Where Global influence Became Local Pride

It's February 1998, and what Japan is sweating through the midst of an unusually warm spell. Even on the top of the nation's snowiest alpine peaks of Hakuba, the heat is only amplified by the fact that tens of thousands of spectators from across the globe have the pilgrimage to the site to watch the 3,000 elite sportsmen and women shoot through the air and down the slopes and neck-breaking speed. Despite the weather the organizers forge ahead, Emperor Akihito opens the 18th Olympic Winter Games, and with that, the sleepy, snowy village tucked between the valleys and mountain peaks of Nagano, Hakuba is officially a player on the world stage.

Today Hakuba is known for its excellent skiing conditions, but, look a little deeper, and you'll realize this corner of Japan has a lot more going for it than just perfect snow. From hozuki fruit growers, and craft beer brewers, to soba makers and the chefs behind the Hakuba galette, while they're food producers as proudly local, there's a sense of European sophistication that runs through the ethos of this town. A blend of cultures and an appreciation for the fruits of the land, Hakuba is a very special culinary location.

Hozuki, the fruits of innovation

While not native to the Nagano area, hozuki, also known as the Japanese winter cherry or Chinese lantern, has become an iconic feature of Hakuba cuisine. One of the key figures to thank for this rise in attention is Kumiko Hirase, who’s been cultivating hozuki for about eight years.

For those uninitiated, the hozuki is a small seed fruit that has all the qualities of a cherry tomato in size, shape, and texture, but as Hirase explains, “has a flavor reminiscent of tropical fruit.” There are plenty of variations of the plant that are not edible, used mainly for decoration. Kumiko’s plants are more than palatable they’re an ultra-sweet delicacy popular in high-end Tokyo restaurants and as quaint cake decorations.

"Before I started growing hozuki Husband andI just running this house as a minshuku," Kumiko explains. She started growing hozuki fruit in her downtime. "In Nagano, the winter season is a hectic time for tourists, all the local people work hard, while in summer there's less to do so often people relax. I wanted to find something to do in the warmer months. I heard that someone in Ueda city and Fujimi town was growing hozuki, and I thought, 'oh, this could match the climate here.' So I brought back some seeds, grew the plant, tasted, and it tasted delicious."

Kumiko grows her hozuki trees 500 meters above sea level. At 500 meters, it's too high for bugs to reach, so there's no need for pesticides, and it's below 800 meters to avoid the impact of frost, which may ruin the fruit. While there are a few types of hozuki native to Japan, the one Kumiko grows - the edible variety - she says comes from "Europe, mainly Germany and Switzerland."

While the Hakuba climate is perfect for this type of fruit, the produce fluctuates year on year, Kumiko says. “September is the harvesting season. This year we harvested 1,000 plants. Last year was a great year; one plant produced 1.5 kilograms of fruit, the year before last only 600 grams.” With all the extra hozuki fruits, Kumiko has been getting experimental,creating new ways to enjoy them.

She’s crafted a range of hozuki-based products, including hozuki jam, dried hozuki, and hozuki cream cheese. When asked about how she personally likes to eat hozuki, Kumiko explains, “as is, fresh.” Her answer is more than fair, these exotic little Nagano-grown fruits are delicious, and really how do you improve perfection?

Reinvented and reborn

From Kumiko’s hozuki to the Hakuba galette, Hakuba is an internationally inspired culinary destination. There are about 600 hotels in the Hakuba area, and each of these hotels has a chef, so to stand out, and transform the local food scene, Petit Hotel Enchante’s chef, Masanori Hara created the Hakuba galette.

Originally from Fukuoka, Masanori Hara has been working as a chef in the region for 18 years. During that time, he’s focused on crafting European-style dishes with a local twist. “I first became interested in French-inspired cuisine through my wife” Masanori explains. “She is a sommelier, so we’ve traveled to France quite a few times,” from these visits Masanori collected ideas and new food combinations that could be reworked to bring back to the snowy mountains of Hakuba, and the galette is the most iconic.

