A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of spending several nights in Kinosaki, the Japanese countryside hot spring town.
While I was there I was also introduced to the quaint neighbouring castle town of Izushi by the lovely team at Kinosaki Tourism.
In a country where even the little sleepy treasure towns can sometimes get a bit touristy, Izushi is still so untouched and the whole vibe is so “samurai movie set” chic that I just had to write about it.
The reason behind the complete ‘time capule feels’ is due to the town holding onto and treasuring many of the original architecture. If you love taking photographs and just slowly strolling on foot – you will LOVE this place.
When you first arrive, I recommend a walk up through the tori gates within Izushi Castle grounds. From the top is the most fantastic view of the whole town and the area you are about to explore.
For lunch, the thing to eat is soba ( buckwheat noodles.) Soba, in other parts of Japan, is traditionally served cold as part of a lunch set or in a large bowl on its own. However, Izushi-style is to serve the soba on 5 small white Izushi-made plates in 5 small portions. This is called Sara-Soba ( sara is the Japanese word for plate.)
When you order soba in Izushi ( it’s kind of hard not to find a specialty store as there are approximately 50 soba restaurants in the whole town) it is served with raw egg, grated yam, chopped spring onions, wasabi, grated white radish and a dipping sauce. So the idea is that you try one of the condiments for each of the 5 plates.
The proper way to do it? To eat the first plate just with dashi to taste first the soba flavor, and then add the condiments for the next plates. Then, the raw egg in the dashi and mix it before eating the last plate. This is the usual order, but ,of course, you can eat it as you wish!
( It’s also very easy to skip an ingredient if it’s not your thing as everything is delivered to the table in individual dishes.)
I recommend asking the staff to explain how to go about eating the soba in the same way as the locals.
I was lucky enough to eat at the gorgeous Izushi-soba restaurant Tojyo that overlooks the town’s clock tower and a pond filled with giant koi.
The entire restaurant is non-smoking. They only accept cash for payment. They also offer a low-allergen menu.
There is a small terrace.
They have a stroller parking section in the restaurant. There is also a baby change table.
Expect to pay around 1000 yen per person.
This restaurant is perfect if you’re travelling with a little baby as you can ask to sit in the tatami section. There were many babies laid out next to their parents table. They could roll and do some tummy time or even nap. (When my kids were that small I would have a linen swaddle in my bag for baby to lie on – and it also doubled as a breastfeeding cloth and a blanket.)
How amazingly beautiful is this restaurant?
And if you’re wondering about all of those plaques on the wall? Well, they are those who have been awarded winners of the soba eating contest. (If you’re interested in competing, it is held in the middle of April.) And.. if you can manage to eat more than 20 plates in one sitting you can get a special wooden “plaque” to take home.
I just love the vibe of this restaurant.
TOUJYOU SOBA RESTAURANT
兵庫県豊岡市出石町八木町13
OPEN 10AM-5PM ( UNTIL 6PM ON WEEKENDS & NATIONAL HOLIDAYS)
CLOSED THURSDAYS
Small tip, but could be handy if you’re travelling with a toddler!
There is this teeny, little slide just next to the clock tower, on the castle side.
And off the point but… I’m actually obsessed with this stunning tree.
And if your family feels like a more familiar option?
There is a pizzaria in Izushi is named Sakai.
In my opinion, places worth checking out in this area are:
Eirakukan, The Oldest Working Kabuki Theatre in the Kansai Area
This old theatre is retro heaven and a true time capsule. The posters/advertisements have been kept on the wall, as is, and all moving parts of the Kabuki Stage and performance are operated by man power – from revolving section of the stage to the secret trap doors used by performers through out the theatre.
I highly recommend getting a quick tour to see the dressing rooms and underneath the stage.
The Samurai Museum
The Samurai Museum is not large but so full of character and also so aesthetically pleasing to look at.
I loved seeing the “security measures” within the old samurai house. Little windows that were designed to keep the stairway in full view at all times so that meetings could stay private and always keep an eye out for intruders.
Even the roofs are low enough to not allow the space for sword fights, for eg.
I wouldn’t want to be wandering around the house late at night and bump into this statue.
There is even a little miniature of the town, all set up like it looks during the local festival.
More information on the Samurai Museum in Izushi here.
See some willow craft/ basket weaving in action
This is so interesting to watch and the owner/craftsman in this store is happy for visitors to come inside and watch him work.
He is the only craftsman left doing this kind of craft in Japan.
It was a popular craft, especially during Taisho period where around 5 000 craftsmen (exactly 5200 in 1919) were making wicker baskets just in the area of Toyooka, and more in all Japan. Unfortunately, after the earthquake in 1925, some stores were destroyed or started to close, and then due to the difficulty of the task and the decreasing of the sales, nowadays only one craftsman remains in all Japan.
Test out the local ice-cream
I recommend trying out a new flavour of ice-cream at Kano Boku ice-creamery.
It sounds totally gross but the soba ( as in buckwheat noodle) flavour with vanilla ice-cream was actually good!
This is the shop’s website ( Japanese only.) They are open everyday between 10AM-4PM.
And be sure not to miss the delightful baby-head sculpture right behind the shop.
