The day after our six-hour hike to Mount Karamatsudake, we wanted to take it easy. In the morning, we cycled around Lake Aoki. It’s about 7 km around the lake that is surrounded by hills and autumn-coloured trees. It’s a lovely morning, and we stopped every kilometer to enjoy the views. We relaxed for a while on a wooden pier, and we saw some elderly people painting the scenery. Everything was very peaceful.
Soba restaurant Zen
For lunch, we went to Soba restaurant Zen in Hakuba, where we had one of the best noodle soups of our holiday. It is a great place to eat with a bar, and a traditional part with floor seats. The personnel is friendly too. It is a great place to eat and we rate it with an 8 out of 10.
Onsen Shirouma
After lunch, we went to a private onsen that we reserved in advance. The place looks somewhat outdated, but the onsen area looks modern and cozy. After an hour, we felt like reborn. For two people, we paid 2400 Yen.
Coffee bar Bamboo
This coffee bar is located at Hakuba train station. We tried the coffee and tea. The coffee was fine but nothing special. The Australian lady behind the counter (with a small dog) looked somewhat bored (we were the only guests). However, there was free Wifi, which helped selecting our next restaurant.
Restaurant Sarugaku
For dinner, we went to a popular Izakaya called ‘Sarugaku’ in the Echoland area. We had dishes such as home-made sweet tofu with peanut, a salmon avocado salad and a Japanese style risotto. It was a good place to have dinner. We rate restaurant Sarugaku with a 7 out of 10.