In traditional French cooking, a galette is a term given to a style of cooking that utilizes a type of dough that folds inwards, creating a crust with the topping exposed. In Hakuba, though, the style is a little different, more like a savory pancake or crepe, neatly folded along the four outer edges.

Staying in tune with Nagano’s love of soba noodles, galette dough is made from soba flour; it’s a little chewy and denser than your regular crepe. “Around ten years ago, I started making this dish,” says Masanori, “and during that time, it’s been picked up on national TV, which has helped it grow a lot.” Today Masanori, along with some other local food experts, put together a rigorous galette test to make sure those in the area serving the product are offering nothing but the best.

The test consists of questions covering all facets of galette cooking, including ingredients, techniques, and knowing how to deal with guests who may be suffering from food allergies. There are now over 40 restaurants that specialize in Hakuba galette, each using the finest local produce to craft their variation of this popular dish. Out of all the variations of galette he’s produced over the years, what’s Masanori’s favorite? “I like to keep it simple,” he says, “just ham and cheese.”

Looking out the window of Petit Hotel Enchante, you’re gifted with endless rolling scenes of snow covered mountain peaks. Atop one of these peaks, Hakuba Iwatake, is where you’ll find two very unlikely but worthy culinary destinations. Nagano is a region overflowing with excellent local produce, and it’s populated by passionate chefs discovering new and inventive ways to introduce their hometown passion to others.

Hakuba Mountain Harbour is a 320-meter-square terrace that sits 1,289 meters high, looking over the Sanzan mountains offers spectacular views. Here guests can sample the cafe cuisine which uses local ingredients, like The City Bakery’s Hakuba ham croissant.

At Hakuba Sky Ark, another key stop off for snow-loving guests looking to take a little break and refuel, you’ll find plenty of local cuisines transformed to appease a more diverse range of customers. In the 1970s and 80s, these mountains were populated by predominantly Japanese guests looking for a quick winter escape. But now, for several reasons (economy, globalization, aging population), the area is becoming far more prevalent within international circles. As a result, the food has become more global, but the ties to the local area have remained steadfast.

The restaurants here used to serve basic curry set meals,” says Hirohisa Nojima the manager of Sky Art Restaurant. “But we noticed that international guests want more options, so we added new features. Some examples are curry served with bread rolls instead of rice, hot dogs, and craft beer.”

While western influence is clear, the products are still proudly authentically Japanese. Much of the seafood caught for the seafood curry comes from the sea of Itoigawa, where the water of the Northern Alps flows, while the hot dog made from is local Hakuba pork.

After nailing the flawless transition from being able to host local to international guests, the team at Sky Ark is now trying to do the same with their attitude to sustainability. “We’re always looking at how we can serve food while staying true to the sustainable development goals,” says Hirohisa. “We’ve moved away from using plastic in our everyday service, providing wood and paper alternatives,” he explains. “While there’s still a little while to go, we’re getting there.”

Heading back down the mountain, it's time for something a little more traditional. Guesthouse Komakusa-so has been making soba for 25 years, and over that time, they've perfected their variation on the local favorite. While the noodles at Komakusa-so feature the classic combination of buckwheat and flour, with the ratio sitting at around 80% buckwheat and 20% flour, they're delicate in flavor and have a rustic homemade charm about them.

"We try and use just the inner part of the buckwheat seed, deep inside the shell" Toshifumi Fukushima explains "because by using that we create a noodle that doesn't have an overpowering buckwheat flavor, it's a soft and sweet and excellent base for noodles."

“Soba was once considered a poor man’s food” Toshifumi explains when asked about the production process of local Nagano buckwheat. Soba is hardy and quick to grow; it only takes 70 days for the plant to be ready to harvest; it uses far less water than typical rice crops making it a more sustainable alternative.

From the soba grain of the Hakuba galette to this more classic variation, it’s clear the producers in this area consider soba to be far more than just cheap food. It’s a staple of everyday life; humble, but versatile, filling, and delicious, the epitome of Hakuba cuisine.