igoiseeishoot: Fujioto Ryokan in Tsumago, a Nakasendo post-town

Located in the middle of Tsumago, one of the restored Edo-era post town along the Nakasendo Highway, the 100-year-old traditional inn Fujioto Ryokan was one of the best place that we stayed in while we were in Kiso Valley. It is now beautifully restored but still remained charmingly traditional.

Entrance or transition area where it is shoes off, put on one of the ryokan’s sandals for walking inside the ryokan.

The Japanese owner, who speaks good English as well as Italian, checked us in personally and showed us the rooms and facilities.

Bare feet or socks only on the tatami mats inside our Japanese style room.

I booked early, so I was assigned the bigger room on the second floor with nice views of the inner garden and the goldfish pond below.

Rest and relax after arrival with my travelling companions before exploring Tsumago and nearby Nagiso.

Fujioto provided each room with some welcome sweets, a flask with ice water and a flask of hot water for making fresh green tea in a Japanese teapot. The room came with a safe deposit box, air-conditioning and everything needed for a comfortable stay.

After our second hike of the day from Nagiso back to Tsumago, we went to enjoy a soak in the Hinoki bathtub, made from the famous scented Kiso Valley Cypress Wood, before dinner. Fujioto is one of the ryokans that provided shared bathrooms that can be used privately. There were two available on a first-come-first-served basis. This allowed us to enjoy a good soak in the hot Japanese bath without having to be naked in front of strangers. Just go at time when it is unoccupied and lock the door before using it. The only slight “complain” I have is that the water in the hinoki bath was not hot enough.

Like most minsukus and ryokans, yukatas were provided and we were to wear those to dinner after our hot bath.

The kaiseki dinner at Fujioto was excellent. We were served famous local cuisine that has been enjoyed since the time of Samurai and Shogun. The waitress that served us spoke excellent English. She explained every dish, its ingredients and how to eat it the local way, e.g. what dip to use. The owner also came by to chat with us.

Tasting plate of local specialities. Our waitress asked us to guess what was in the blue plate and to taste it before she tells us what it was. Answer at the end of the post.

This grilled trout (Ayu) with salt on the outside is one of the best I tasted. Sweet and delicate. I was longing for similar trout at the other ryokans after this but none came close. The owner came to talk to us. He told us the Ayu fish he served was specially caught in the higher mountain streams. Hence tastier but more expensive than the usual Ayu fish served elsewhere.

Shinshu (name of this region) Salmon Sashimi. Shinshu Salmon is actually a local trout with red-colour fresh and hence also called salmon. I don’t exactly like salmon so I find this tasted better than salmon.

Hoba–miso Shinshu Beef Steak. Local wagyu beef with miso paste and vegetables, cooked over a magnolia leaf on the table top stove.

Seasonal sour pickle – this are pickled mushrooms. Pink cherry blossom petal on top.

The waitress again asked us to guess what the round, white ,floating ingredient was. Looked like a jelly fish floating in the broth, but we correctly guessed that is was a paper-thin slice of daikon.

Vegetable tempura. Look at the decor! The “flower” looking item at the lower part of the picture was a kind of seaweed. Deep fried and presented like a flower. Best eaten sprinkled or dip with mixed sea-salt and green tea powder.

Boiled vegetable dish consisting of 2 types of mushrooms with pumpkin sauce beneath the fried potato garnishing

Forgot to take a photo of the gohei mochi which are grilled skewered rice balls, coated with the soy sauce with sugar, cracked walnut and sesami.

Dessert – fruits with matcha sponge cake.

After this heavy meal, it is best to go for a stroll around Tsumago to aid digestion and to experience Tsumago at night. Thereafter, either have another soak in the hot bath or retire to the bed early. Tired out from the day’s exertions and heavy dinner, we slept like a log till day break.

The owner of Fujioto had helped to book a taxi to take us to Nagiso Station the day before during check-in. He recommended this option as it would be faster and cheaper (for 4 persons) than if we were to take the infrequent bus that runs between Tsumago and Nagiso Train station. With transportation pre-arranged, we were free to enjoy the morning without any pressure of getting to the train on time. One of the best thing to do while visiting Tsumago is to take a morning walk without the crowd of day-trippers.

Morning walk in quaint and scenic Tsumago before breakfast. More photos in the next post.