In Himeshima, an island off the coast of Kunisaki Peninsula, there is a type of noodle called imokiri. When boiled, it has a slight sweetness to it and a supple, chewy texture. To make imokiri, sweet potatoes are sliced thin, dried and turned into powder form, then kneaded with water and cut into thin noodles. Boiled imokiri noodles are served with root vegetables and tofu simmered with soy sauce.
Introducing Bara-yaki, a home-cooked dish enjoyed around the Towada area. Bara-yaki is made by cooking bara beef (meat around ribs) and a plenty of onion on a hot iron pan seasoned with soy-based sweet and spicy sauce. The concept comes from Bulgogi, a Korean dish with grilled beef. These days, it’s not only a popular home-cooked dish, it’s now served at local restaurants in the area.
Jakoten is a specialty dish of Yawatahama. Made with fried fish paste, it has a smokey flavor when grilled lightly. Jakoten is also one of the ingredients of Yawatahama Champon, a noodle dish loved by locals.
Hegi Soba is Tokamachi’s signature local dish with a supple and chewy texture. Even though there are many types of soba in Japan, what makes Hegi Soba different from the rest is the process in which a seaweed called Funori is used as a binder while kneading. After the soba is boiled. it is then laid out on a wooden tray waving the hand.
Shimotsukare is a traditional dish made with salmon heads used in a recipe for a new year’s dish, soybeans used for Setsubun and other leftovers, making it quite a sustainable dish. It used to be a ceremonial dish, however, since it’s highly nutritious, it is often cooked at home throughout the year.
Otawara city is the leading producer of red pepper in Japan. The red peppers they produce are certified as Tochigi Santaka Togarashi by the city. Many restaurants in the city serve fried chicken seasoned with certified red pepper, which is spicy and packed with umami, making them such a popular food among customers.
Kozuyu is a local dish of Aizu Wakamatsu, which used to be served as a dish for the head of the Aizu Wakamatsu clan. The soup is made from a dashi stock of dried scallops and other ingredients such as carrots, shiitake, kikurage, warabi and satoimo. They are simmered together with a little bit of soy sauce to taste. It is served in a red shallow Aizu-nuri dish called “teshio sara”, a lacquerware that originated in the region.
Dengaku is a signature dish of Aizu Wakamatsu. Ingredients like konnyaku, fried tofu, mochi, satoimo are skewered, glazed with a sauce of akamiso, sugar and yakumi spices, then grilled over a charcoal fire.
Variety of ayu dishes are served in regional cuisine restaurants and hotels around the Maze area. The most popular one is none other than the salt-grilled ayu. The entire fish is slightly salted, while a generous amount is pressed onto the head, backfin and tail. It is then skewered and grilled over a charcoal fire. Ayu in the Maze River has dense flesh with a distinct sweet aroma.
Bishamon’s ice is made from the japan famous water where from Mount of Bishamon. This Bishamon’s Shaved ice is fluffy and full of minerals. Then syrups are also made from local produce, with the tomato syrup which highly recommended.This shaved ice can be eaten at the Kannon Teahouse, located at the Chichibu mountain range. Also recommended are the ‘shin udon’ and ‘shin soba’ noodles which are made from Chichibu-grown wheat and carefully prepared by the shop owner every day.
