As you might imagine, the busiest time for tourism in the Snow Country is when there is snow! In winter during peak season, the restaurants inside the Echigo-Yuzawa bullet train station often have lines out the door, and shops around the onsen street regularly get completely booked during the dinner hour. Where else can you go?
Come to Minamiuonuma!
The area around Muikamachi station is a great and convenient place to grab a bite! Located only 20 minutes by train by either the Joetsu or Hokuhoku lines, it will bring you right to the center of Minamiuonuma City. Right outside Muikamachi station is a covered shotengai street on either side of the road, where you can find inexpensive accommodation, shops with local goods, and of course, delicious food! Just a few blocks down is the Imanari pickle shop and the eco-lodge ryugon.
Around Muikamachi you should be able to eat a reasonably priced relaxing meal without worrying about overly long waits or complicated reservations. One of the closest restaurants to the station is Bravo, who are known for their top quality beef bowls. This includes local beef from Niigata prefecture upon koshihikari rice grown at Matsuendon, a local farm with their own A-grade gourmet restaurant. If you are more in the mood for seafood there is Little Hokkaido, located the next block over. Aside from top quality sushi, they use sushi rice for their seafood bowls, which are topped with a special red vinegar from Onomichi in Hiroshima and a variety of delectable toppings.
How about local specialties? Kyou is known for their kirizai-don, a healthy rice bowl that includes a lot of pickled ingredients like pickled nozawana turnip, kagura nanban pepper and natto, as well as salmon. This was traditionally eaten around YUKIGUNI in winter when nothing could be grown during months of deep snow. Kinari is another great local izakaya known for their variety of fresh fish and seafood dishes, as well as approximately 40 varieties of sake, including local favorites like Aoki Shuzo’s own Kakurei. Kinari have reasonably priced course menus, as well as additional all-you-can-drink options. It is a perfect spot to relax with friends and savor local flavors.
Rural hospitality around Tokamachi
If you want to get away from the hustle and bustle around the slopes and eat like a local, neighboring Tokamachi City is a great place to do so! Accessible by the Hokuhoku line, the area around the station sports lots of cute restaurants and small shops, in addition to the Toppaku City Museum and MonET– each a mere ten minute walk away via the green street promenade lined with quaint stone statues.
So, enough preamble, how about the food? Ramen Shop Mogura is famous for their signature “Mogu Ramen,” a unique ramen made from a mixture of pork and chicken bone stock. They also serve spicy “Mapo Ramen,” a mixture of ramen and mapo tofu. For those who like their ramen hot and spicy, Mogura can’t be beat! For groups that all want something a little different, Restaurant Ogawaya is a nostalgic and cozy Japanese style diner with something for everyone- from Chinese to Spaghetti, Yakiniku, curry and more. Don’t forget to save room for delicious sweets, parfaits, and pancakes! Hearty cuisine with filling portions are the norm here.
Directly outside the station is Maruten, a friendly, no-frills izakaya that aims to be a welcoming environment for locals and international guests alike. However, despite the bar-type atmosphere at Maruten, the food is top notch. One particular highlight is their pork sashimi. Though sashimi typically describes raw fish, the pork dishes at Maruten are not raw, but instead served sous-vide style. At Maruten, they use locally-sourced Tsumari Pork, which is considered one of the specialties of the Tokamachi area. Right next door to Maruten is Shiten, who are locally famous for their delicious tempura, including their beef tempura rice bowls! Shiten is a great place to grab a delicious casual meal, especially if you need to grab a train right afterwards.
For those who love rice bowls, try special Majidon!
Every winter in Minamiuonuma, you can enjoy special menu items at select restaurants as part of the city’s special “Majidon” campaign. The majidon campaign is for true rice bowl enthusiasts, and offers 46 delicious rice bowls for a limited time- everything from Korean inspired dishes, steak, curry, and more! Please note that quantities of the special majidon menu at each restaurant may be limited per day.
What about Izakaya?
