I have never had apple juice that tastes as good as this from Nagano, Japan. It tastes like biting into a fresh apple, without the effort, of course. I drank a whole bottle in one day because it was so amazing.
They also make a Fuji apple sake that tastes like fresh apples, but with an alcoholic kick. Yum..
At the train station arriving in Nagano, a delightful Japanese town that hosted the 1998 winter Olympics.
These are cool statues along the access road to the shrine.
We were drooling as we passed the shops with their food samples in the windows. This is the restaurant we came back to for soba. Yum.
There is a 7 springs hike nearby.
And here is a gorgeous hand painted manhole cover celebrating the famous apples from the region. They are deservedly famous. I became addicted to the fresh apple juice, apple sake, and fresh apples.
A mn so outlines the sacred places at the temple.
The beautiful shrine appears embraced by the trees.
A fruit stand where we bought one of the famous apples.
Nagano was one of my favorite places in Japan. I think it was the apples. Do you have a favorite place in Japan? Where?
Guest blogger Ray Shortridge
Rice is the basic element in Japanese cuisine, but it is also the principal substrate in brewing sake. An official of the ExcelHuman sake company guided us on a tour of their brewery and described the brewing process. For many centuries, sake has been a favorite alcoholic drink in Japan, and images on the walls depicted the pre-modern brewing process.
The brewery produced more than a dozen varieties of sake, and we tasted a few. Brenda preferred one with a slight taste of apple, pictured in the center of the right hand column.
The brewery’s high end variety, Donkura, was priced at 13,960 yen, approximately $120.
The apple flavored sake was far less. Hooray!
Travels with Owen 