of Karuizawa where we were able to try the rare white strawberries:
The novelty of eating white strawberries and pink strawberries that taste like peaches were worthwhile but the place wasn’t kept in good condition where there were awful lot of rotten strawberries everywhere …
However, that didn’t dampen the overall long weekend experience filled with onsen, fresh air and good food.
When we returned to Tokyo, Tokyo was in full bloom of cherry blossom!
I hope you have a safe weekend.
Native Expat 
Happy anniversary! Looks like you had a very tasty day!
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