Nagano Farm Stay: Frozen Food Culture in Yamaura Village

Located in the foothills of the Yatsugatake Mountains, the idyllic Yamaura village is just the place for an authentic farm stay in Japan, with its traditional architecture and deep culinary practices.

The local food culture in Yamaura works in harmony with nature and even embraces the glacial winters when temperatures drop far below freezing. Here, visitors can see firsthand how the area’s distinctive wintertime products such as frozen tofu, daikon, and kanten are made. Learning directly from the local artisans themselves, see step by step how tofu and the jelly-like kanten are produced; then, join a cooking session with the kindly village grannies who will teach you their recipes for home-cooked dishes.

On day one, guests will visit Sennen Tofu, a family-run business that produces the area’s specialty frozen tofu. You’ll get the chance to taste the local cuisine: soy-based dishes like frozen tofu hotpot, okara salad, and an agar dessert made with soymilk. Then, you’ll get settled in at the farmhouse, which balances centuries-old architecture with the comforts of the 21st century. Around dinnertime, the local grannies will teach you how to whip up a tasty meal, using frozen daikon, frozen tofu, and kanten.

Day two starts with a tasty breakfast (either ordered from a local restaurant or made yourself using ingredients from local producers -- your choice). Then, you’ll travel to a local kanten farm where you’ll get an inside look into its production process, from boiling the seaweed to cutting the jelly-like “namaten.”

The warmth and kindness of the local producers and grannies is sure to beat the cold of winter in Nagano!