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Nagano’s Everyday Gibier – Wild Game in the Forests of Japan and on the Dinner Plate

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In Nagano gibier cuisine is a part of life, so whether you like your food cheap and tasty, or sumptuous and high-end, you’ll want to see what’s available.

Japanese Gibier Cuisine in Nagano



Once upon a time in Nagano, like most of the world, wild game was a common ingredient in recipes of all kinds, and a part of everyday life in Japan. During the Meiji period (1868 – 1912), however, a wave of modernization, foreign influence, and general change swept across Japan, and the utilization of wild game began to slowly fall out of practice. But Japan's verdant forests are still populated by the deer, wild boar, rabbits, and even bears, once a part of the local diet, and in recent years those ingredients have been making a comeback. These days, it's more and more common to see "gibier" pop up on menus, a term borrowed from the French and now used in Japanese to refer to wild game. Last year, we took a trip to see gibier cuisine in Kyoto, and tasted venison udon noodles and traditional wild boar hot pot, arranged like a beautiful flower. This year, our destination is the prefecture of Nagano, where chefs and gibier fans are working to make wild game a part of everyday life once again!

* Safety precautions were taken during the research, filming, and travel portions of this project. Please come visit Japan and see gibier culture for yourself when it's safe to travel again!



Nagano Prefecture is known as a place of scenic forests and snowy mountains, which is one reason why it's a popular vacation spot for domestic travelers, but it also means that the wilderness is full of wild animals. While this abundant population goes hand in hand with the local tradition of gibier cuisine, it also means that when hunting declines, the wildlife becomes a nuisance to farmers. To keep local agriculture alive, farmers have to ward off deer, boar, and even bears, sometimes setting traps just to keep the fields from getting eaten before their eyes. With the availability (and inevitability) of wild game in Nagano, and a history of local gibier traditions, it's no wonder gibier cooking is returning to the region.

 

Local Gibier Traditions at the Suwa Shrine



Before hitting the road on a gibier food tour of Nagano, there's one local tradition we recommend to start your trip: a visit to Suwa Taisha, or the Suwa Shrine (諏訪大社). Different Shinto gods are worshipped at different shrines across Japan, and the god enshrined at Suwa Taisha, sometimes called Suwa Myojin, is known as a god of the hunt.



About a thousand years ago, however, Buddhist beliefs started to mix and merge with the worship practices at Suwa Taisha, bringing with them a tradition of vegetarianism. When faced with the dilemma of maintaining a vegetarian diet for spiritual purposes, while simultaneously praying to a god associated with hunting, the priests at the shrine worked out some elaborate religious reasoning, decided on new ways to justify sacrificing and eating wild animals like deer. Those traditions continue on to this day, and now visitors can purchase special "kajikimen" (鹿食免) when they visit the shrine. These talismans are meant to act a little like pardons (or a lot like Catholic indulgences), and give you special permission to eat meat, courtesy of hunting god Suwa Myojin. The envelopes even come with chopsticks inside, which you're supposed to use when eating your gibier meals! (We recommend you keep them clean, as a souvenir, though.) So before diving into the culture of gibier, don't forget to ask for Suwa Myojin's blessing!

Suwa Shrine (諏訪大社)
1 Nakasu, Suwa, Nagano
Official Website (jp)

Casual Gibier – Everyday Eats in Nagano

Packed full of protein and flavor, and certainly plentiful in Nagano, there's nothing to stop gibier meats from working their way back into people's everyday diets and routines. These casual restaurants provide easy ways to try gibier recipes without any fuss, and see just what these unique ingredients have to offer.

Wild Boar Pizza at Nekopopo Terrace



A pizza fresh out of the oven is enough to make most people's mouths water, and Nekopopo Terrace bakes up pies with a variety of toppings in the brick oven next to their garden terrace. One of those tempting pizzas might be the perfect introduction to gibier for anyone still a little unsure about eating wild game.

The gibier pizza in question is the Wild Boar Soboro Mayo-Soy Pizza, which comes topped with ground wild boar meat, first cooked in a pan with ginger, garlic, and mushrooms. Taking a bite of the pizza, the aroma of ginger and garlic complements the meat like were any old pork, but after a little more careful sampling, a nice touch of the wild boar's richer flavor becomes apparent.



