Ikebukuro station
Today I will take paid leave and move to a certain place.
I started traveling early in the morning and first arrived at Ikebukuro Station.
You will ride on a train with a yellow interior and be rocked for about an hour and a half.
I might be drinking a lot of alcohol that day, so I quietly drank some special tea on the train.
Seibu Ikebukuro Station
Arrived at Seibu Chichibu Station.
I will visit Chichibu in February 2024.Chichibu Whiskey Festival 2024'', so it's been more than half a year.
And today, I'm visiting Chichibu again for whiskey related purposes.
As a side note, I left home with my smartphone running low on battery and decided to charge it there since the train seat had a power supply. .
The AC adapter I brought with me was broken. .
So, I rented a charge spot for the first time in my life.
It's available in case of an emergency.
Pork miso bowl Honpo Nosaka
First of all, it was lunch, so I went to eat pork miso bowl, a specialty of Chichibu.Pork Miso Honpo Nosaka”.
I arrived around the same time as the store opened at 11:00, and at this stage there was a line of about 20 people. .
Although it's a weekday, Chichibu's famous shops are definitely worth visiting. .
However, since it's a bowl of rice, the turnover rate was good, and I arrived at the store around 11:20.
『Average (1,300 yen)” I ordered.
It contained two pieces of loin and two pieces of pork belly, and both had a flavor that went well with the rice.
Personally, I'm reaching the age where I don't want to eat too much fat, so I prefer roast loin with the flavor of the meat and just the right amount of fat.
Chichibu Soba Ohanabatake Station Branch
Next, we will head to eat Chichibu's specialty soba.
However, when I visited the store I had researched in advance, I found that it was temporarily closed. .
I headed to a different store, but it was closed on regular holidays. .
I was turned down by two houses, so I decided to go for stability next time, so I decided to go to ``Chichibu Whiskey Festival 2024'', which I also visited during the 2024 Chichibu Whiskey Festival.Chichibu Soba Ohanabatake Station Branch”.
Made using rhododendron, a specialty of Chichibu.Shakushina soba (480 yen)” I received it.
Normally, wild vegetables and other ingredients are not included in the dish, but the staff apparently added it by mistake, so it ended up looking like there were a lot of ingredients.
On the contrary, thank you.
Although it was a stand-up soba restaurant, the flavorful soba noodles and shakushina were delicious.
Chichibu Shrine
If you come to Chichibu, you must visit Chichibu Shrine.
It is a busy venue for the Chichibu Whiskey Festival as it is an event venue, but on days when there are no events, it has a solemn atmosphere.
Asaya store
When you come to Chichibu,Asaya store” I must also visit there.
It's always a good selection.
I was interested in purchasing a few of them by weight.
Sake artisan stall
There's still time until the scheduled time, so let's have our first alcohol of the day.
Located inside the Matsuri-no-yu directly connected to Seibu Chichibu Station,Sake artisan stall” I visited.
In addition to selling alcoholic beverages, you can also enjoy Chichibu's local sake at the Kakuuchi space.
The craft beer is Chichibu Beer, which is poured from the tap and has a wide variety of types.
『Surf Riding Bear IPA (900 yen)” and “Polar Bear HazyIPA (900 yen)” I received it.
Both had a bitter and fruity taste, and were delicious without any unpleasant elements.
Chichibu Distillery
The main purpose of coming to Chichibu today was ``Chichibu Distillery” is a tour.
Major distilleries such as Suntory, Nikka, and Kirin allow the general public to tour, but this one is not open to the public due to safety concerns and the resources required for guidance.
Therefore, I don't often get to see it, but I was lucky enough to be able to take a tour this time.
I was impressed with the attention to detail throughout, and it was a satisfying tour.
It was a wonderful distillery that I think it would be difficult to visit every year, but I would like to visit at least once every 3 to 5 years.
Inakaya
After the tour of Chichibu Distillery, I originally wanted to enjoy the night in Chichibu, but unfortunately it will be early tomorrow morning so I will be heading home. .
However, I still have a little over 30 minutes until my train home, so I decided to enjoy Chichibu until the end.
I quickly bought some souvenirs and only had about 30 minutes left.
I could barely go to one house, so I went to ``Inakaya” I visited.
All of Chichibu's specialties were available, and the grilled shiitake mushrooms were especially delicious.
It was a store that I couldn't wait to use.
going home
So, I boarded the train and left Chichibu.
On the way home, I stopped at 7-Eleven for snacks of dried prosciutto and beer, and then rode around for about an hour and a half before heading to Ikebukuro Station.
After that, I calmly went home.
At the end
It was a very satisfying day as I was able to tour the Chichibu Distillery, which was my dream.
However, since it was a day trip and I wasn't able to fully enjoy Chichibu at night, I feel a little unfinished. .
Let's resolve this issue next year during the Chichibu Whiskey Festival, which will be held in February 2025.
I think it's a city full of attractions other than whisky, such as gourmet food and sightseeing, so it's definitely something you'd want to visit at least once as a casual trip without having anything to do with whisky.
