Tomie's Cuisine

We walked Japan's Nakasendo from Kyoto to Tokyo in 19 days, 540km, and stayed in 19 different places along the way. 🏨

Business hotels in Gifu. A converted old school in Magome. A family-run inn at the foot of a mountain pass. A hostel in Tokyo during peak cherry blossom season when every affordable hotel was fully booked.

We reviewed every single one, with what we actually paid, what surprised us, and whether we'd go back.

The full guide is live now for Tomie's Cuisine members. 📋
Link in bio to read, or subscribe to get access.🔓

Garden update: June - July harvest 🌱

The raspberry plant from our RHS Chelsea 2024 Nobonsai garden just keeps giving 🌿
We've barely stopped picking since mid-June. The heat and rain in May and early June this year clearly agreed with it.
South East England's been dry since July (bar a little rain yesterday!), but with a little care, the garden's still thriving: daily brown turkey figs, a few cucumbers, tomatoes almost ready.
Next up: pears 🍐 , and a tart recipe we can't wait to share. Subscribe to our newsletter (link in bio) so you don't miss it.

Zaru Soba (ざる蕎麦) Cold Japanese Buckwheat Noodles 🍜
When it's this warm outside, sometimes the simplest things are the most refreshing. This cold soba noodles with a quietly savoury tsuyu dipping sauce are gluten-free, ready in under 20 minutes, and exactly what you need right now.
We're also sharing our favourite soba bowl, topped with natto, okra, mekabu seaweed and onsen tamago. Cool, nourishing, and very easy to make.
Full recipe on the blog, link in bio. 🪭🩵
Stay hydrated, everyone!💦

#ざる蕎麦 #蕎麦

Snow in mid-March. Three layers, gloves, and a 6:30 am start in Gifu Prefecture. ❄️
Day 7 of our 19-day Nakasendo walk took us from Ota through the mountains to Hosokute, four post towns, a steep forest climb, bear warning signs, and one of the best breakfasts of the entire trip so far.
This stretch is where the Nakasendo starts to feel truly wild. No trains beyond Mitake. No shops. Just old stone paths winding through cedar forest, the sound of snow melting, and somewhere in the forest, apparently, bears. 🐻
We'd been trying to find a bear bell. Day 7 is where that story finally ends.
Link in bio for the full article, and subscribe for the free GPX track for every day of the route. 🗺️

#中山道

You don't need fancy equipment to bake sourdough at home. 🥖 So I’ve put my go-to recipe as an article on our blog: from feeding the starter, to scoring and baking, and all the signs that tell you when to move to the next step.
We prepared the blog post to be as beginner-friendly as possible, covering hydration tips, the stretch-and-fold technique, how to tell when bulk fermentation is complete, and more. Full guide in bio!

We were curious about the frog signs all morning, then we found out why. 🐸

In Shin Kano, on day 6, located between the Kano and Unuma post towns, there's a small shrine called Hiyoshi Shrine with a sweet local legend.
A mischievous frog that once lived in its pond eventually became a protector of the village, bringing medicinal herbs to the sick and rain during dry spells. The locals have loved it ever since.

These stone statues sit all over Shin-Kano, and they're hard not to smile at.

Want to read about the full day, from a 400-year-old restaurant to a last-minute mountain pass dash? The whole story is on the blog. Link in bio! 🔗

📍 Hiyoshi Shrine, Shin-Kano, Gifu
🚶 Day 6 of our Nakasendo walk: Kano → Ota

#中山道 #岐阜県 #新加納