A popular soba restaurant located in Niseko Annupuri, a world-renowned ski resort in Hokkaido, called "Rakuichi". In the past, they used to offer a la carte dishes as well, but now they only serve soba kaiseki for lunch and dinner, limited to one group at a time. It is recommended to take a bus or taxi from Hanazono, Hirafu, or Niseko Village to get there. The course meal, using plenty of Hokkaido ingredients, was slightly smaller in portion but very delicious!

This is the best soba restaurant I've ever been to, especially their duck soup soba. I go to Niseko for golf, the view of Mount Yotei, and the seafood from Shirakuma-san. I love gazing at Mount Yotei every day. They stretch and cut the noodles after you order, and serve the green onions as tempura without grilling them. This brings out the sweetness and pairs perfectly with the duck soup. The soba is delicious when dipped in the soup. The duck soup has a unique lingering taste, maybe from the sake in it. I can't go this year, but I definitely want to go again next year. I love taking road trips and boat trips.

I have been curious about this restaurant for a while, and when I visited Niseko, I tried to go there twice before but it was closed both times. Finally, on my third attempt, I was able to enter. I usually come here for the hot springs, but this time I came specifically to try their soba, so I left home about an hour earlier than usual. I had planned to arrive at the opening time of 11:30, but I got a bit distracted looking for asparagus at a roadside station and arrived a little after 12. Luckily, there was only one car in the parking lot and I saw a sign indicating that they were open for business. When I entered the stylish interior, I was greeted by a foreign woman saying "hello," which was a bit surprising. There was only one other party at the counter. I ordered the steamed soba and assorted tempura. I found out that they stretch and cut the soba right after you order it, which was a new experience for me. The tempura arrived in about 5 minutes. The taste was quite ordinary, but I was happy to see wild vegetable tempura included. As I was eating the tempura, the soba arrived. The portion was about average, and it came with a little bit of green onion, wasabi, and grated yam, which was nice. The aroma of the soba was good and it was delicious. I will definitely come back again. I recommend this place for those who want to eat in a calm environment. Thank you for the meal.

In September 2018, I had lunch at this place after a long time of craving buckwheat noodles. This restaurant was featured in the Michelin Guide Hokkaido 2017 special edition. The location was a bit surprising as it was not easily found on navigation. We didn't have a reservation but miraculously managed to get a table without any trouble. Both my daughter and I decided on the same menu - we ordered the hand-pulled fresh buckwheat noodles for 1000 yen and the seasonal vegetable tempura for 700 yen as a set. They made the soba noodles after we placed our order. The soba noodles made from 100% buckwheat were thin and had a smooth texture. The tempura was also very good. The service provided by the foreign customer who came alone was excellent. I felt happy to be able to enjoy delicious soba noodles. Thank you for the wonderful meal.

It had been a long time since I last visited. Surprisingly, many places in Niseko are closed on Sundays. Even the pizza place was closed on that day. It seems like there are mostly foreign customers nowadays, with English signs everywhere. There were also many foreign customers on that day. We shared some soba and tempura. The atmosphere of the restaurant is very nice, just like before.

At night, they only offer a course menu featuring soba. The dishes included shime saba (mackerel wrapped in daikon with herbs), sashimi - hokki clam, otoro, sea urchin, kelp-marinated red snapper (mixed with herbs), botan shrimp with myoga, scallops and snow crab in a thick sauce, Iberico pork shabu-shabu, tempura vegetables to eat with kelp and thickly sliced bonito flakes, and soba noodles (100% buckwheat). Although it's a soba course, they only serve one serving of soba in a steamer, which is a bit disappointing, but the dishes are delicious. The chef seems to like garnishing dishes with kelp, cucumber, and vegetables. I wonder why they use red snapper and Iberico pork in Niseko, couldn't they use more local ingredients? All the other customers besides us were foreigners.

10-point soba restaurant review criteria / As of 211003, always conscious of cost performance and point scoring 5.0 Supreme! It's a miracle to encounter a place like this! 4.5 Amazing! I want to go back again! Top in the area! 4.0 Delicious! I want to eat it again and again! Top in the genre and area! 3.5 Tasty! Leading in the area within that genre. 3.0 Average. Will go if there are no other options available. 2.5 Not very tasty or cost-effective. 2.0 Not tasty. 1.5 Will not revisit.

It is a place to enjoy the atmosphere. The owner, an intellectual man, takes orders in front of you and then kneads the soba, so it takes time. It may not be suitable for those who want to eat quickly or prioritize efficiency.

The best soba I've ever eaten in my life. It was so delicious that it outshone all the other dishes, which were also incredibly tasty.

