"Ishiusuhiki Soba Kobo Yama no Mi"This restaurant offers stone-ground, freshly made soba and soba pizza, and is currently ranked 3rd in the national soba ranking on Tabelog. It operates from mid-April during spring. A visit by car is essential to reach this popular spot, which seems to have opened around 2010. The restaurant is located right next to a hotel just before the ski lift, after a long drive along winding roads, and is only open during the warm seasons from spring to early autumn. I made a reservation about a month in advance through their official website. Despite heavy rain and severe traffic on the day of my visit, I managed to arrive. On Tabelog, it has received the Bronze Award for 2022/2025/2026 and has been selected as one of the top 100 soba restaurants in 2017/2018/2019/2021/2022/2025. Originally a ski resort restaurant, the place doesn’t have the typical soba shop atmosphere; a stone oven for baking pizza greets you right at the entrance. I wonder if they serve regular Italian pizzas during the ski season. The staff were all warm and friendly, creating a cozy atmosphere. On my way out, I saw the owner, Tetsu Sudo, who learned to make soba on his own, baking pizzas in the stone oven. As for the special menu, the pizza is a highlight, and two of my family members ordered a menu that included it, sharing it along with the sobagaki (soba dumplings). Ordered items:- Seasonal appetizer course: JPY 3,000 - Edamame - Pickles - Hand-ground sobagaki - Freshly made soba - Stone-baked soba pizza (16 cm)- Shiga Kogen local beer, Miyama Blonde: JPY 800The types of soba pizza in the course (16 cm) were:- Sukagawa soba pizza ★- Seasonal soba pizza ★ (chosen by family)- BLT soba pizza- Anchovy soba pizza- Dry salami soba pizzaThe types of a la carte soba pizza (30 cm) included:- The five above- Egg and bacon soba pizzaFirst, the edamame and pickles arrived as appetizers. The soba pizza came out last as a finishing dish. The soba had a rich flavor with a deep broth aroma, harmonizing perfectly when paired together. Before the pizza, they served a special soba-yu (soba water) along with myoga (Japanese ginger) and shiso leaves as condiments, which was a hit among my family! There was even a discussion about making this the default option, as the combination of soba without the soba-yu and the condiments was perfectly balanced. The pairing with the rich soba-yu was also excellent. The soba pizza was light and had a snack-like texture, making it easy to enjoy. The Sukagawa soba pizza, featuring a light flavor of Shinshu miso, was particularly popular. The unique recipe using soba dough gives it a flavor that you wouldn’t find in a typical Italian pizza restaurant (laughs). The Sukagawa soba pizza included Shinshu miso, green onions, enoki mushrooms, buckwheat, and sansho pepper, while the seasonal soba pizza featured tomato sauce with corn, pumpkin, and zucchini at the time of my visit. Soba status (subjective and unrelated to quality):- Soba: Ju-wari - Flavor: Light ★★☆☆☆ Strong - Texture: Soft ★★☆☆☆ Firm- Dipping sauce: Karashi - Flavor: Light ★☆☆☆☆ Strong - Sweetness: Sweet ★☆☆☆☆ Spicy- Soba-yu: Special, not boiled water - Thickness: Light ★☆☆☆☆ ThickThis was my first experience with soba pizza, and I thoroughly enjoyed it! I also bought a lot of souvenirs. It was a great meal.---Visit: July 2026Rating at the time of visit: 4.08Number of reviews at the time of visit: 301Number of bookmarks at the time of visit: 20,844---