What kind of food do you think of when you think of winter? Located in the north of Japan, Tohoku offers many local delicacies that you can only enjoy in winter. Check out the article below to see what to eat when you visit Tohoku during the winter days, along with unique winter experiences and sceneries.
Towada Barayaki & Towada Art Center of Contemporary Art – Aomori Prefecture
Towada Bara Yaki is a dish made by grilling thin slices of beef ribs marinated in a soy sauce-based, sweet and spicy sauce, with plenty of sliced onions on an iron plate until the onions turn light brown. The dish has been long cherished and is the soul food of Towada citizens because of its deliciousness. After filling your stomach with the tasty food, how about taking a look around the Towada Art Center? The photogenic museum has glass corridors connecting each exhibition room and also showcases a variety of art collections.
Credit: Choi Jeonghwa Flower Horse photo by Oyamada Kuniya
Bucket Genghis Khan & Denshoen Park – Iwate Prefecture
Bucket Genghis Khan is the famous gourmet of Tono, Iwate Prefecture, with lamb meat and various vegetables cooked on a Genghis Khan pot heated by solid fuel in a tin bucket with air holes. It’s a dish that easily can be eaten outdoors and is unique to Tono town, the hometown of many folktales about kappa and zashiki-warashi and stunning rural landscapes. Travelers also can enjoy old tales about the rustic lifestyle of Tono’s farmers and villages, as well as Tono nature at Tono Denshoen Park, a special theme park in Tono.
Kiritanpo Nabe (Odate City and other areas) & Akita Dog Museum – Akita Prefecture
Kiritanpo Nabe, the most well-known Akita delicacy, is a dish that the entire Japanese family will usually have while gathering around the hearth. “Tanpo,” a kind of rice skewers made of crushed rice, will be grilled, and put into a pot of soup. Other seasonal ingredients, such as wild plants and mushrooms, are added to the pot, and it will be cooked over an open hearth with everybody around. You can also warm yourself while cooking this hot pot. After a delicious meal, enjoy playing with the worldwide iconic Akita Inu dog at the Akita Dog Museum. No one can resist their wet black eyes and cold-resistant fluffy fur.
Oyster Seri Nabe & Kanahebisui Shrine – Miyagi Prefecture
Seri is a plant of the Umbelliferae family and is known in English as Japanese parsley. Seri Nabe is a special winter gourmet in Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture, using the entire seri plant, including the root. It has the aroma of the plant and is very delicious, having the flavors of the soup stock, usually made from bird meat such as chicken or duck, and vegetables. People also recommend eating this soup as shabu shabu. Besides eating Seri Nabe, don’t forget to stop by the Kanahebisui Shrine in the southern part of Sendai, which enshrines “Kanahebisui” (lit. “Gold, Snake, Water”). This shrine is known for offering blessings of fortune and prospering business.
Sendai Beef & Sendai Castle Ruins – Sendai City
At the famous tourist spot in Sendai City, Sendai Castle Ruins, you can see the equestrian statue of Date Masamune (Sengoku warrior who built Sendai) covered in snow if you are lucky. Then, a bowl of beef sukiyaki is recommended to warm up your body on those cold winter days. Enjoy the delicious and sweet flavor of the tender Wagyu beef that will melt in your mouth.
Toyokocho & Wooden Shogi piece workshop – Yamagata Prefecture
Toyokocho is a yochoko alleyway in Tendo, a hot spring town, and the hometown of Shogi, a traditional Japanese board game, in Yamagata Prefecture. How about walking around the hot spring town at night in a yukata and enjoying interacting with local people? Stopping by a store and making friends with strangers is definitely a remarkable way to enjoy a trip to a hot spring town.
On the next day, you can try making a shogi piece, a unique item of the town of Shogi, Tendo City. Then you can also take that shogi piece home as a memory of your Tohoku trip. A shogi piece-making workshop costs approximately 1,000 yen per piece. You can select the size of your shogi piece, depending on the location of the workshop.
Basashi (Aizu), Aizu Wakamatsu & Tsuruga Castle – Fukushima Prefecture
Aizu Wakamatsu in Fukushima Prefecture is the only castle town in Japan surrounding Tsuruga Castle with beautiful red tiles. It is called the SAMURAI CITY, where the culture of the Aizu clan remains. The historic town is very picturesque, with retro streets and stores, such as sake breweries and hot springs.
People also come to this area to enjoy horse sashimi, sometimes called the sakura nikku. The crimson lean meat is usually eaten in festivals and other ceremonial occasions. The Aizu area is one of the major areas known for consuming a lot of horse meat in Japan. So, when you are in town, don’t forget to try the finest horse sashimi with some special spicy miso and garlic.
Hegi Soba (Uonuma) & Tokamachi Tanada Terraced Rice Fields – Niigata Prefecture
Originated in the Uonuma region of Niigata Prefecture, Hegi Soba are soba noodles made of a kind of seaweed called funori for binding and are characterized by their smooth texture. The light greenish soba noodles are arranged like waves, creating such an artistic appearance and making you want to take a picture.
Niigata is all about rice. In the Uonuma region are the most famous terraced rice fields in Japan called the “Hoshitoge Rice Terraces.” You will surely be fascinated by the area’s fantastic winter scenery. At this location, you can enjoy not only the changes of the four seasons but also the changes throughout the day, from the morning mist to the sea of clouds, the setting sun, and the starry sky.
Top Hotels in Tohoku
Daiwa Roynet Hotel Sendai
Hotel Metropolitan Sendai East
Sunroute Aomori Hotel