Visited at 11 am on a Sunday in June for a drive to Annupuri Onsen: Tsuru Cafe ⇒ 2nd stop: Annupuri Onsen Yusintei on the 1st day (dinner) ⇒ Annupuri Onsen Yusintei on the 2nd day (breakfast) ⇒ 3rd stop: Soba restaurant Raku. Detailed blog post with images can be found here: [link provided] Background: After checking out from Niseko Annupuri Onsen, we decided to have lunch at this place. Location: If coming from Sapporo on the Iwanai Toyako Line (Route 66), there is a big blue sign for Niseko Annupuri International Ski Resort. Turn right at that sign where there is a flag indicating "Fishing Canoe Guide." Drive 40m and you will see the flag for Raku, turn there to arrive at the restaurant. Parking: There are 10 parking spaces available. Entering: Pass through the gate with "Raku" written on it, cross the bridge, and you will find the restaurant. It has only a counter with 12 seats. Jazz music plays in the background. Despite being a popular spot, there were no other customers when we arrived at 11 am. Menu: Soba options include fresh flour soba, duck soba, kake soba, and duck soba. Other options include seasonal vegetable tempura. Order: I ordered the duck soba while my companion ordered fresh flour soba with seasonal vegetable tempura. Duck Soba: Served on a black, round, deep plate with a sieve on top containing short, unevenly cut buckwheat soba. The dipping sauce with duck meat is in a small deep dish, and there are green onion tempura on a small plate. The soba has a firm texture and great flavor even without any sauce. The tempura has a soft and sweet inner part with a crispy outer layer. The dipping sauce has a strong duck flavor, and adding grated yam at the end gives a refreshing taste. Fresh Flour Soba: Served similar to the duck soba but with fresh flour soba and a variety of seasonal vegetable tempura. There is also matcha salt provided. Overall: The restaurant offers a stylish ambiance where you can enjoy handcrafted soba. Watching the soba being made in front of you and then eating it is a unique experience. However, the prices for the soba are on the higher side, starting at 1000 yen, which may not be ideal for a casual meal. The combination of the live soba making, chic atmosphere, and the surrounding location may justify the pricing. The food was delicious, and I would love to visit again if given the chance. Thank you for the meal.

I visited this restaurant when I went to Niseko. I found it on Tabelog and saw that they only serve 20 meals a day. I arrived an hour before opening and waited in my car. When I saw other customers entering the back of the restaurant, I followed and found people already waiting. I hurried to line up. The restaurant opened at 11:30 and I was seated inside. I took off my shoes and put on slippers. The restaurant had about 10 counter seats. I ordered the freshly made soba noodles and tempura set. The owner makes the soba noodles after taking orders. It seemed they make 6-7 servings at a time. It took a while since it was my second round of soba making. The restaurant is run by a husband and wife, both very dignified. The soba noodles were ready in about 30 minutes. The appearance was different from what I expected for 100% soba, more like 80% soba. But the taste was amazing! It was smooth and paired perfectly with the dipping sauce. I've been to Michelin-starred restaurants before, but this was the best soba I've ever had. It was truly wonderful. Thank you for the meal.

A hand-made soba restaurant located at the foot of Mount Niseko Annupuri. It is a bit tricky to find as the small sign is not very noticeable on the corner when you turn from the prefectural road towards the Annupuri ski slopes. There is a small parking lot that can fit a few cars. It seems to be shared with the neighboring izakaya "Karakinana," but their operating hours do not overlap so it doesn't seem to be an issue. You enter through a gate-like entrance and walk through a wooden corridor-like structure until you reach the restaurant. Take off your shoes and change into slippers inside. The interior has only one long counter. I visited on a weekday afternoon in August and luckily there was no line as it is known to get very crowded. The restaurant used to serve soba to customers waiting for hours, but now they limit it to 20 servings a day due to the overwhelming demand. I ordered soba with tempura and duck soba after consulting with the beautiful and friendly hostess. Meanwhile, the owner was diligently preparing the soba noodles from scratch. We sipped on soba tea and had a casual chat with the hostess while waiting. Soft jazz music played in the background, creating a relaxing atmosphere. The tempura was served first, followed by the soba. The soba looked rustic but elegant, and the aroma was delightful. The duck dipping sauce was incredibly flavorful with a strong dashi taste. I savored the soba by dipping it lightly in the sauce and enjoying it slowly. The tempura with green onions that came with it was also delicious. The portion was generous, and I ended up feeling satisfied. I finished the meal with a warm soba broth before leaving the restaurant. It is recommended to visit during the summer as they tend to sell out quickly during the winter season, and the new soba season in Hokkaido is around September.

