THE FUJIYA GOHONJIN

This is a stylish restaurant housed in a historical hotel building. The style is about art nouveau with strong Japanese touch. The food is fusion Italian. The taste is good. The waiters and waitresses provide wonderful service. Whenever we need something, they will put down what is/are at hand and come to us without we asking. It is great to spend the lunch, the tea or the dinner. But you have to book at least a month in advance.

2025.1.29 I was led to my seat by a server, with the golden lounge to the left and the dining room to the right. Walking through a quiet corridor, I entered the bustling main dining area. Here, you can enjoy your meal while gazing out at a snow-covered Japanese garden. The appetizer, baked oysters with cheese , was a delightful surprise, even for someone who doesn't usually like dairy. The buckwheat pasta and various vegetable dishes, though I couldn't identify them all, were all delicious. The main course, Shinshu premium beef , was good, but not quite as exceptional as Manpei's. However, at a price of 3500-4500 JPY per person, I was more than satisfied. I paired my meal with two glasses of local wine , its light and refreshing taste perfect for a snowy midday. Finally, the anticipated apple pie arrived, boasting a flaky crust and crisp, sweet apples, a stark contrast to Manpei's softer, sweeter version. As lunch came to an end, the garden had turned into a snowy white wonderland. Guests were fully immersed in their meals, conversations, or simply lost in thought while gazing at the snow-covered garden.

Very good food, atmosphere and service in an historic building. We had the corse menu with 10 small plates, that were special and tasty.

This is a well-established hotel, and the restaurant inside serves excellent food. This time we had a lunch course, and all the dishes were made with seasonal vegetables, fruits, fish, and meat, making it a very tasty and enjoyable meal. The tea served after the meal can be enjoyed in the cafe lounge, which offers a different atmosphere. The staff's politeness and friendliness are truly wonderful and make you feel very comfortable✨ The building of the hotel is a tangible cultural asset, and it gives you a fresh feeling to eat while feeling the history. I think you will be very satisfied whether you stay at the hotel or just have a meal there, so please come and visit once.

What a gorgeous experience. The restaurant and view of the garden are amazing. The food was so incredible I ordered dessert! And lastly, the service was kind, attentive, and added to the night. I hope I get a chance to return!

Ambience impeccably setup. Also the fragrance in the hall, with the fireplace gently warming the waiting area was pleasant. Awesome garden in the backyard. Staff welcoming, friendly, willing to help you in any way possible Food is fresh and well cooked. I had the chef signature dish, spaghetti with bottarga. I am Italian and I can say that it’s not easy to find in Italy, pasta of that quality and so well made. Apple tarte, prepared on the fly. Delicious. Coffee, well, I love Japanese taste for coffe. Overall, I came out with empty stomach and got out full and with a smile. Which means that not only my mood was pleasant but also my body would digest and absorb well the meal afterwards. I wish all the best to the people working there, each one contributing to the overall flow. Practical tip : as the staff will explain , many of the items on the menu a la carte, are made for two/three people But if you don’t want to eat so much, you can choose appetisers or some specific meat dishes that are also available in half portion. There’s also a course menu, but I don’t know the size of it. Of course such a display of elegance is not coming for free, but after the dinner, I can say it is not an empty exercise of style. In my travelling in Japan, I found again that appearance is paired with substance. Maybe it’s sheer luck? I don’t know… If life will guide me here again, I’ll come back to this place. Side notes: We know that the tour of the food across our bodies is Eat>process>absorb>discard Some wrongly simplify by saying we are what we eat, but not all we eat becomes part of the body😅 So it is very important that what is absorbed come from a good process which comes from good food, prepared with love and respect, entering with a good mood, attention and appreciation. If you eat near Zenkoji temple, it’s easier to remind to ourselves that energy flows well when sprits of living things get along well So, since Food taken fresh has still some aliveness in it, it’s important to welcome it like a friend in our house There’s always some disk in eating non-Local cousine, but in Japan, quality is important and some restaurants, by working with quality and passion, inevitably offer you delicious food , whatever cooking style they choose. So, How I chose to try this restaurant? Having lived in Italy long enough, I simply looked at the photo of the spaghetti in the website and understood that it was well made 😆 If they make one dish like that, it’s likely they will put the same care on the rest. This concept doesn’t always work out well, but in this case it did. (So focused on the food, I forgot to take pictures of it… but I had time to get a glimpse of the main room)

Went for a dinner course, which was reasonably priced at ¥6000 per person including seasonal starter, salad, handmade pasta, excellent freshly-baked bread and olive oil, fish with local vegetables, meat, dessert and coffee or tea. Elegant dining room. Perfect for a special occasion.

Absolutely amazing dining experience, anyone coming to Nagano should experience this restaurant. Set in a Colonial styled building with but beautiful Japanese carpentry and gardens. Dinner here is seriously tasteful with out the huge price tag that you would find in most fine dining restaurants, the photos say it all. Very highly recommended.

So I can't comment on prices since I was a guest for dinner but my friend told me that it's about $50 for a course menu which is a total steal bc this place was awesome! First the setting - it's in like a hundred year old building outside the most quaint street around Zenkoji temple. Think it used to be a hotel. But anyhow it's updated but they've kept most of the beauty with the wood floors and low entrances and windows to beautiful gardens. I believe it's like a place where people have events like weddings etc. gorgeous. Not grandstanding. Just understated elegant throwback kind of beauty. Food - was so friggin delicious and beautiful. It's a course menu. I think I saw some other ordering ala carte too though. Anyhow every course was like oh so good and then the next course even better somehow. There was like a fried dough wrapped in prosciutto and then a scallop and amaebi salad and then a super super good papardelle with meat sauce and then succulent buri fish and then the softest most perfectly cooked steak and then dessert. Each course itself was small but I was stuffed by the end. It's Italian with a Japanese spin. And of course I don't have to say anything about service bc it's Japan and it's the best service no matter where u go. It seems like a nice place to go for a special occasion. There were lanterns lighting the street outside and it was all so beautiful and special. I think they're open for lunch too and prolly even cheaper.