Sukiyaki and the special mountain town of Shimonita

About Shimonita Town

Shimonita Station

Introduction

The town of Shimonita is known for its sukiyaki made with local green onions and its distinctive mountain shape. This beautiful town is located in the Gunma Prefecture of Japan. 

It is also a good old Japanese country town. Restaurants, supermarkets, and inns are scattered around the station.
As you can see in the photo, there are several charming narrow alleys that are great for wandering around.
The specialties of this town are sukiyaki, leeks, and konjak. You can eat them at restaurants in town.
※Konjak is a kind of jelly with a chewy texture. It is a traditional Japanese ingredient that is added to oden or dipped in miso.

 

Access

There are several ways to get to Shimonita from Tokyo.

  1. By Train:

    • Take the Joetsu Shinkansen from Tokyo Station to Takasaki Station.
    • Transfer to the Joetsu Electric Railway and get off at Shimonita Station.
    • The approximate cost is around 7,000 to 10,000 yen.
    • The travel time is approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes.
  1. By Car:

    • Take the Kanetsu Expressway from central Tokyo.
    • Enter the Jyoshinetsu Expressway at the Fujioka Junction.
    • Exit at the Shimonita Interchange.
    • Follow National Route 254 and head west towards Shimonita Town.
    • The toll fees for the expressway are around 3,000 to 4,000 yen.
    • The travel time is approximately 2 hours, depending on traffic conditions.
back alley

Sukiyaki Colombia

back alley Colombia

Recommended Sukiyaki Restaurant in Shimonita

Walking from Shimonita Station, in the middle of a narrow alley is a store called Columbia.
The interior of the restaurant is tatami mats, a traditional Japanese tatami room style.
In Colombia, you can enjoy sukiyaki, which is made with lots of local meat and the local specialty, green onions. Unusually, this restaurant offers a choice of beef sukiyaki, pork sukiyaki, or chicken sukiyaki. All are delicious, so choose the one you prefer! You can also order konjak dishes.
Also, Colombia was the filming location for the Japanese TV drama “Solo no Gourmet,” and pictures of the actors are displayed in the restaurant.

Menu & Price

Tabelog site

SUKIYAKI 2

Special Mountain "Arafune Mountain"

Introduction

Mt. Arafuneyama is located on the border of Nagano and Gunma prefectures and is one of Japan’s two hundred most famous mountains. The summit is flat, and when seen from a distance, it looks like a ship moving through rough seas, hence the mountain’s name, Arafuneyama. It looks like an aircraft carrier depending on your side.
Driving on Route 254 from the Gunma Prefecture side to the Nagano Prefecture side, one can see the rugged appearance of this mountain. But there is a great place to relax and enjoy the view of Mt. Arafune.

 

Arafune Panorama Camp Field

This campground is almost the same height as Mt. Arafune. Therefore, you can enjoy the same view from long ago without any man-made structures, as well as a magnificent unobstructed view. In addition to Mt. Arafune, you can also enjoy the eternal view of the firmer mountains.
It is one of my favorite campgrounds.

Camp field official site

Other Sightseeing Spots

Kozu Farm

Kozu farm is the oldest Western-style farm in Japan. It was opened in the Meiji Era. Mr. Kozu, the founder of the farm, wanted to catch up with the West in terms of diet as well. After the war, while other firms were being run in an intensive, factory-like manner, he continued to operate his firm as he had in the past, allowing his cattle to graze as they had in the past.

These naturally raised cows to produce very healthy and tasty dairy products!

Milk, yogurt, butter, cheese, and ice cream, all great!

Official site

Kamitu Firm

Arafune Cold Storage

There are Ghibli-like ruins in Shimonita.
Arafune Cold Storage is a wind cave located in Shimonita-cho, Gunma Prefecture. It was built between 1905 and 1914 as a facility to store silkworm eggs using the natural cold wind. At the time, it was the largest wind hole in Japan, and silkworm eggs were collected from 42 prefectures throughout Japan. In 2014, Arafune Cold Storage was registered as a component asset of the World Heritage Site “Tomioka Silk Mill and Silk Industrial Heritage Group.

Arafune Cold Storage is located halfway up a mountain. It is a natural cooler that utilizes the natural cool breeze from Nagano Prefecture. The inside of the wind cave is cool at 3~5 degrees Celsius even in summer, which is suitable for preserving silkworm seeds. By using wind holes, silkworm eggs that were only hatched in spring can now be hatched in summer and fall as well. Since the export of raw silk was an important industry in Japan during the Meiji period (1868-1912), Arafune Cold Storage played an important role in the modernization of Japan. It was registered as a World Heritage site based on these points.

In summer, many tourists visit here to enjoy the cool breeze. When visiting Arafune Cold Storage, it is recommended to wear athletic shoes and comfortable clothing.

To get to Arafune Cold Storage, take a sightseeing cab from Shimonita Station, which takes about 30 minutes. Please note that there are traffic restrictions for private vehicles. Admission is 500 yen for adults. The museum is open from 9:00 to 17:00 (last admission at 16:30). The museum is closed from December 1 to March 31.

Shimonita town official site

Multilingual Official Brochure

Finally

Thank you for reading this far. In this blog, I continue to introduce you to the Japanese countryside. If you like it, please follow me on SNS.

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