I am currently in Jozankei, Minami Ward, Hokkaido for work, staying for a little over a month. For my first meal out, I didn't have much information on where to go, but I was recommended to try a local restaurant. Despite not really feeling like having soba, I decided to give it a try. The place was just a 3-minute walk from where I'm staying. I arrived around 1:30 PM and the restaurant was quite busy. I was told that I must try the "tenzaru" (soba noodles with tempura) so I ordered that. As a complimentary dish, they served me tempura made from iwana or yamame fish. It arrived in about 10-15 minutes. This was my first time trying "tenzaru". I usually don't like the idea of the tempura oil mixing with the dipping sauce, but today I decided to give it a go. And wow, the presentation was impressive! Today's tempura was made with iwana fish, and it was quite dynamic as you could eat it from head to tail. I'm not a fan of river fish, but I decided to give it a try. Surprisingly, it was crispy with no fishy smell at all! The tempura was expertly cooked, and the other vegetables were also delicious - the sweet potato was soft and sweet. Honestly, the soba and dipping sauce were just average, sorry I'm a bit picky as a person from Kanto. I highly recommend the "tenzaru"!

Established in 1927. Homemade fresh soba noodles. The retro-style restaurant exudes a strong sense of history, with spacious seating including table seats, a long counter where you can see the kitchen, and raised tatami seating perfect for families. Ample parking is available. The seasonal tempura soba costs ¥1300 and comes with a special treat of yamame fish. The vegetables used are pesticide-free, and they offer various seasonal tempura options throughout the year. The service might take some time due to the crowded restaurant, but the crispy tempura with sweet satsuma sweet potato is worth the wait. The soba noodles have a classic texture that is beloved by locals. The dessert-like sweet satsuma sweet potato is a highlight. The timing of ordering and serving can be crucial, as I witnessed a new customer receiving their order before I finished mine. Overall, a delightful dining experience.

Today is the last day of my two-day weekend, so I went on an expedition to the Jozankei area with my wife. We arrived at a soba restaurant that has been around since before we were born. The restaurant was clean and spacious, and we were surprised to see that there were already customers there. We ordered a tempura soba and a grated radish soba. The soba noodles were thin and the tempura included iwana fish, bell pepper, shrimp, sweet potato, pumpkin, and long potato. The tempura was delicious, especially the crispy iwana fish. The sweet potato tempura was sweet and tasty. However, the soba noodles were a bit too warm and the seasoning was too sweet. Overall, if the soba had been served colder, it would have been a perfect meal.

Today, I went to Jozankei Onsen with my mother and we had lunch at a restaurant near the hot spring town. I learned after entering that this is a long-established soba restaurant founded in 1927. The restaurant was full of customers, but there was a table available in the back. I ordered the tempura soba with a side of seasonal char tempura, made with pesticide-free vegetables. The char tempura was crispy and delicious without any fishy taste. The soba noodles were homemade and the broth was tasty. My mother ordered the duck soba and also said it was delicious. It was my first time here, but the meal was excellent and I would like to visit again. Thank you for the wonderful meal.

From Sapporo to the next destination. It's a place that can be easily reached by train and doesn't take much time, but since we're here, we decided to take a little detour by renting a car and enjoy some driving. It was Golden Week, so even in Sapporo the streets were crowded with cars, but once we passed the line of cars waiting to enter North Safari Sapporo, the congestion eased up. Around Jozankei Onsen at lunchtime, my partner and I wandered around looking for a place to eat. Oh, I didn't realize we were still in Minami-ku, Sapporo (laughs). We paid our respects to the Kappa legend of Jozankei, Kappa Daio-sama, and then had some soba at "Kouyotei", a soba restaurant that has been in business for ninety years since its establishment in 1927. We ordered two servings of their homemade soba, "Tenzaru Soba (1300 yen)" each. The Tenzaru Soba came with a seasonal bonus, which was "Garlic Mountain Vegetables" on that day. The soba noodles were not hand-made, but they were still good with a light color, thin texture, and a strong broth. The slightly spicy dipping sauce was also nice. The seasonal bonus included ingredients like garlic-flavored mountain vegetables, shrimp, and eggplant tempura, which were all delicious. It was a bit disappointing that there was no salt on the table. We enjoyed some soba-yu (hot soba water) and then finished our meal. We wanted to take a hot spring bath in Jozankei, but we had other plans, so we settled for foot bath only. Nice and relaxing! (o▽n)

I went to a day trip hot spring in Jozankei and came here for lunch on the way back. I had my usual tempura set, which was 1300 yen today. It came with smelt and butterbur sprouts. The slight bitterness of the butterbur sprouts reminds me that it's spring. I always look forward to the seasonal tempura. The sweet potato was so delicious, like a baked sweet potato. Thank you for the meal.