In Japan, one complaint in particular is a major reason gibier cuisine isn't more commonplace: people think game meat is gamy. In Japanese, it's described as being "smelly." But Keiko Komiyama, chef at Nekopopo Terrace, pointed out that this didn't need to be a problem, saying the butchers at Wakaho Gibier (just down the street from the restaurant) prevent the meat from getting gamy by immediately processing it and draining the blood, "so I think anyone can enjoy the flavor, even if they don't think they like wild game."



While the indoor seating is cozy, visitors shouldn't miss the restaurant's eponymous terrace, which is surrounded by a lovely garden inhabited by the restaurant's cats, and contains a traditional Japanese teahouse.

Nekopopo Terrace (ねこぽぽテラス)
1745 Wakahohoshina, Nagano, Nagano
Official Website (jp)

Venison Sausages and Stews at Farm Cafe Rabbit



Ready to dive a little deeper into the flavors of gibier? Check out the rich stews and curries, and the flavorful snap of the venison sausage at Farm Cafe Rabbit! Chef Nobuko Kodama, a Shinshu Gibier Meister, started proactively using wild game in her dishes after she started cultivating her own fields of vegetables, and found the produce quickly eaten up by the local wildlife. "I needed to do something about the bears," she says, "and I couldn't get rid of them, so I asked a hunting club, but they said do it yourself." Kodama got licensed to hunt and trap wild animals, and not wanting to waste perfectly good game meat, she began to use it in the recipes at Farm Cafe Rabbit―a restaurant surrounded by Nagano's mountains, and watched over by a pair of nonchalant goats.



Everything served at Farm Cafe Rabbit has the charm of home-cooking, but the polished quality of a restaurant meal, and the dishes made with venison have an extra depth of flavor thanks to the unique ingredient. Of course, fresh vegetables grown in the fields next to the restaurant certainly don't hurt, either!

Farm Cafe Rabbit (農園カフェ ラビット)
8295-48 Nakayamakoge, Omachi, Nagano
Official Website (jp)

Wild Game Sandwiches at Vegibier



The food at Vegibier uses local vegetables and local game, with the aim of offering dishes that are healthy, beautiful, and delicious. Their menu is split between gibier recipes and vegan options, which might seem a little odd at first, but makes sense when you consider the importance they place on fresh, local, and sustainable ingredients. We recommend grabbing a sandwich to go, like the colorful Vegibier Burger made with a game meat patty, and enjoying it outdoors in the beautiful green spaces of Karuizawa, a popular resort town.

Vegibier (軽井沢べジビエ)
184-1 Karuizawahigashi, Karuizawa, Kitasaku District, Nagano
Official Website (en) / Official Facebook (jp)

Elevated Gibier – Gourmet Treats for the Adventurous Palate

Ready for a nice dinner out on the town? From Japanese-style izakaya taverns to the fanciest of French cuisine, some of Nagano's nicer establishments know that gibier isn't just a novelty―game meat can add a little class to a meal, when properly prepared.

Izakaya-Style Bear, Rabbit, and Venison at Monzen Sakaba Yamazato



For a nice meal without too many frills, Yamazato offers a selection of classic Japanese izakaya fair and sake options, with the addition of some particularly unique gibier recipes. Ready for a lighter take on gibier? Try the Caesar salad made with wild hare: a platter of greens dotted with morsels of tender white meat.



Instead of cooking their venison into a saucy stew or grinding it with spices, Yamazato offers a simpler take. Their venison karaage is a take on Japanese fried chicken, and sees chunks of the venison lightly battered and fried, before serving them with alemon wedge and a light dipping sauce.



Any meal made with bear meat might seem like a dish reserved for the adventurous palate, but like everything at this izakaya, this bear sukiyaki is a crowd-pleaser. Bear meat is naturally tough, coming from such a muscular animal, but it softens and mellows out in the sweet sukiyaki broth, and pairs nicely with the soft texture of the tofu. Gather your courage and give it a try, you're not likely to regret it.

