Flavorful handmade Shinshu Soba ”Kajin An”

A soba shop standing quietly in soba country

Located in Suwa-shi, Nagano Prefecture, Kajin An is a ”soba” shop serving handmade ”soba”. ”Soba” is a must-eat food in Nagano, so we headed to this hole-in-the-wall ”soba” shop. ”Sake” for aperitif was ”junmaiginjo Mikotsuru” brewed at Hishitomo Jozo, the only ”sake” cellar of the area. The ”sake” was named after the founder of the cellar saw a dream of a crane, ”tsuru”, resting gracefully at Suwa Lake. ”Sharp and refreshing taste” says Nakata. The delicious taste stimulates the palate.

Enjoying colorful tri-colored soba

The savory ”tri-colored soba” consists of three different types of soba – ”sarashina”, ”seiro”, and ”inaka”(countryside. The owner of the restaurant explained, ””Sarashina soba” is made from buckwheat ground twice after removing the outer shell (first grinding), making the ”soba” look white. ”Seiro soba” uses buckwheat ground together with the epidermis (second grinding), giving it aroma and a sweet flavor. ”Inaka soba” uses buckwheat ground with the remains of the second grinding, and is the most flavorful of the three.” We thoroughly enjoyed the taste of fresh ”soba” and the different aroma each has.

ACCESS

Kajin An: 454-1 Toyoda, Suwa City, Nagano Prefecture