Japan Diaries: Nozawaonsen Ogama Onsen Tamago and Corn

Japan Diaries: Nozawaonsen Ogama Tamago Onsen Eggs and Corn (visited January 2019). 

黄金屋物産店  (Koganeya product store)  -9304 Toyosato, Nozawaonsen-mura, Shimotakai-gun 389-2502, Nagano Prefecture, Japan 

Photos taken by myself and Hai with Google Pixel 3XL and Canon 70D.

Ever since I met Hai, he has raved on and on about this special corn he once found in Japan. I have witnessed Hai telling people countless times about this corn and even drew maps for them when he heard they were visiting Japan.

So after four and a half years, I finally found myself in the charming Nozawaonsen at the Ogama Onsen,  standing at this outdoor onsen with sulfuric steam wafting up into my face. This local elderly Japanese man then asked me to step aside as he held a yellow plastic basket full of eggs. He would walk over carefully to the edge of the onsen and pull out the basket full of eggs that were simmering in this 90 degree Celsius hot spring water. Then he pulled out the cobs of corn. I was amazed.

Hai then dragged me away from this sight and led me to the souvenir shop opposite the markets a few meters from Omaga Onsen. This shop was owned by a sweet Japanese lady who ushered us to the wood table surrounded by souvenirs. Hai ordered us Tamago (Onsen Eggs) and Corn and it came out on a blue plastic plate. We were served roasted rice tea and some of the most delicious Japanese pickled vegetables (also known as Hangoroshi Kimchi) and nori (seaweed) I've ever had. You add these toppings on your eggs to make a great Japanese snack.

Onsen Tamago (egg) - 60 yen each
Onsen Corn - 250 yen each

We went to eat these Japanese delicacies three days in a row. Peeling the egg shells never got any easier because of how delicate the eggs whites were. These eggs were cooked in low temperature so the texture of the egg whites came out custard-like while the yolk was semi hard boiled. The corn got better the more I ate it. Very succulent and sweet.
The shop also offers soft serve ice cream cones and across the road at the little market stall we also ate delicious Onsen Red Bean (azuki) rice cakes.

The last night here we attempted to boil our own Onsen Tamago. We bought the traditional red rope bag and eggs from the convenience store. Outside an onsen (there are 13 in total run by Japanese families) there was a box in which you can place your eggs in the hot spring water and leave for 30 to 40 minutes. We used this time to spend time in the onsen then collected our eggs to take back to Elizabeth Hotel. We did not succeed as the eggs did not cook enough. We went back and cooked another batch for at least an hour and it was perfect. It's so hard to tell with the individual onsens how hot the water was. You can cook Onsen Tamago at these locations: 

Mini-onsen-hiroba "Yurari" (Closed in Winter)

Kamitera-yu (communal bathhouse)

Kumanotearayu (communal bathhouse)

Matsuba-no-yu (communal bathhouse)

Jyuoudo-no-yu (communal bathhouse)

I was very sad to leave this village after three days. I couldn't take away any of the snacks but I managed to take back some Japanese pickled vegetables.
 I can see why Hai raved on and on about it. I did exactly that when I came back to Australia, and now all I think about is Tamago Eggs and Corn.