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Tohoku is a great place for fresh food, whether from the fields, mountains, forests, or seas. Restaurants range from local sake shacks to upscale sushi bars and steak houses, and dress may be street-casual to office attire. Rarely will it be formal. Menus may not always be in English, but you can often find window displays full
Tohoku is a great place for fresh food, whether from the fields, mountains, forests, or seas. Restaurants range from local sake shacks to upscale sushi bars and steak houses, and dress may be street-casual to office attire. Rarely will it be formal. Menus may not always
Tohoku is a great place for fresh food, whether from the fields, mountains, forests, or seas. Restaurants range from loc
Tohoku is a great place for fresh food, whether from the fields, mountains, forests, or seas. Restaurants range from local sake shacks to upscale sushi bars and steak houses, and dress may be street-casual to office attire. Rarely will it be formal. Menus may not always be in English, but you can often find window displays full of plastic representations of the menu. Credit cards are fine in cities, but they are not always accepted in the countryside, so bring along enough cash. In many restaurants you'll take your shoes off at the entry and place them in a cubicle.
Hearty soba is made from plentiful northern buckwheat, and Azuma-ya is easily Morioka's most famous place to eat these healthful noodles. The second level is devoted to the courageous and hearty of appetite, where wanko soba courses—all you could possibly want to eat—are served. The ground floor is for a more casual (and less competitive) dining experience. If you don't want the eating challenge, order from their many other dishes. Keep in mind that they close for a two-hour break at 3 pm and stop taking orders before 7 pm. There is another location closer to the station that takes orders until 8 pm.
1--08--3 Nakanohashi Dori, Morioka, Iwate-ken, 020-0871, Japan
Housed in a converted warehouse in the Maruhachi Yatarazuke complex, the Komian Maruhachi restaurant serves traditional Yamagata dishes such as soba noodles and imoni potato hot pot, as well as unusual sushi made with pickles from theYatarazuke shop right next door. You can try them all in the "Three tastes of Yamagata" set (¥1,620). For a drink try Tachinomi-dokoro, the standing bar on the far side of the shop, offering all the pickles you can eat for ¥300.
2-1-5 Hatagomachi, Yamagata, Yamagata-ken, 990-0047, Japan
023-623–0310
Known For
Unique local pickles
A Three Tastes of Yamagata set (soba, potato hot pot, pickle sushi)
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Restaurant closed 1st Wed. of month. Bar closed Sun. No lunch
This birthplace of Sendai's famous gyutan (grilled beef tongue) proudly serves excellent and inexpensive meals. It is a very casual environment but can get crowded with lines forming before opening.
4--4--13 Ichiban-cho, Sendai, Miyagi-ken, 980-0811, Japan
Fearless, meat-loving gourmets should stop at this slightly hidden gem. The use of wood in the decor create a relaxed atmosphere where you can focus on the chef's presentations.
This good spot for cheap seafood and sake offers can't-beat lunch deals. Very casual, it's also a great place to sit at the counter and watch chefs at work.
3--1--24 Chuo, Sendai, Miyagi-ken, 980-0021, Japan
Noodles can only be called Inaniwa Udon if they are produced in Inaniwa. Established in 1860, this noodle empire has many branches across the Tohoku region, but this one is for connoisseurs who want to sample regional foods and locally brewed sake. Make big slurps and enjoy.
2--6--1 Nakadori, Akita, Akita-ken, 010-0001, Japan
018-834–1720
Known For
A chewy type of noodle particular to Akita
Large lunch sets
Creative takes on local dishes
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed only when the Seibu Building is closed
Tasty, healthful, and authentic dishes from the region are Kikufuji's specialty. Excellent local varieties of sake are available. They can provide you with a menu with pictures, but it does not include everything, so you could also look around at other tables to see what you might fancy.
1 Sakamoto-cho, Hirosaki, Aomori-ken, 036-8016, Japan
0172-36–3300
Known For
Very fresh seafood
Local vegetable stews
Local sake
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Thurs. and two other days per month (call to check)
It would be hard to walk out of this restaurant hungry. The restaurant has mostly seating on tatami mats on the floor, but there are areas with tables. You might just be focused on the view over the water. It is on the 10th floor of the lofty ASPAM building.
1--1--40 Yasukata, Aomori, Aomori-ken, 030-0803, Japan
017-734–5353
Known For
Abalone and sea-urchin soup
Teishoku set meals at good prices
Sea views
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed when the ASPAM building is closed. Call ahead
The highlights here are good sushi, tempura, and donburi—bowls with cutlets, tempura, or chicken on top of rice. In this old-fashioned establishment where typical Japanese dishes are served, there is something on the menu to suit anyone's taste.
2-3-7 Nanokamachi, Yamagata, Yamagata-ken, 990-0042, Japan
A short walk from JR Yamagata Station will put you in front of some fine and slightly chewy Yamagata soba noodles. Everything is good here, but in summer try the hiyashi-dori soba (with cold chicken). The eatery is in a traditional black-wood-and-white-stucco building south of the station.
1-1-75 Uwa-machi, Yamagata, Yamagata-ken, 990-2483, Japan
Reimen—a dish of clear noodles served cold with spicy kimchi, hard-boiled egg, watermelon, and a slice of beef—is a Korean delicacy that has become one of Morioka's signature dishes. It is served in a set with another Korean item such as bibimbap (rice in a hot stone bowl, topped with pickled vegetables, mincemeat, and egg) in this airy modern restaurant near Morioka Station. Evening meals feature meat barbecued at the table.
9--3 Morioka Ekimaedori, Morioka, Iwate-ken, 020-0034, Japan
Yamagata is famous for soba, and Shojiya is the oldest soba restaurant in Yamagata. Go for lunch and then wander around the neighborhood. The immediate area is interesting, with restored irrigation channels where five dams were built in 1623 to control flooding, as well as kimono and tea shops, and the historic city hall building.
Nanokamachi 2--7--6, Yamagata, Yamagata-ken, 990-0042, Japan
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