9 Best Restaurants in The Japan Alps and the North Chubu Coast, Japan

The Akiyoshi chain of yakitori-ya is an institution across the Hokuriku region thanks to its combination of good quality chicken, pork, and beef skewers, low cost, and lively vibe. At the Korinbo branch, you can watch the chefs working at grills that spit fire and smoke while you sit at the counter, and the cooked skewers are unceremoniously laid out in a metal trough for you to eat.

In business for more than half a century, this small restaurant in Aikawa specializes in seafood, with excellent sashimi and simmered dishes, but also a local favorite called ikagoro—squid (innards and all) mixed with sliced onions, mushrooms, and miso paste before being sauteed. If you are staying without a meal plan at the Hotel Oosado, just down the coast from central Aikawa, this is a good value option for a local dinner.

The tiled bar and wooden tables are as inviting as the staff of this family-friendly restaurant a few blocks north of Karuizawa Station. The menu is centered on rotisserie chicken, served alongside healthy salads and other dishes using local, seasonal produce. To go with that is a solid selection of wines and local craft beers, as well as soft drinks such as honey and yuzu soda.

At this place in the renowned Kenroku Garden, excellent fish and vegetable dishes have been carefully prepared for nearly 100 years. The prices are still reasonable, and the garden views from the tatami are an added bonus. If you aren't hungry, you could stop by for green tea and sweets.

Two blocks before the Chitose-bashi Bridge, this Japanese version of a traditional British pub serves fish-and-chips and pizza along with local Matsumoto beer and rotating craft brews from elsewhere. It's close to Parco department store, between the station and castle.

This restaurant's recipes have been passed down over several generations—the house specialty is the superb and inexpensive sansai-ryori, as well as more expensive dishes using highly rated Hida beef. Suzuya is in a traditional Hida-style house, and the wood-beamed dining room has an intimate feel. There's an English menu, and the staff is used to serving foreign guests. From the station turn onto Kokubunji-dori and take a right after five blocks. Lunch is served until 2 pm, and dinner begins at 5.

A short drive from the ferry terminal in Ogi, this three-story building has a fish shop on the ground level and a casual seafood restaurant upstairs serving super-fresh seasonal fish. The restaurant owners sometimes take unscheduled days off, so call in advance to make sure they're open.

The specialty of this tiny restaurant in Omicho Market is kaisendon (海鮮丼), a bowl of rice topped with fresh, raw seafood. The signature kaisendon here, the Noto Fugu Don, combines yellowtail, salmon roe and (potentially lethal if prepared badly) pufferfish, although you could instead opt for tuna, salmon, or other combinations. With only a half-dozen small tables, the restaurant can fill up quickly. If the queue is too long, the budget sushi restaurant next door also gets great reviews from locals.

With a retro vibe, Yume-ya specializes in old-style yakitori (skewered, grilled meat and vegetables). Cozy up to the narrow counter for food and drinks, or sit outside during the warmer months. Little English is spoken by the staff, but the cooks are happy to explain the menu with exaggerated gestures. If it's full, just down the street is a second branch that specializes in a different kind of skewer, kushiage, deep-fried skewers of meat, seafood, vegetables, and even cheese.