Azuma-ya

Azuma-ya Review

Hearty soba is made from plentiful northern Japanese 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—you can attack and devour all the soba you desire—start at ¥2,600. Down on the first floor, popular dishes such as hand-kneaded cold tempura soba (¥1,260) and pork cutlet in a rice bowl (¥900) are speedily served. The maneki-neko (decorative beckoning cats) are mascots to keep customers coming back, and they (more than 50 of them), seem to be doing their job. Azuma-ya is near the bus center, along the small street across the busy road from the Naka-san department store, on the other side of the river from Iwata Park; it's 15 minutes from the train station on foot.