草津温泉の小さなティーハウスが去年、店を閉じてしまったと思っていたら、道路から少し奥まったところに大きく新店舗を開いた。今年の春は若者ばかりと最近目にしたことのない湯畑の風景で、この店内も若者たちで一杯だった。
A small tea house in the town of Kusatsu Onsen hot springs that had closed last year reopened a few months ago with the bigger facility in the backyard a few meters off the street. The very unusual sight of Kusatsu in this spring is that we only see young visitors: Perhaps most of them came here celebrating their graduation. The tea house YukiUsagi is no exception filled with young people.
長野原草津駅から草津温泉方面に少し進み、まだあまり登らないうちに右手に骨董店などがある「歌の駅」が目に入る。その向かいの左手にあまり目立たずあるのが十割そば店の七草。8年くらい前から営業しているそうだが、僕も何度か通過しながら気付かなかった。
和風の店内はすっきりとした品の良さを保った佇まい、BGMにはジャズが流れ、カウンターには何故か年代物の蓄音器が鎮座している。蕎麦も天ぷらもすこぶる上品な仕上がりで田舎っぽさとは対極の料理を目指している感じだ。標準は九一蕎麦で十割は+300円。一品物もなかなか凝ったメニューだった。
Before getting in further climb toward Kusatsu Hotspring from Naganohara-Kusatsuguchi train station, you will see “Uta no Eki” with an antique shop on your right side and that is where this very buckwheat noodle (SOBA) shop exists exactly on the other side. I used to pass by several times here and have completely overlooked its presence just until now!
The house is built in modern Japanese style with plain and sophisticated taste, you hear jazz in the background music, and an eye-catchingly ancient phonograph player sits on the counter. Their noodles and tempura are quite refined in flavor, something opposite to the rural style. 100% buckwheat noodle is priced 300 yen more expensive than their standard 9:1 blend noodle. Their a la carte menu looks also unique and interesting.
