New Fermentation Meets Local Gastronomy at Matsumoto Jujo
Jul 28,2022
Jul 28,2022
Matsumoto Jujo had its grand opening on July 23, 2022, in the city of Matsumoto, Nagano.
Matsumoto Jujo is a project to rejuvenate Koyanagi, a long-standing ryokan inn, and the area around the inn. The project consists of two hotels, erected at the 1,300-year-old Asama Onsen hot springs, with restaurants, a bakery, and a brewery on the premises. There are also two cafes in the hot springs town built in previously vacated houses as places where visitors can interact with locals.
We were most interested in the project’s food offerings, which have been curated around the theme of local gastronomy. What types of fermentation would we encounter at Matsumoto Jujo, which is carrying on the area’s history and culture and connecting them to the future?
Asama Onsen, where Matsumoto Jujo is located, is a 10-minute drive from downtown Matsumoto. The famous hot springs has a long history, having been favored by feudal lords and samurai warriors during the Edo period (1603 to 1868).
In 2018, Jiyujin Inc. took over Koyanagi, a storied ryokan inn established here in 1686, and began developing the Matsumoto Jujo project. The company also operates Satoyama Jujo in Minami-uonuma, Niigata, which we previously visited in the Breakfasts of Japan series.
“Matsumoto Jujo is not just a hotel restoration project; we also aim to invigorate the surrounding area. We want visitors to Asama Onsen to not only stay in our hotels but also leisurely explore the town and discover the charms of the locality. This is why we are redeveloping vacant houses into cafés and other places in a bid to revitalize the whole area.”
Speaking to us is Konuma Yurika, manager of the Matsumoto Honbako hotel. She explains that Oyaki & Coffee, a café at the entrance to the town, doubles as the reception desk to the hotels, located a brief walk away. Having the check-in desk physically separate from the hotels gives guests the organic opportunity to take in the retro atmosphere as they walk through the town.
Oyaki & Coffee, a café on Chuo Street at the entrance to the hot springs town, is both the check-in desk and where you can enjoy delicious coffee and springy handmade oyaki [stuffed dumplings made from buckwheat dough]
Oyaki & Coffee is located in a renovated building from the Taisho period (1912 to 1926), which was once a practice hall for geisha when the hot springs town was in its heyday. The elegant building is also home to the Mutsumi no Yu public bathhouse available for use by locals.
After an unhurried check-in, a two-minute walk from Oyaki & Coffee brings you in sight of the two Matsumoto Jujo hotels at the top of a gentle slope along Yuzaka Street.
The two stately buildings halfway up the slope on the left are the Matsumoto Jujo hotels. The nearest building is the Matsumoto Honbako hotel, while the green building behind it is Hotel Koyanagi, which is designed for families. A shuttle service is available for families with small children, for older guests, and for guests with lots of luggage.
The entrance to Matsumoto Honbako, which makes good use of greenery from the days of the Koyanagi Inn
Konuma Yurika, manager of the Matsumoto Honbako hotel
On entering the Matsumoto Honbako hotel, you will catch sight of 367, a restaurant specializing in wood-fired grilled cuisine that has bookshelves covering the walls.
The restaurant’s name is pronounced San-Roku-Nana. The name comes from the total length of the Shinano River (known as the Chikuma River in its upper reaches) — 367 kilometers — that flows from Nagano through Niigata to the Japan Sea. The concept is for guests to experience the local Shinano region’s culture and history — two elements — plus the 365 elements of the region’s climate, which is said to change 365 days a year, for a total of 367.
The wood-fired grill is located behind the counter and fills the space with the pleasant scent of firewood throughout the day
Matsumoto Honbako’s second restaurant is Alps Table, a family-friendly restaurant. The head chef of both 367 and Alps Table is Ishikawa Dai.
“When I was studying cooking in Italy, I came across the concept of local gastronomy. Local gastronomy is about how a locality’s climate, history, and culture is expressed in its cuisine. At Matsumoto Jujo, we use this concept to offer dishes you can only experience here, using locally sourced vegetables and traditional ingredients. The ingredients inform everything we serve. It’s fun to receive vegetables delivered directly by local producers and then devise menu items by combining traditional Nagano ingredients and coming up with new ways to prepare dishes.”
Head Chef Ishikawa Dai
Fresh local vegetables delivered directly from farmers who cultivate local varieties using natural farming techniques
Chef Ishikawa says with a smile: “The ingredients are really delicious on their own, so naturally the dishes taste great too.” All the dishes he creates expresses the allure of each ingredient as much as possible.
“Today’s soup is what we call surinagashi ground corn stock soup. The idea behind this soup is to have people fully enjoy the rich, delicious flavor of the corn itself. The toppings are corn charred over a wood fire to give it a savory flavor and fried fermented potatoes as an accent.”
