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

Slip into this little shop, in business since 1859, for a scoop of delicious sofuto kurimu (soft-serve ice cream) or a cup of tea. You can relax in the small garden in the rear or on benches out front. At the far end of the Tate-machi shopping street, the heavenly scent of roasting green tea leaves wafts out the door. The café is open daily 9:30 to 6:30.

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.

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.