Pure Milk Gelato Nagai Farm is one of the shops at Harunire Terrace, a relaxing pedestrian zone that is part of the Hoshino Resorts in Karuizawa. The shop specializes in selling products that come directly from Nagai farm, a farm that is located in the nearby city of Tomi.
Here, you can buy raw ingredients such as rice, cereals, milk, vegetables or fruits but also products that are made using these ingredients like jam, handmade juice or Japanese rice crackers called senbei, for example.
But the shop's best-seller is the gelato. And after having tasted some myself, I could totally understand why. The first particularity of the gelato is that the flavors available change daily. Before entering the shop, you can read on a signboard the different flavors you can choose from that day. Over forty exist in total.
There is a reason for this system: the gelato are made using fresh products coming from Nagai farm and of course, the harvest is different depending on the period of the year. During summer for example, asparagus and corn are in season whereas in autumn for instance, it's pumpkin or sweet potatoes that are in season.
"Wait, wasn't she talking about sweets?"
And that is another peculiarity of the shop: it is famous for the fact that here, you can eat vegetable-flavored gelato! But don't worry if you don't feel ready to order a tomato and basil gelato and want a safe bet, more conventional flavors are available, although I'm pretty sure you have never tasted such a rich chocolate flavored gelato before.
Actually, it is funny to know that the best of the best-sellers is the gelato that has given its name to the shop: the pure milk one. Like someone said, simple is best, I guess. Nagano prefecture is said to be one of the places in Japan where you can have some of the best soft served ice cream and gelato thanks to the delicious milk that is found in cities like Tomi or Shinshu.
The shop makes a point of delivering fresh products to its customers every day. The milk is freshly expressed, the vegetables and fruits are freshly-harvested and the gelato is freshly handmade in the morning. To taste one, you will have to pay ¥400 for a simple gelato and ¥500 for a double. Enjoy!