Some of the eateries we have mentioned are what is known in Japanese as izakaya. These are traditional Japanese pubs. Originally they were limited to the sale of alcohol, but by the Edo period, these shops began serving food, and became popular places to stay and drink. In Japan’s normally reserved public society, izakaya are one of the few places where you can strike up a conversation with a complete stranger. In a country where homes are typically smaller, an outing to the local izakaya is generally preferred over a home party. It is common for people to go to multiple izakaya ala a western pub crawl, and there are even Japanese-style izakaya sprouting up in other countries, like the United States and the U.K.
Compared to most restaurants, izakaya usually are open until late. Many izakaya have cover charges, but will give you a small appetizer, known as otoushi, with your first drink order to compensate. Naturally, izakaya have large drink menus, and some house specialties. At Maruten, the alcohol is front and center; most notably their “baisu sour,” a cocktail made with sour plum juice, while Kyou serve Fuumi Soukai Nishite on tap, which is a special brew made by Sapporo Beer that is produced exclusively for the Niigata region. Their sake menu is largely locally-sourced as well, including selections from nearby Hakkaisan Brewery. Food is generally served tapas-style, so it is expected that you will order for a whole table and not just yourself. In the event that you do go to an izakaya alone, it is important to check the menu carefully as certain items are portioned for an entire group and not one person!
Lastly, a few points of etiquette. Izakaya are typically quite laid back, and this extends to smoking. If you see ashtrays laid out at the bar or table, you can consider that your invitation to light up. Many izakaya are a mix of Japanese and western seating; in the case of the former, do remember to take off your shoes!
The charms of Snow Country cuisine
Of course, the most important ingredient in most Japanese cuisine is the rice! Niigata is known for growing delicious Koshihikari rice, now considered to be the most popular variety of rice in Japan. Koshihikari is known for its soft, sticky, and chewy texture, and is perfect for sushi and other traditional Japanese dishes. Another characteristic particular to Snow Country cuisine is food with a large amount of pickled ingredients. This not only tastes good, but is also good for your digestive health! As the Snow Country was considered very remote for much of its history, it spawned a very unique cuisine like no other region in Japan, so visitors will be sure to love it!
Before you go
Here are just a few more tips:
The last train direct to Echigo-Yuzawa from Tokamachi station leaves at 8:45 p.m. All later trains require you to transfer at Muikamachi.
The Muikamachi train station is unstaffed at night from approximately 7pm, so you will have to use the ticket machine, which is cash only. Credit Cards can be used at the “Midori no Madoguchi” staffed ticket window before then. The last train direct to Echigo-Yuzawa leaves at 9:56 p.m. All later trains terminate at Ishiuchi station, requiring a short taxi ride back to Yuzawa Town.
Information for Travelers
Bravo
Address: 140 Muikamachi, Minamiuonuma City, Niigata Prefecture 949-6680
Hours: Open 11:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. for lunch, 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. for dinner, closed Thursdays
Little Hokkaido
Address: 117-1 Muikamachi, Minamiuonuma City, Niigata Prefecture 949-6680
Hours: Open 11:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. for lunch, 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. for dinner, closed Wednesdays
Kyou
Address: 2252 Muikamachi, Minamiuonuma City, Niigata Prefecture 949- 6680
Hours: Open 11:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. for lunch, 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. for dinner
Kinari
Address: Aoi Bldg. 1F, 2053 Muikamachi, Minamiuonuma City, Niigata Prefecture 949- 6680
Hours: Open 5:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m., closed Sunday
Maruten
Address: 3 Eki-doori, Tokamachi City, Niigata Prefecture 948-0088
Hours: Open from 5:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. Closed Wednesdays
Shiten
Address: Eki-doori, Tokamachi City, Niigata Prefecture 948-0088 (Next door to Maruten)
Hours: Open 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. for lunch, 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. for dinner
Restaurant Ogawaya
Address: 4 Chome-6 Honcho, Tokamachi City, Niigata Prefecture 948-0082
Hours: 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., closed Mondays
Mogura Ramen
Address: 3-1 Nishiteracho, Tokamachi City, Niigata Prefecture 948-0085
Hours: 11:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. in the afternoon, 5:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. in the evening, closed on Wednesdays and Thursdays
