An Afternoon to Remember

Traveling – It leaves you speechless , then turns you into a storyteller.

-Ibn Battuta

Before exiting the snow monkey park, we made a brief stop along the running creek and found a big cluster of ice formation next to a steaming pool.

 A rainbow appeared……

It was still bone-chiling cold, reminding us of the harsh weather the snow monkeys had to endure

But our “spirits” were high

On our way out, we stopped by Enza Cafe for lunch

They have a delicious Satsuma-Imo tempura and a local special chicken broth ramen

After lunch, we decided to walk back to Yudanaka

And get to know the area better

That we did! We visited a peaceful shrine:

And ended up in a sake brewery

The first floor has a display area

And a free pour-it-yourself tasting counter, at which we took our time.

The second floor has a few art collections

and a small room that overlooks the sake brewing tanks

There’s also an adjacent beer brewery, which hosts the annual Snow Monkey Beer Live event, celebrating craft beer and live music.

It was dusk when we got back in town

For dinner, we found a small Izakaya restaurant.

They have the BEST gyoza in town. We went back the next evening just for that!

Their grilled chicken is tender and we loved the grilled shishito peppers.

There are not many dining options in this small onsen town, especially if you are not in the mood for noodles or pizza. This restaurant fills up fast and if you want specific chicken parts such as skin, cartilage, or hearts, order first before they run out.

We concluded the day with sake to celebrate our beautiful friendship and an afternoon that turned out to be one of the best memories of our trip!