ONSEN Gastronomy Walking in Nasushiobara 2020 – Itamuro. Part 1

In early November 2020, Itamuro Onsen began to change color beautifully.
ONSEN Gastronomy Walking in Nasushiobara 2020, Itamuro was held.
What is ONSEN Gastronomy Walking?
Walking around the hot spring resort, soaking in the hot springs, and enjoying local ingredients. Experience the scenery and nature of the area as you walk at a leisurely pace. We see hot spring resorts not just as “places to enjoy hot springs,” but as accommodation bases for stay-based, experience-based tourism, and we propose their appeal to both domestic and inbound tourists (tourists from overseas). Through this initiative, we aim to bring out the charm of hot spring resorts and revitalize the region by allowing many people to experience them.
https://onsen-gastronomy.com/about/
This is the first time the event has been held in Tochigi Prefecture, and it is set in Itamuro Onsen, a hot spring resort town that boasts a 1,000-year history and is designated as a “national hot spring resort” by the Ministry of the Environment. While touring Itamuro Onsen’s famous sites, such as Itamuro Onsen Shrine, Katoya Ryokan, a nationally registered tangible cultural property, and Kinomata Valley, you can enjoy dishes made with cheese from Nasushiobara City, which boasts the highest raw milk production in Honshu, and locally grown vegetables.
We hope you enjoyed it.
After the walk, a social gathering and symposium on ONSEN and gastronomy tourism will be held in the square in front of the former Aoki family Nasu Villa, a Japan Heritage site.
We also created a space where producers could directly share their opinions. Let’s take a look back at the photos.

The starting point is the Otome Falls parking lot. The area is decorated to take advantage of the untouched nature that has been preserved in Itamuro, sending participants off in a good mood. From here, it is about 8 kilometers to Kinomata Park.
Take a leisurely walk surrounded by beautiful nature.

The first place we visited was Itamuro Dainichido Hall. Inside the hall is a bronze seated statue of Vairocana Buddha made in the mid-Edo period, which is designated as a city cultural property.
Itamuro Onsen has flourished as a hot spring resort for a long period of 1,000 years.
A local guide will provide a detailed explanation of the historical background, which is something you don’t usually get to hear about.
Two foreign women who had come with their friends were also very interested. This was a turning point for them.
It’s interesting to see Japanese hot spring culture being spread overseas. In fact, one of them lives in Japan,
It seems that he works as a writer.
The weather was extremely good, and it was a calm day that perfectly embodied the phrase “clear autumn weather.”
After learning about the history of Itamuro Onsen, we move on to the next step.
The view suddenly opens up to Ishii Grape, which produces grapes for both table grapes and wine.

The enjoyment of ONSEN and Gastronomy Walking is not limited to the beautiful natural scenery.
Don’t forget that you can also enjoy the area’s gourmet food to your heart’s content.
Starting with Ishii Grapes, you can enjoy the unique food culture of this area at the other points you will visit.
Forest Cheese / Nasunomori Cheese Factory / https://nasunomori.jp/
This semi-hard natural cheese is aged for at least five months and is characterized by its mild, rich flavor.
Nasu Brown / Cheese Factory Nasu no Mori A milky, easy-to-eat washed cheese.
It has a slight characteristic smell and flavor that is unique to linen bacteria, but you can enjoy its rich flavor and body.

It’s only the first point, but it’s already so fulfilling. From now on, we’ll stop at a total of four points,
We will walk while enjoying gourmet food at each location.
Visit lots of places, eat to your heart’s content, and finally soak in the hot springs.
It’s truly a “walk, eat, bath” experience. Measures to prevent COVID-19 infection are perfect, with people wearing gloves and hand-washing stations provided.

Now, let’s head to the next point. As we start walking, the beautiful scenery of autumn leaves catches our eye.
Ideally, you should visit the site and be surrounded by this beautiful scenery, but first, here are some photos.
Be sure to visit Itamuro Onsen next year during the autumn foliage season.

After walking down through the beautiful autumn leaves, our next stop was Itamuro Onsen Municipal Parking Lot.
Maybe it was because I was walking so much, but I realized I was starving. Usually, the parking lot is just filled with cars,
On this day, the air was filled with a delicious aroma, and the decorations made the place look completely different from usual.
Chicken and Burdock Soba / Soba Restaurant Yashio Hand-made soba noodles made with buckwheat flour from Nasu Shiobara, which has a strong aroma and sweetness.
Charcoal Grilled Rock Char, also known as the “King of the Mountain Stream” and the “Spirit of the Valley,” is grilled with salt.
Ajikoi Tomato Juice / Takamatsu Farm We have made a juice from Ajikoi Tomato, which is grown at Takamatsu Farm and is packed with the delicious flavor of tomatoes.
Its high sugar content and moderate acidity make it easy to drink.

