Wining and Dining in Hakuba

Hakuba has a wide range of Bars, located all over town.

Many restaurants also operate as full bars and do not require you to order food, many bars also have food service, so there is a bit of a gray zone between bars and restaurants.

Most bars close around midnight, but check with the management.

Some bars are mellow, chill out spots, while others are party central. Do a bit of research before heading out.

Our Favorites

Refuel, Nabura, Tracks Bar, Mockingbird, the Taproom, Yohei Club, the Pub, Cherry Pub, Jacks, Sugar, Unjaune, Cross Bar, Hakubar … the list goes on

Cafe Culture has been growing in the Hakuba for the last 10 years or so.

There are now a ton of places to get a good coffee in town.

Many Cafe’s also offer great value meals and are open for most of the day.

A Starbucks even opened recently, although we encourage the support of the locals.

Our favorites

Sounds Like Cafe, Lion Cafe, Base Cafe, Bears Cafe

Izakaya are Japanese Style pubs and can be found all over the place.

Generally you order a number of dishes and everyone shares, and splits the bill at then end.

If you are one of those people who just want to pay for what you consumed, then these places are not for you.

Izakaya fare is a bit of everything, but in most places you can expect Sashimi, Meat Dishes, Salads, and even pizza in many places.

These are the traditional Japanese places that people go to after work for a drink with friends, and they can get quite noisy.

Our Favorites

Zen, Hie, Tom Sawyer, Kichonchon, Fuzakenbo

Kaiseki is the ultimate Japanese Cuisine. Lots of small individual dishes with immaculate presentation.

There are a couple of stand alone restaurants, but most Kaiseki can be found at high end Ryokan in Hakuba.

Our Favorites

Korintei, Shirouma So

There is a bit of a battle between Japan and Korea about which is the home of Yakiniku.

Either way this self cooked BBQ style restaurant is delicious and there are several in Hakuba.

Our favorites

Miyama, Ghengis Khan (Lamb), Marugame

A bit like Yakiniku, except here the chef does all the work for you.

Order you meal and the chef will grill it in front of you, and serve is as soon as it is cooked.

While mainly a meat dish, chicken and fish are other options.

Our Favorites

Yamagami

There are two types of Noodle restaurants in town.

The local specialty is Soba (buckwheat) noodles. These are made fresh each day, and many Japanese tourists come to town just for the Soba.

There are also a number of Ramen Noodle shops located around Hakuba. These offer filling hot noodle dishes, that can be washed down with a beer or two.

Our favorites

Soba – Zen , Nagomitei
Ramen – Emu, Takahashi Ke, Totssan

It may seem strange to eat fresh fish in a mountain resort, but Hakuba has a number of good Sushi restaurants.

They get popular during peak season, so advanced bookings or showing up early is advised.

Our favorites

Kikoya, Campfire

Hakuba has a couple of really good Chinese Restaurants.

Friendly service and delicious meals. Some even have excellent wine cellars.

Our Favorites

Hakuba Hanten, Keika

Surprisingly Hakuba has a couple of Mexican Restaurants.

So if you need a Taco fix, then you are in luck

Our Favorite

Uncle Stevens