Sekizawa: Home-Grown Buckwheat Soba, Served as a Three-Tray Flight

Few soba makers control the whole chain the way Sekizawa does. The owner grows organic buckwheat in his home village of Sakae, harvests it by hand, sun-dries it and stone-mills only what each day needs. The signature is the sanmai, a three-soba flight served one tray at a time. A typical flight is kiko-uchi (100% buckwheat, cut ultra-fine), a seasonal kawari soba kneaded with yuzu, sesame, ginger or plum, and coarse-ground arabiki. The high-ceilinged wooden room plays no music, and photography is banned.

Reviewers keep returning to the texture: very fine yet firm noodles with a clean swallow and natural sweetness, good enough that several eat the first tray without dipping sauce. The kamo-nanban, hot duck soba scented with yuzu, is often called the best they have had. Kamoyaki (duck seared on an iron plate), sobamochi in hot broth and a steamed buckwheat yokan with chestnut, served with brandy, also draw repeated praise.

The criticism is consistent, though it comes from a minority. Some reviewers describe brusque or silent staff, feeling rushed to order and dish explanations that are hard to hear. Others mention slow service at busy times, a freezing wooden floor in winter and small portions. A few found the soba ordinary for the price.

Reviewers in 2023–2026 paid around ¥1,500–1,600 for the basic sanmai and ¥1,950–2,200 for the akane sanmai with duck. They paid ¥1,800 for the natto or tororo flights and ¥1,650–1,850 for kamoyaki. A large portion added ¥500–550, and soba sweets ran ¥400–450. Expect to spend ¥1,000–1,999 at lunch and ¥3,000–3,999 at dinner. For the craft, a three-soba flight under ¥2,000 is fair value, though hungry diners should order the large portion.

• Getting there: about 7 minutes' walk (439 m) from Tsusumi Station on the Nagano Electric Railway. The restaurant is in a house.
• Booking: lunch is walk-in, and no booking is needed for the regular menu. On weekends and holidays you collect a wooden token inside and wait your turn. Waits of 40–60 minutes are common, so arrive before 11:30. Soba kaiseki needs a reservation: at lunch on weekdays only, for 2–8 guests, and at dinner, which is reservation-only. Call 026-247-5652.
• Payment: cash only. Credit cards, electronic money and QR payments are not accepted.
• Seats: 29 (5 at the counter, 24 at tables, some shared). There are no private rooms and no private hire. Shoes come off at the entrance.
• Rules: no photography of the room or dishes, and no phone use inside. The restaurant is non-smoking.
• Parking: 8 spaces in front and 2–3 a short way off, suited to small cars.
• Language: the menu is text-only and in Japanese.
• Seasonal closure: it often closes from late September into October for the buckwheat harvest. Check the restaurant's Facebook page before travelling.