Sekireibashi Kawakami An

Located in Karuizawa’s popular Harunire Terrace, this soba restaurant is part of the well-loved Kawakamian group, which also has locations in Old Karuizawa, Azabu, and Aoyama. Here, you can enjoy soba made from freshly milled flour-ground in-house each day using a custom-made stone mill.

Their coarse-ground ni-hachi soba (80% buckwheat, 20% wheat) is known for its rich aroma and smooth texture, standing up beautifully to the bold dipping sauce made with 100% domestically sourced soybeans. The menu offers both cold soba-such as ten-seiro (soba with tempura) and Shinshu jidori seiro-and warm soba like fried-mochi soba and tempura soba. At lunch, the popular choice is the “Seasonal Shinshu Five-Item Platter and Soba Set,” which includes five small dishes like homemade scoop tofu and seasonal vegetable tempura. In the evening, the restaurant transforms into a chic soba-dining experience, where you can enjoy tofu dishes, charcoal-grilled chicken, and other appetizers paired with local sake or wine, finishing off with soba in true sobaya-zake style.

The interior features a stylish atmosphere with jazz playing in the background, while the spacious terrace seating-pet-friendly-offers a relaxing environment where you can enjoy the fresh greenery or autumn colors up close.