It’s easy to become absorbed in the food. Eating the same meal is an opportunity for communication between participants. I was a little confused, wondering “Where should I start and how should I eat?” with a trout in hand, but this new experience is also part of the charm.

Time flies when you’re relaxing. Next, we headed to the Katoya Ryokan Main Building, which is a nationally registered tangible cultural property. Currently, only the annex is open, and you can’t stay in the main building, but its magnificent appearance makes you feel like you’ve traveled back in time.

Before you know it, this walk is nearing the end. After once again experiencing the long history of Itamuro Onsen, head to Itamuro Onsen Shrine, which has been quietly watching over it. As you climb step by step through the autumn leaves, an even more beautiful view unfolds before you. There, you can pay your respects at Itamuro Onsen Shrine, which stands quietly there.

Perhaps it was the beautiful autumn leaves or the abundance of delicious food that made me feel a bit unsure about walking 8 kilometers at first, but before I knew it, I had reached the final point. I stopped at Ikuseibashi Parking Lot. There was plenty of food here too. I’d walked a lot, so the food was delicious.
Makigari Nabe This is a local specialty dish inspired by the Nasuno Makigari hunting event that Minamoto no Yoritomo performed in Nasunohara.
Be sure to warm up with this dish packed with locally grown vegetables.
Eggplant Hikari rice balls ~wrapped in a wooden skewer~
“Nasu Hikari,” an original variety from Tochigi Prefecture, has a good taste and its rice grains are large, giving it a strong flavor.
The appeal of this product is that it remains delicious even when cooled. The wood slats absorb moisture to a moderate degree, further enhancing the flavor of the rice.
Takuyo Kismil / Tochigi Prefectural Nasu Takuyo High School This is an additive-free lactic acid bacteria drink jointly developed by the city and students from the Food Chemistry Department of Nasu Takuyo High School located in the city.
Please try Takuyo Kismil, which has a slightly sweet and refreshing taste.
Hot Spring Plum Wine / Shiobara 1200 Year Story BLESS / http://shiobara1200.com/
“Onsen Umeshu” is made using Shiobara’s hot springs and is characterized by its mellow, never-boring sweetness.
Today, enjoy it with hot water to enhance the aroma.
Kuromoji Tea / Yuyado Kikuya / https://kikuya-nasu.com/
This was made by Kikuya Yuyado in Itamuro Onsen using branches of Kuromoji picked from the inn’s garden.
It is known as a Japanese herb and is characterized by its refreshing taste.

Finally, there is only one kilometer left until the finish line, Kinomatabashi Park.
So, I mustered up the remaining strength and made a final sprint. Immediately, a beautiful view appeared before my eyes again…
The charm of Itamuro Onsen is that scenery like this unfolds before your eyes as an everyday sight.

Once you have been inspired by the beautiful nature, keep moving forward until you reach your final destination.
My legs were getting tired, but perhaps because I was breathing in the fresh air and walking slowly, my head felt strangely clear.
I realized the value of spending a day like this, away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life overflowing with information…
There we reached our final destination! And there, to our surprise, was the mayor! And he was smiling broadly.

Rice flour roll cake / Agri Cafe /
The dough is made with locally produced rice flour milled in-house, giving it a chewy texture.
Today we have prepared the most popular “Brown Rice Roll” and the roadside station’s original roll cake made with seasonal fruits.
Seasonal baked sweets / Sabo Kaenn / http://kaenn.com/
We have specially prepared baked goods made with sweet potatoes harvested at the roadside station “Meiji no Mori Aoki.”
Coffee / MEOW COFFEE / https://konnichilabo.base.shop/
This coffee is roasted deep in the mountains of Itamuro and can be purchased at the roadside station “Meiji no Mori Aoki.”
Pasteurized Milk / Shinsei Dairy Co., Ltd. / http://www.sinsei-rakunou.com/
We collect only high-quality raw milk from affiliated farmers of the local Nasu Hokine Dairy Cooperative,
This delicious milk is pasteurized at low temperatures to give it the refreshing taste of raw milk.
After being energized by the mayor’s warm smile, we headed to the rest area set up along the Kinomatagawa River.
Enjoy delicious food right to the end in a space perfect for relieving the fatigue of your journey.
With photos, we quickly looked back on the “ONSEN Gastronomy Walking in Nasu-Shiobara 2020 – Itamuro.”
The best way to relieve this fatigue is to soak in a hot spring. This way you can experience the whole process of “walking, eating, and soaking.”
In the second part, we will report on the networking event and symposium that took place after the walk.
Please enjoy!