Okuya — Restaurant in Ookuwa

One of the best meals and encounters of my life, and that’s no exaggeration. From the moment we entered Okuya we were greeted by the owner with a warm smile and genuine hospitality. She asked us about our trip and where we were from. It was such a wonderful respite from a difficult and unlucky day of subpar food and services.

But it doesn’t just stop there, the gyozas were genuinely the best I’ve ever had, and that’s no exaggeration. The crisp outer layer and the delicious delicate handmade filling will take you on a gastronomic flight of the senses. You will leave your troubles behind as you take in the quaint and happy little spot. We also got the fried chicken which was good as well but the gyoza was truly exceptional.

The haggen daz matcha ice cream with the Japanese whiskey on top was the perfect little dessert to finish off a most memorable meal.

And of course, it doesn’t just stop there. The owner offered to drive us to our Hotel (it was going to be a 35 min walk in dark) and refused to take any money from us for this over the top mark of hospitality. I will be thinking of this encounter for a very long time. If I could give 6...

We ended up here after our first part of our Nakasendo hike. Hungry and tired we looked up this place on maps and decided to eat before check-in. Boy was it a great decision!

The owner is very kind and just wants people to have a good time and relax! She welcomed us with open arms and a warm smile. She seemed very used to travellers and was willing to help in any way possible.

She gave us some recommendations and they were all delicious. The gyozas were amazing! She cooks everything by herself so you get the proper experience of an izakaya.

Now, our hotel was about a 30-40 minutes walk away from the izakaya, and we were prepared to walk in the dark, but she insisted on driving us to the hotel! She would not take no for an answer. Now, I’m not saying that you should expect this when visiting, and we were there off season so we were the only customers there at the time. But you know, she really went out of her way to give us the best experience possible.

Absolutely recommend this place if you need something to fill your belly after a long hike or if you find...

This little restaurant is a hidden gem for all those who want an excellent meal in Nojiri. We went to Nojiri after a few days of walk along Nakasendo last week. As we were too late to book dinner with the hotel we stayed, the hotel staff recommended this place.

As many reviewers rightly put, the lady who served the customers was enthusiastic and energetic, caring to make everything perfect for everyone of us even though this might be the only restaurant operating at night in this town in winter meaning there is almost competition.

The dishes she recommended eg pan fried dumplings, eggplants, shabu shabu salad, chicken etc were all so good and highly value for money. We were thankful to and accepted her offer to volunteer to drive us back to the hotel since it's quite cold in late winter. Everyone who visited Nojiri should try the dishes to Okuya.

PS: when we continued our journey from Okuwa the next day morning, we were excited to bump into this cheerful lady at a supermarket when she prepared for another...