Tsuruchu's stylish exterior
千曲市の稲荷山地区に「つる忠」と言う老舗なおそば屋さんがあります。お蕎麦にうるさい信州の中で、つる忠は評判のいい方だそうです。先日は初めて行きました。そば屋さんとして歴史が百年以上あるらしいけど、建物事態は割と新しいです。明るくておしゃれな作りで、その背景でお蕎麦はなお美味しく食べれる。
我々欧米人はクールジャパンを憧れています。このつる忠さんで昭和初期までお客さんが馬に乗って来店したそうです。そのころからの馬つなぎ石が玄関に飾った有ります。それが最もクール！
私がお店の事をへたに説明するより、私の稲荷山街並み保存会の仲間の文章を参照してください。
In Chikuma City's Inariyama District, approximately 20 minutes by car from Kamesei Ryokan and our onsen town of Togura Kamiyamada, is a classic soba restaurant called Tsuruchu. The other day, I went to eat there for my first time.
Tsuruchu has been serving soba for over 100 years. Their current building was built relatively recently but with a traditional style. The bright, stylish design complements the soba eating experience nicely.
We Westerners are big fans of 'Cool Japan'. And this Tsuruchu restaurant has some really 'cool' touches. Apparently their customers used to come by horse up until the early Showa period (the 1930's), and they have a stone used for tethering horses from back then on display in their entrance. How cool is that!
Rather than attempting to explain the finer details about Tsuruchu here, I will leave it to my buddy at the Inariyama Preservation Society and the explanation on his blog.
The cool horse tethering rock