The fermented potato toppings, which enhance the corn’s sweetness, have a rich, concentrated umami flavor with a hint of sourness. The soup was so delicious that it took all of us covering this story by surprise.
The sweet corn with fermented potatoes soup surprises with a crispy texture from the fried toppings of thinly sliced lacto-fermented potatoes
The main dish is aged Japanese Black beef from the Davos Ranch in the Sugadaira Highlands. This dish grilled over a wood fire is easily 367’s most distinctive.
“The aroma is completely different from meat charred with a gas burner. The aging process enhances the nutty, aromatic umami of the meat. I serve it with rich black garlic sauce and a puree made from homemade sauerkraut.”
The main dish is a plate of wagyu beef whose richness is enhanced by a homemade sauerkraut puree and black garlic sauce
Again, we were surprised that the mashed potato-like presence was actually a sauerkraut puree. With the tanginess of the fresh olive oil and the acidity of the sauerkraut, the puree adds the perfect touch to top off a refreshing meat dish.
Chef Ishikawa puts the finishing touches on the plate with wood-fire grilled wagyu beef
Fermented potatoes and sauerkraut were used to give dishes their flavors. Fermented foods are excellent ingredients to enhance tastes because they provide acidity, saltiness, and umami. Chef Ishikawa, however, does not make his menu with a particular focus on fermentation.
“Since coming to Matsumoto, I’ve been studying Nagano ingredients and food culture in order to practice local gastronomy. Because Nagano has many preserves, particularly in winter, it’s only natural that fermented foods are commonplace. Fermented foods are a given here, rather than being anything special. Recently, we have been attempting to make our own fermented foods, such as making miso and producing fruit liqueurs from local fruits.”
The staff at 367 have taken on making miso using Nagano buckwheat seeds. The resulting buckwheat miso has a rich flavor.
Homemade fermented drinks, such as kombucha and fruit liqueurs, are also served at the restaurants
Tomato + Kyoho is a drink made from lacto-fermented tomatoes and Kyoho grapes and served with a dash of salt and pepper
One point of focus at Matsumoto Jujo is its original hard cider made with apples grown locally with reduced agricultural chemicals. The hard cider is produced by the Shinshu Fermentation Labo, housed in a row of renovated warehouses in the hotel’s courtyard. After experimenting with brewing techniques to suit the characteristics of the apples, the Shinshu Fermentation Labo completed five varieties for the 2021-2022 season. The hard ciders, which are aged in tanks and undergo secondary fermentation after bottling, have a lively and rich yeast flavor for a grown-up taste that pairs well with food.
Everything is done by hand, from aging the apples in tanks to bottling the cider and applying the labels
The cider continues to ferment in the bottle for a fresh, homemade taste
Asama Onsen Shoten, a shop on the first floor of Hotel Koyanagi, the building beside Matsumoto Honbako, sells many original goods in addition to the homemade hard ciders, such as miso-flavored granola, a popular breakfast item.
Matsumoto Jujo’s original miso-flavored granola
Asama Onsen Shoten is a shop at the entrance to Hotel Koyanagi
The staff at Asama Onsen Shoten say it is more than a souvenir shop; it serves as a general store for people in the community. The shop offers not only local products, but also lifestyle goods and food products from various parts of Japan. You will find yourself lingering longer than you expect in this specialty boutique.
“Jujo” means “ten tales”. True to this name, we end this article by presenting some of Matsumoto Jujo’s many attractions found all over the site.
Otona Honbako [Adult Book Box] is a space in a renovated public bath where you can enjoy reading books and a drink in the evenings. The Kodomo Honbako [Kids’ Book Box] in the basement features a ball pit.
All rooms at Matsumoto Honbako are luxuriously furnished with a free-flowing hot spring bath on the veranda. The Terrace Suite with Open-Air Bath offers a panoramic view of the Northern Alps and a raised tatami-floored seating area, allowing you to enjoy a relaxing and luxurious time in a tranquil space.
Koyanagi no Yu is a recreation of an Edo period bathhouse and is located between Matsumoto Honbako and Hotel Koyanagi. Although a small space with just a changing room and the bath, it is the perfect spot for appreciating the wonderful scenery that changes with the seasons.
Just up the hill from the hotels is the Philosophy & Sweets café where you can revel in some quiet time
In this rustic hot springs town, where you can touch history as you walk the same paths samurai once took to the hot springs, you can also enjoy mouth-watering local gastronomy full of surprises and discoveries.
Guests of Matsumoto Jujo, a place where tradition and culture are passed on to the next generation, create a new story on each visit. For us on a journey to visit fermentation cultures, this visit was a rediscovery of new attractions.