I always have trouble finding a place to have lunch in Jozankei. I called to see if they had availability, and since it wasn't lunchtime yet, they said I could come in. When I arrived, the inside of the restaurant had a strong smell of oil, and my clothes ended up smelling like it too. The tempura was standing tempura. My impression is that it was just average.

A leisurely trip to Jozankei: Lunch at Soba Momiji-tei. I had the cold nukisoba for ¥700. Soba Momiji-tei is a long-established soba restaurant founded in 1927, where the owner uses stone-ground flour made fresh every morning. Depending on the season, you can enjoy tempura of fish caught by the owner in summer and autumn, wakasagi in winter, and local mountain vegetables in spring. In addition to soba and tempura, they also offer udon and rice dishes. The tempura made from natural mountain fish and vegetables caught by the owner, who enjoys mountain stream fishing, is quite popular. The soba noodles are thin and the homemade soba dipping sauce has a gentle flavor. However, the tempura coating was a bit too crunchy for my liking. But that's just a matter of personal preference.

I invited my companion to stroll around the Jozankei Onsen Street and soak in the free foot bath, but they declined. They are quite troublesome. So, we decided to try this place that I had been curious about and entered. The interior had a counter, tables for 2 and 4 people, and even raised seating areas, which was surprisingly spacious. We were directed to the counter, where we placed our order. The restaurant quickly filled up with customers, indicating its popularity. Our "mori soba" (550 yen) arrived in about 7 minutes. The thin soba noodles were soft, but lacked the strong aroma and flavor of soba. The noodles were also poorly drained, leaving them soggy on the sieve. The soba dipping sauce was weak in flavor and overly salty. It felt like we were eating in diluted soy sauce due to the poor draining of the soba. The soba water was clear and thin, tasting like plain hot water. My companion had the "hiyashi tanuki" (700 yen) with crispy tempura, but found the tempura batter to be too hard. The addition of green pepper tempura was a nice touch. Overall, thank you to "Momijitei" for the meal.

I was surprised by the unexpected news of Papa's passing. I didn't know he wasn't feeling well. Rest in peace, dear Papa. Today, I went to Jozankei. I thought I might get stuck in the snow and have to cancel because the engine cover came off, but it was fixed so I headed to Jozankei as planned. The first choice, Fujino's soba restaurant, was closed for the day, so I went to a popular soba restaurant in Jozankei. I arrived at 12:50 and the parking lot in front of the restaurant was empty. There were two groups of customers already inside. I ordered mori soba and tempura. Later, 9 more customers arrived, but luckily we were able to get a table. The tempura included yakon, sweet potato, pumpkin, eggplant, seaweed, shrimp, and smelt fish. It was topped with seaweed. The soup was slightly spicy. I realized that I really like sweet flavors, being a sweet-loving Hokkaido native. Oh, unrelated, but I prefer red bean rice over sweet beans! Lately, I prefer ichimi over wasabi, enjoying the sweetness after the spiciness. The soba was thin and easy to eat, it was delicious. Thank you for the meal.

At Soba restaurant "Seisoba Momijitei" in Jozankei, the "Tenzaru" tempura dish comes with seasonal extras. On this day, it included two smelt fish, yacon, and incredibly sweet potato tempura. You can enjoy these additional treats along with your meal. With a history of over 90 years, this soba restaurant is definitely worth a return visit! #SobaInstagram