Monzen Sakaba Yamazato (門前酒場 山里)
1418-1 Minaminagano, Nagano, Nagano 
Official Website (jp)

Gibier Oden with Venison Dashi at Hoshinoya Karuizawa



Hoshinoya Karuizawa hotel belongs to the luxury Hoshino Resorts group, and part of the luxury experience is the gourmet cuisine available in both the main hotel restaurant, and their French restaurant nearby, Bleston Court Yukawatan. Wild game is said to be most delicious throughout the winter, so Hoshinoya takes advantage of the seasonal ingredients and offers a special gibier oden during the year's colder months.

Oden is a dish consisting of meat and vegetables boiled in a mild dashi broth, and is most often seen as a part of Japanese home-cooking, filled with fish cakes, daikon radish, eggs, and konjac. The gibier oden at Hoshinoya Karuizawa is a gourmet take on the dish, maintaining the simple flavor profile, but filling the pot with skewers of hare, green pheasant, and quail, along with a decadently tender slab of wild boar.



Even the broth itself is a special gibier blend! Instead of using standard Japanese dashi, the gibier oden is cooked in venison broth made with shaved venison flakes, which, according to executive chef Eiji Inake, is a vital part of bringing the flavors together and making it into one cohesive dish. To celebrate the special broth, they've even added a little soup-centered performance before the meal, where a staff member will brew diners a cup of the flavorful venison flake dashi, almost like a cup of pour-over coffee!

Hoshinoya Karuizawa (星のや軽井沢)
2157-428 Nagakura, Karuizawa, Kitasaku District, Nagano
Official Website (en)
*Gibier oden available for a limited time, only as in-room dining

Gibier Haute Cuisine Fit for a King at Bleston Court Yukawatan



Our final stop on this gibier food tour is unquestionably the most sumptuous. Bleston Court Yukawatan, the second Hoshinoya restaurant we mentioned above, offers high-end French cuisine in an elegant dining room looking out onto a leafy courtyard. Their gibier offerings are also seasonal, and when the Japankuru team visited, we were presented with items from a prix fixe menu designed after food for French royalty, called The King's Gibier (王様ジビエ).



Literally shaped like a crown, the Delice de pâte en croute de Roi is a pastry crust filled with a variety of gibier ingredients, like green pheasant, turtledove, wild boar, and venison. To make the dish truly fit for a king, they always use at least four kinds of meats, choosing the freshest options available. Then, along with the meat, various kinds of fruits and nuts like walnuts, pistachios, or hazelnuts are added, along with truffle and even foie gras, are all added to round out the flavor and body.



The Lièvre à La Royale, on the other hand, focuses on just one gibier meat: wild hare. But this dish is just as opulent as the first, and between the time the meat spends stewing and melding with the flavors of truffle and foie gras, and the days it takes to cook the sauce―silky with red wine and dark chocolate―in addition to the flavorful purees that accompany the dish, the preparation easily takes an entire week. All for one deliciously decadent plate. If you're looking for a gibier meal that's a little indulgent and very ritzy, you found it.

Bleston Court Yukawatan (ブレストンコート ユカワタン)
2144 Nagakura, Karuizawa, Kitasaku District, Nagano
Official Website (en)
*Available for a limited time, as part of a prix fixe menu.

Make Gibier an Everyday Part of Your Next Trip to Nagano

Whether you're excited to start on your own gibier food tour throughout Japan, now, or we've just started to pique your interest on the subject of Japan's wild game, you won't know what you're missing until you try a bite yourself! So next time you get the chance, head to Nagano, and try adding some gibier cuisine to your itinerary. Add a little extra flavor to your next adventure!

For more info and updates from Japan, check Japankuru for new articles, and don't forget to follow us on twitter, instagram, and facebook!

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    • The Chubu Region (中部地方) is located right in the center of Japan's main island, and consists of 9 prefectures: Aichi, Fukui, Gifu, Ishikawa, Nagano, Niigata, Shizuoka, Toyama, and Yamanashi. It's primarily famous for its mountains, as the region contains both Mt. Fuji and the Japanese Alps. The ski resorts in Niigata and Nagano also draw visitors from around the world, making it a popular winter destination.

