The obvious place to start is right here at Myoko House. But there are plenty of other great Myoko restaurants to choose from when you need a break from delicious homemade gyoza and local sake. The following is not an exhaustive list by rather, a large handful of favourites in various parts of the area. Be sure to let us know if you have a favourite not mentioned.
Myoko Restaurants
Shin Akakura (Akakan area)
Myoko House Gyoza Bar
Of course, we’re biased but that doesn’t mean it’s not good! Akiko makes both her famous (within our growing circle of friends anyway) traditional pork and vegan-friendly tofu gyoza.
The gyoza nabe dish (pictured above) was an instant hit and provides cost-effective warmth and satisfaction. Nabe (hotpot) is a bit of a winter tradition in Japan. Gyoza nabe by the fire, while the snow falls out the window, is as good a way to end the day as we can think of. In addition, Akiko knocks up a rotating array of delicious desserts to extinguish sugar cravings.
For those who are thirsty, we have you sorted. An ever-growing interest in learning about the wonders of sake means we’ll have at least a handful of choices on hand. We tend to stock local favourites from Myoko and nearby Iiyama, as well as the occasional special bottle from further afield. If you can wrestle the latter away from the barman he may oblige!
We also have Myoko Kogen craft beer, draught beer, umeshu (plum wine), whiskey and, for the more cultured of our visitors, Bundy Rum.
We generally don’t take bookings as such. However, as we have a fairly small area, a phone call before making the effort to come to see us probably wouldn’t hurt; +81704403019103. If you have a second, perhaps you’d like to check out a few of our reviews.
Opening Hours – 4-8pm (last order at 7:30pm).
A few of our favourites…
Pontaro
We had to start the best of the rest with Pontaro. Located just 2 minutes walk from the Akakura Kanko gondola (a few doors down from Konayuki), Pontaro is an izakaya serving all sorts of delicious dishes. They also have all the beer, nihonshu and shochu your heart may desire.
This place was extremely popular with our guests during our first winter season and with good reason!
Click here for reviews of Pontaro.
Akakura Onsen
Pomodoro
Italian probably wasn’t the first thing you had in mind when looking up what to eat in a traditional Japanese village. However, pizza and pasta tend to be fairly good in Japan. Myoko’s best example of this is Pomodoro, on the main drag in Akakura Onsen. An English menu is available.
Click here for reviews of Pomodoro.
Udon-no-Fu
Directly downstairs from Pomodoro is Udon-no-Fu. For the unfamiliar, udon noodles are the thick white best usually served in a hot broth. The restaurant has an old-school, authentic Japanese feel and is its own little world.
We’ve never tasted anything approaching anything other than delicious here. Your eyes may not believe your taste buds but the squid ink udon is a must-try. Hot tip; use the apron provided and maybe don’t wear white!
Click here for reviews for of Udon-no-Fu.
Miyoshiya
This place is a favourite for us here at Myoko House for two reasons. It was the very first restaurant we ever visited upon making the decision to start our Myoko lives. Secondly, the hiyashi chuka was delicious. It should be noted it was lunchtime during the offseason when we visited and perhaps this particular dish is better suited to the warmer months.
You can find Miyoshiya at street level above Asagao at the Akakura T-junction. It’s a fairly cost-effective place to eat with an extensive menu. Oh and orders are placed by using the ticket machine at the entrance.
Click here for reviews of Miyoshiya.
Asagao
While we’re in the neighbourhood, beneath Miyoshiya you’ll find Asagao (and Shiro). This is a small place reminiscent of other old-fashioned izakayas and yakitori joints. The sort of place that would be murder if, like a lot of those places in the city, allow smoking inside. Mercifully, Asagao doesn’t. It’s cosy but that lends to the atmosphere.
Yakitori items dominate the menu and they also stock a decent range of nihonshu and shochu (and cold beer, of course) to wash it down.
Click here for reviews of Asagao.
Ikenotaira
Eika
While we could be wrong and are always happy to be corrected, we think this is the only Chinese restaurant in the area. And it just so happens to be delicious. You’ll find Eika in the Ikenotaira area, just up from the Landmark Onsen Cafe in the direction of Imori Pond.
Click here for reviews of Eika.
Arakin Ramen
Arakin Ramen is diagonally across for the Landmark Onsen cafe and as the name suggests, serves ramen. They also have a bunch of other dishes too, of course, meaning it has more of an izakaya-type feel at night. While there, make sure you check out the omiyage/sake shop attached.
Click here for reviews of Arakin Ramen.
While in the neighbourhood…
The Landmark Onsen itself is worth visiting with a big onsen bath (for each sex), a konbini (sans ATM) and a restaurant all within the same building. You’ll find many hidden treasures within. While the relaxation area includes comics, massage chairs, table tennis, darts, pool, pachinko machines and an arm-wrestling table, the restaurant offers a very reasonably-priced Myoko Kogen beer nomihodai (all-you-can-drink for 90 minutes).
Click here for reviews of the Landmark Onsen Cafe.
Myoko Village
Yabu Soba
If you have a car or prepared to cab it, there are a small number of places to eat in Myoko village (train station area). One we can vouch for is Yabu Soba, just across the road from post office.
Their most popular dishes include tempura soba or tempura udon but they have a large handful of other options too, including a deliciously warming nabe. It’s a little difficult to find TripAdvisor reviews for Yabu Soba but they’ve apparently been operating for the past 60 years so I think it’s fair to say they’re doing something right!
Click here for their Myoko Tourism listing, including opening times, etc.
An honourable mention…
Kaneta Omiyage
We’ve included this place as an “honourable mention” as it isn’t a restaurant and yet this is a (non-exhaustive) list of restaurants. It’s an omiyage shop directly across from the Myoko Kogen Train Station. As such, it makes a great time killer if you get there a little too early.
Within, you’ll find an assortment of goodies. If you’re a fan of chilli, don’t leave town without a jar or two of kanzuri (if you’re leaving having stayed at Myoko House there’s a good chance you’ve already heard of it – it’s made only in this area).
If you need a snack for the journey, they also have delicious savoury chimaki (rice and other ingredients wrapped in a bamboo leaf).
There’s more…
As mentioned a few times previously, this is not a complete list of places to eat in Myoko and there are surely many more delicious restaurants in the area. Then there’s the option of a trip into Joetsu where Gunchan and the ever-reliable Kappa Zushi are personal treasured choices.
If you uncover any gems or have any favourites people need to know about please let us know. The more time we spend in Myoko the more we get to indulge. We’re happy to take one for the team and spend the Myoko Green Season doing the research!
We hope to see you at Myoko House soon for some gyoza, beer and sake!