For lunch on this day, I was in the mood for soba noodles, so I decided to visit this restaurant that I found on Tabelog. The landmark is the View Hotel. The building itself, as well as the sign above the entrance, really give off a sense of history and tradition, which I really like. Inside the restaurant, to the left is the kitchen and counter, the middle section has booth seating, and the right side has a raised tatami area. They have taken good measures for COVID-19, with partitions between tables and booths, and the restaurant is non-smoking. Looking at the menu, I decided to try the cold soba noodles, so I ordered the "Tenzaru Soba" for 1,200 yen. The poster in the restaurant saying "Established 90 years ago" is really nice to see, the tradition being passed down through generations. I love the sound of tempura being fried in a soba restaurant, that unique "korokorokorokoro" sound. Am I the only one who likes it? The "Tenzaru Soba" has arrived, served on a wooden tray with soba noodles and tempura. It looks really cool. The tempura is delicious. The soba noodles are thin and smooth, with a good texture. As you chew, you can taste a slight sweetness and the aroma of the soba. The dipping sauce has a nice bonito flavor, not too strong, which complements the soba well. The tempura is crispy and hot, and the tempura items like okahijiki, shrimp, wakasagi fish, eggplant, sweet potato, and beet are all delicious. I enjoyed the soba noodles and tempura very much. It was a delightful meal. I can imagine how beautiful it would be to visit during the autumn season. Thank you for the delicious meal.

Located next to the Teinsankei Ohashi Bridge, this soba restaurant offers a special service during this season – a serving of crispy mountain trout tempura with your meal! I ordered the tempura soba, which came with a generous portion of large mountain trout and vegetables tempura. The price of 1,200 yen was surprisingly affordable for the quality and quantity of food. I didn't know what to expect when I ordered, but it turned out to be a great choice! I overheard other local customers recommending the tempura soba to each other, saying they came here because they heard it was delicious. The soba had a delightful aroma and was truly delicious. If you're in Teinsankei, I highly recommend this soba restaurant!

Soba restaurant in the hot spring town. There was quite a line. The menu is simple. Everyone seems to be eating kake soba. The recommended dish is tenzaru, so I'm tempted to try it even though it's warm. The soba noodles are very thin. The tempura includes mountain trout and morsel, which is lovely.

- Tenzaru Soba / 1200 yen I received a 2000 yen coupon for Jozankei, so I decided to grab a bite to eat first at this restaurant right across from View Hotel. The dish consisted of fish tempura topped with shrimp, sweet potato, green beans, eggplant, shishito peppers, pumpkin, and some kind of bone? The sweet potato seemed to be steamed or grilled, making it sweet and delicious. The fish tempura was thin and crispy, with no skin on the back side, making it easy to eat. The portion was quite generous, and I left feeling full and satisfied. For only 1200 yen, I think this soba is a great deal! I will definitely go back again.

I took the children to the View Hotel and decided to have lunch while waiting to check in. There weren't many restaurants nearby, so the place was quite crowded! It seemed like a local favorite spot, judging by the number of people from the neighborhood. Luckily, there was a sunken kotatsu seating area, which was very convenient for us with a baby. We ordered cold soba noodles with tempura. There were many types of tempura, and they were crispy and delicious. The soba noodles were also quite tasty!

At the end of May 2019, I arrived in Hokkaido, where unexpectedly a tropical depression had brought temperatures above 30 degrees. This was my first time visiting Jozankei Onsen, a hot spring town surrounded by trees rather than the typical hot spring resort. The town seemed quiet and quaint, with shops that had a rustic charm. Wanting a quick bite before dinner at my accommodation, I stopped by Momijitei. It was already past 3 pm, so there were few customers in the restaurant. I ordered the mountain vegetable soba and mountain vegetable tempura. The soba was delicious, with a refreshing taste. The mountain vegetables, such as azuki beans and Ainu leeks, were not commonly seen in Kanto region. The azuki beans and garlic flavors stood out and were very tasty. Why is food always so delicious when you're traveling? Thank you for the great meal.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, I used to visit this restaurant a few times a year, usually for lunch before staying in Jozankei or after visiting the Toyohira River Dam. I always order the "Tenseiro" dish. When I was organizing my smartphone photos, I came across a picture of the Tenseiro dish. The type of fish that comes with the dish depends on the fishing conditions of the owner's husband, which adds to the enjoyment. I hope the pandemic ends soon so I can visit this restaurant again.

The soba noodles were delicious, and the broth had a subtle bonito flavor. This is a note for future reference.

The freshwater eel is lively and delicious, but the portion of soba noodles is small.