Hanaya — Restaurant in Hakuba

I have never felt so unwelcome in a Japanese business establishment. The gentleman and the lady running the place offered hardly any of the routine niceties that you see and hear everywhere in Japan, which made the atmosphere rather awkward. We did our best to be polite and respectful using our limited Japanese, but the (apparent) couple were always long-faced and slow. It was really like they didn't want our custom. I said "go chiso sama deshita" (thank you for the meal) when I left, and the man barely nodded without facing me. I am pretty sure he was knowly being rude. The food was hit and miss. Some items were...

The food was amazing!! The couple running the place don't "jump out of their seats" for foreigners...but why should they? We were polite with them and praised their cooking and they seemed to warm up to us near the end. People who go in expecting to be treated like royalty ESPECIALLY because they're foreigners need to have their egos checked.

Great food, lovely environment (either at the bar or the tables on the tatami mats), what more could...

A quaint izakaya spot located near Hakuba Station with ample parking. Food was reasonably price and yummy. Run by an elderly (couple?) who were attentive. You’d need to get a drink since it’s a bar but drinks are well priced too. Would recommend the chicken karaage and grilled hokke.

Would recommend for a fuss free...