Enjoying the trip right to the very end
Senninburo, Tsuruya, and the Station Footbath
I headed back toward Kami-Suwa Station and went to Senninburo.
After warming up in the bath, I went back to the Tsuruya in front of the station, just like I did yesterday. Since I was heading home soon and the weather was cool, I could even buy refrigerated items! (I’d brought a cooler bag too, just in case.)
I’ll show you what I bought at the end of the article.
Kami-Suwa Station actually has a footbath right on the platform. It’s free to use, so make sure to bring the towel you bought at Senninburo in a proper bag.
Apparently, it originally used to be an “open-air bath.” Does that mean people could go in completely naked? You’d think that was ages ago, but it was actually Showa 61 (1986). Very bubble-era, isn’t it…
Since I was there, I had to try it. Sitting in a footbath while looking out over the station platform was pretty fun.
I did fail at drying my feet and ended up getting my socks wet, though… (lol)
From here, I took the Azusa back to Shinjuku. And that wraps up my Shinshu trip. To finish, here’s what I bought at Tsuruya this time.
What I Bought at Tsuruya This Time
Shinshu Miso!
I bought this miso before and was amazed by how good it was, so this time I ended up buying two kinds. The Tsuruya original brand one on the left is also made by Yamabuki Miso. I think Yamabuki Miso is probably just very much my kind of flavor.
Buckwheat Tea
I always buy soba tea whenever I come to Tsuruya. This time I bought two loose-leaf kinds rather than tea bags: “Dattan Soba Tea” and “Shinshu-grown Soba Tea.”
Things to Put on Bread
I keep building up a stockpile of jam at home, so I restrained myself and bought just two: Honey Honey Nuts and Walnut.
Dried Soba Noodles
When you think of Shinshu, you think of soba. This time I bought two kinds I’d never tried before: “Komoro Shichibei” and “Kisoji Ontake Soba.” Both were good.
Shinshu Oyaki
Tsuruya’s oyaki. When I got home, I froze them as they were and ate them later. Try it at your own risk, but if you freeze them, they keep surprisingly well for quite a while (lol).
Other Foods
This is a bamboo shoot rice seasoning mix. They also tend to carry yogurts I’ve never seen before, which always makes me want to buy them.
Tsuruya’s direct-fire grilled senbei are individually wrapped, so they also work well as souvenirs for the office. The ones made with the miso I mentioned above are tasty. For dried fruit, I went with apple.
Also, even though it’s not from Shinshu, I found some giant nameko mushrooms and bought them. They’re great because you can freeze them as they are, divide them into portions, and just toss them straight into miso soup.
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