Hokuto, Yamanashi, Japan｜雅

Just a 5 minute walk from Kochisawa station, you'll find a large house that's actually an incredible fresh soba restaurant. The interior is like eating in someone's living room, but way nicer. Low tables and zabuton, and views of a lovely garden. We had the zaru soba tempura set and the zaru udon tempura set and both were amazing! The noodles were chewy and fresh, perfectly cooked and delicious. The udon came with hot mushroom, beef, onion broth with ground sesame and negi onion to add in. So good -- I've never had anything like it before but it was perfect. The tempura was light as air crisp and perfectly cooked too. Finished off our meal with figs braised in red wine, served cold. Another wonderful surprise after so many. At about ¥1500 each, we left full and happy. Highly recommended -- a wonderful surprise find.

It was in front of the station, so if you go without expecting it, it's an old private house or almost a private soba restaurant. The atmosphere of being at a grandma's house in the countryside. The service is also excellent with a local feel. The tempura soba made with local wild vegetables was very delicious. Since you're in a rural area, it's good to have a shop where you can enjoy the local atmosphere. I want to go again.

I ate duck soba noodles. The soba noodles were very chewy and really delicious. I also had some of the tempura that my companion was eating, and it was crispy and delicious. It may depend on the season, but yacon tempura is very rare and I highly recommend you try it. The atmosphere of the old folk house was also very relaxing.