    • Nagano Prefecture's popularity starts with a wealth of historic treasures, like Matsumoto Castle, Zenkoji Temple, and Togakushi Shrine, but the highlight might just be the prefecture's natural vistas surrounded by the "Japanese Alps." Nagano's fruit is famous, and there are plenty of places to pick it fresh, and the area is full of hot springs, including Jigokudani Monkey Park―where monkeys take baths as well! Thanks to the construction of the Hokuriku shinkansen line, Nagano is easily reachable from the Tokyo area, adding it to plenty of travel itineraries. And after the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics, ski resorts like Hakuba and Shiga Kogen are known around the world.

    • Aichi Prefecture sits in the center of the Japanese islands, and its capital city, Nagoya, is a center of politics, commerce, and culture. While Aichi is home to major industry, and is even the birthplace of Toyota cars, it's proximity to the sea and the mountains means it's also a place with beautiful natural scenery, like Saku Island, Koijigahama Beach, Mt. Horaiji. Often used a stage for major battles in Japanese history, Sengoku era commanders like Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and Tokugawa Ieyasu left their own footprints on Aichi, and historic buildings like Nagoya Castle, Inuyama Castle, and those in Meiji Mura are still around to tell the tale.

    • NIIGATA

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      Niigata is a prefecture on Japan's main island of Honshu, situated right on the coast of the Sea of Japan, and abundant with the gifts of nature. It's known for popular ski resorts such as Echigo-Yuzawa, Japanese national parks, and natural hot spring baths, plus local products like fresh seafood, rice, and sake. Visitors often spend time in the prefectural capital, Niigata City, or venture across the water to Sado Island.

    • SHIZUOKA

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      Shizuoka Prefecture is sandwiched between eastern and western Japan, giving the prefecture easy access to both Tokyo and Osaka. Not only is it known for beautiful natural attractions, with everything from Mount Fuji to Suruga Bay, Lake Hamanako, and Sumata Pass―Shizuoka's Izu Peninsula is known as a go-to spot for hot springs lovers, with famous onsen like Atami, Ito, Shimoda, Shuzenji, and Dogashima. Shizuoka attracts all kinds of travelers thanks to historic connections with the Tokugawa clan, the Oigawa Railway, fresh eel cuisine, Hamamatsu gyoza, and famously high-quality green tea.

    • Kansai (関西) is a region that includes Mie, Nara, Wakayama, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyogo, and Shiga Prefectures. Kansai contained Japan's ancient capital for hundreds of years, and it's making a comeback as one of the most popular parts of Japan. Kyoto's temples and shrines, Osaka Castle, and the deer of Nara are all considered must-sees. Plus, the people of Kansai are especially friendly, making it a fun place to hang out.

    • Kyoto flourished as the capital of Japan between the years 794 and 1100, becoming a center for poilitics and culture, and to this day it's a great place for close encounters with Japanese history. The cobbled streets of Gion, the atmospheric road to Kiyomizudera Temple, Kinkakuji's golden walls and countless historic attractions, even Arashiyama's Togetsukyo Bridge―Kyoto is a place of many attractions. With new charms to experience throughout the seasons, travelers can't stop themselves from returning again and again.

    • Nara Prefecture's important history reaches back to 710, a time now called the Nara era, when it was once capital of Japan. Called "Heijo-kyo" during its time as a capital, it's said that nara was once the end of the silk road, leading it to flourish as a uniquely international region and produce important cultural properties of all kinds. To make the most of each season, travelers head to Nara Park, where the Nara deer who wander freely, or climb Mount Yoshino, a famous cherry blossom spot.

    • Osaka is known for friendly (and funny) people, but its history is nothing to laugh at, playing a major part in Toyotomi Hideyoshi's 16th century unification of Japan. Thanks to long years of economic activity, it's one of Japan's biggest cities, and Osaka's popular food culture earned it the nickname "The Kitchen of the Nation." To this day Osaka is the model of western Japan, and alongside historic structures like Osaka Castle, it also has major shopping malls like Umeda's Grand Front Osaka and Tennoji's Abeno Harukas. Osaka is a place to eat, eat, eat, with local specialties like takoyaki, okonomiyaki, and kushi-katsu, and for extra fun, it's home to Universal Studios Japan.