Second stop on the Niseko soba restaurant crawl. The location is a bit hard to find. From Route 66 Niseko Panorama Line, take the road towards Annupuri International Ski Area and you'll see a small sign on the right that says "Rakuichi." There's a small parking space where you can park your car, fitting about 5-6 cars. There's a gate next to the parking space, leading to a covered walkway. Walk through the gate and you'll find the restaurant at the end. If it's your first time, you might feel unsure if you're in the right place. I arrived around 11:20 am, but the opening time was supposed to be 11:30 am. The "OPEN" sign didn't come on until 11:40 am. Well, it's a weekday and there were no other customers, so it's understandable. The interior of the restaurant has only a counter with about 10 seats. The waiting area is larger than the seating area. The atmosphere is dimly lit with jazz playing in the background, giving off a trendy vibe. I remember seeing a sign at the gate saying "No children." It's that kind of place. I sat at the far end of the counter and ordered the soba. They don't offer a large portion. They also always ask if you want tempura. I came here for the soba, not the tempura. No thanks. The soba is made after you order, so I had to wait a bit before the seiro (bamboo basket) arrived. Hmm, not sure about this... The soba was cut short and uneven. As a result, it was soggy and lacked texture. The flour was probably good, as the aroma was nice, but the texture was off. It was hard to slurp. The dipping sauce was a crisp type that I like, but because the soba was cut short, it got soaked too much. The soba water was served after, in the form of boiled water. Also, they give a small portion of grated yam as a service, but I have a yam allergy, so... Honestly, I couldn't understand why this place is rated highly. From not opening on time, to the taste, service, and atmosphere, I had doubts all the way. I left the restaurant scratching my head. Well, it just wasn't for me.

Rakuichi (Niseko, Hokkaido) At the entrance of the Niseko Annupuri Ski Resort, there is a restaurant where soba lovers from all over the country gather. The limited 30 servings of soba per day is made with 100% buckwheat flour without any additives. Typically, 100% buckwheat soba tends to be dry and lacking a chewy texture, but this place is completely different. The soba here is incredibly chewy and smooth, with a strong buckwheat flavor. It is without a doubt the best soba in Japan. The owner of this restaurant caught the attention of the chef and owner of NOMA in Copenhagen, which is currently known as the most difficult restaurant to make a reservation at worldwide. The owner was even invited to NOMA to demonstrate soba making. Interestingly, the owner is a descendant of "Rai San'yō" who is mentioned in history textbooks, and he moved to Niseko after graduating high school. The restaurant itself is a beautifully crafted wooden building, which the owner also built himself. If you love soba, this is a must-visit restaurant. - 100% Buckwheat Soba (Served Cold) 900 yen After ordering, the owner kneads and prepares the soba, so it may take some time. However, the relaxing atmosphere of the restaurant makes the wait enjoyable. - Seasonal Vegetable Tempura 700 yen Tempura made with seasonal vegetables from Niseko. Crispy and delicious, it perfectly complements the soba. Rakuichi 431 Niseko, Niseko-cho, Abuta-gun, Hokkaido 0136-58-3170

I visited this restaurant after hearing about it from a friend. The evening soba kaiseki was recommended, but it was already past lunchtime when I arrived. The landlady greeted me at the entrance and there were seats available, so I decided to dine in. I was told that I would be eating at the counter, so I sat at the end of the empty counter. The woody atmosphere, upbeat jazz background music, and the temptation to linger over drinks make this place very inviting. As it was my first time, I ordered the basic hand-made soba noodles. My friend, who was the designated driver that day, also ordered some tempura vegetables, which I tried and found to be delicious. The soba broth arrived first, and upon tasting it, I found that the dashi flavor was excellent! The soba noodles were delicious on their own, but dipping them in the broth made them even better. The soba broth was also very good! My companion seemed satisfied as well, which was great to see. I now have a goal for my next visit to Niseko - to try the soba kaiseki meal! (laughs)

I have been visiting this soba restaurant for decades. Back then, chain restaurants were more common and individual soba shops were not as popular. I first discovered this place in Niseko and became a fan, even making special trips there to eat their soba. Over the years, I noticed changes in the thickness and color of the soba, which initially disappointed me. However, when I visited again recently, I accepted the changes and enjoyed the soba, which was still made with high-quality ingredients. The duck soba was delicious, with thick, crispy green onions and flavorful duck. I also tried the seasonal tempura, which was a bit oily for my taste. The restaurant has a slightly formal atmosphere, but I still feel like going back again in the future.