A drive through the unexplored: An internationally acclaimed sake brand, Toyohashi’s famous hama natto, and the sacred mountain of Tokugawa Ieyasu

Kunimatsu has produced hama natto for 140 years since its foundation. Hama natto is a famous fermented product of Toyohashi City, making miso from whole soybeans before drying them halfway. The food is blessed with preservability and incredible health benefits, which is why it is said to have been an everyday ration for warriors during the Warring States period (circa 1467–1573), including those of Tokugawa Ieyasu’s army. Hama natto uses Aichi-grown Fuku Yutaka Soybeans, letting them ferment for half a year, which condenses umami for a great addition to rice or cuisine wanting an extra push.

This age-old restaurant is known for its dengaku and nameshi, or rice with diced leafy greens, served to countless travelers since the Edo period (1603–1868) in the former Yoshida Post Town along the historic Tokaido Road. The tofu dengaku, or skewered tofu smothered in miso sauce, is fried only as an order is received with homemade tofu made from Japanese soybeans and Hatcho Miso as the secret sauce’s base.
Put it in your mouth, and you’ll be surprised at how the richness of the flavors spreads throughout your mouth. The nameshi, using loads of local daikon leaves, goes perfectly with the dengaku, making for a winning combo.

The Horaisen sake brand from Shitara Town’s Sekiya Brewery with fans around Japan and all over the world, brings the joy of sake brewing to you. With local rice and a small tank, experience the processes of sake brewing as you wash the rice, steam it, and then prepare and press it.
The hands-on facility is inside Shitara Rest Stop for ease in getting to know the intrigue and difficulty in producing Japan’s rice wine. You can also make amazake, or sweet, low- or non-alcoholic sake, popular with women conscious of their health and children.

Shitara Rest Stop is stop along the road with fun experiences and plenty to see, including the Horaisen Sake Lab, where you can experience making Japanese sake; the Okumikawa History Museum; and the display of a wooden train car from the Toyohashi Railway’s Taguchi Line, no longer in service.
Eat and purchase local ingredients and regional products at the Seirei Cafeteria and Seirei Market. If you’re looking for a souvenir to take home, many go for the Shitara junmai-ginjo sake, available here only.

Enjoy a stop at scenic Horai Valley’s town of hot springs and inns. Hot spring enthusiasts and even celebrities quietly make their way here for the beneficial waters of the Okumikawa region. Long-standing Yuya Hot Spring was opened during the Nara period (710–794) and boasts a history of over 1,300 years!
Hideaway at the inn’s baths or go splash around in the nearby river—whatever you want to do. If your feet are feeling a bit weary, there’s even a free footbath at which to recuperate.

Horaisan Toshogu Shrine is a national important cultural property and stands alongside the Nikko and Kunozan as one of the three great Toshogu Shrines of Japan. Japan’s third shogun, Tokugawa Iemitsu, ordered the construction of this shrine after learning of the area’s ties to the birth of his grandfather and great unifier of Japan, Lord Tokugawa Ieyasu.
The shrine stands at the middle point up the mountain and is readily accessible by car, but if you’re up for a hike, the stone steps from the base of the mountain offer an ethereal experience. Buy a roly-poly tora doji doll and lucky charm related to the legends of Tokugawa Ieyasu to remember your visit.

Located atop Mt. Horaiji, acclaimed as a spot steeped in mystical power, this restaurant and souvenir shop was founded in 1959. The establishment added terrace seating next to it in 2023 after renovations, where you can have a bite of Mt. Horaiji’s famous gohei mochi rice cakes on a stick, covered in a secret sweet miso sauce handed down through the generations.
After your pilgrimage at Horaisan Toshogu Shrine, you can also have Chicken Mushroom Soup with Horai Judas ear mushrooms, Okumikawa shiitake mushrooms, and homemade bean miso set which also features gohei mochi before heading back down the mountain.