    • CHUGOKU

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      The Chugoku Region (中国地方) consists of five prefectures: Hiroshima, Okayama, Shimane, Tottori, and Yamaguchi. In Chugoku you’ll find the sand dunes of Tottori, and Hiroshima’s atomic bomb site, plus centers of ancient history like Grand Shrine of Izumo.

    • HIROSHIMA

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      Hiroshima Prefecture has everything, from world heritage sites to beautiful nature and delicious local cuisine, and it's either an hour and a half from Tokyo by plane, or four hours by train. Itsukushima Shrine on Miyajima Island and the Atomic Bomb Dome, two Hiroshima UNESCO sites, are famous around the world, but in Japan it's also famous for food. Seafood from the Seto Inland Sea, especially oysters, Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki, and Setouchi lemons are all popular, and the natural scenery alone is worth seeing.

    • SHIKOKU

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      On the other side of the Seto Inland Sea opposite Japan’s main island, Shikoku (四国) is a region made up of four prefectures: Ehime, Kagawa, Kochi, and Tokushima. The area is famous for its udon (in Kagawa), and the beautiful Dogo Onsen hot springs (in Ehime).

    • Kagawa Prefecture is on the northern part of the island of Shikoku, facing Japan's main island and the Seto Inland Sea. It's known for being the smallest prefecture in Japan, by area, but at the same time Kagawa is called the "Udon Prefecture" thanks to its famous sanuki udon. Aside from Kotohiragu Shrine and Ritsurin Garden, the prefecture's small islands are popular, and Kagawa is full of unique destinations, like Angel Road. They say that if you lay eyes on Zenigata Sunae, a huge Kagawa sand painting, you'll never have money troubles ever again.

    • Located in the most southwestern part of Japan, Kyushu (九州) is an island of 7 prefectures: Fukuoka, Saga, Nagasaki, Kumamoto, Oita, Miyazaki, and Kagoshima. The island's unique culture has been influenced by Chinese and Dutch trade, along with missionaries coming in through Nagasaki's port. Modern-day travelers love the lush natural scenery and fresh food, plus the natural hot springs found all throughout the area (thanks to volcanic activity)!

    • FUKUOKA

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      Fukuoka Prefecture has the highest population on the southern island of Kyushu, with two major cities: Fukuoka and Kitakyushu. Thanks to growing transportation networks, Fukuoka is more accessible than ever, and so are the many local attractions. On top of historical spots like Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine, travelers shouldn't miss Fukuoka's food scene, with motsu nabe (offal hotpot), mentaiko (spicy cod roe), and famous Hakata ramen―best eaten from a food stall in the Nakasu area of Hakata. Plus, it's full of all sorts of destinations for travelers, like trendy shopping centers, and the beautiful nature of Itoshima and Yanagawa.

    • KAGOSHIMA

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      Kagoshima Prefecture played a major role in Japan's modernization as a backdrop for famous historical figures like samurais Saigo Takamori and Okubo Toshimichi, who pushed Japan out of the Edo era and into the Meiji. Because of that, Sengan-en Garden is just one of many historical destinations, and when it comes to attractions Kagoshima has plenty: the active volcano of Sakurajima, popular hot springs Ibusuki Onsen and Kirishima Onsen, World Heritage Site Yakushima Island, even what Japan calls the "island closest to heaven," Amami Oshima. Kagoshima might be found on the very southernmost tip of the southern island of Kyushu, but there's plenty to see.

    • OKINAWA

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      The island chain of Okinawa (沖縄) makes up the southernmost tip of Japan, which is why it's also the most tropical area in the country. Thanks to a history of independence and totally distinct political and cultural events, Okinawa has a unique culture, and remnants of the Ryukyu Kingdom are still visible all over the islands. Food, language, traditional dress, it's all a little different! It's also said to be the birthplace of karate.

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