Recommended event and spot allowing you to enjoy local dishes of Yamagata with your eyes and tongue

Yamagata prefecture is located on the Sea of Japan side of the Tohoku region. Producing abundant seafood and vegetables, Yamagata has a great variety of local dishes using plenty of ingredients, such as ‘Kasujiru Soup’ made with vegetables, salted salmon and sake lees and ‘Imoni’ using taro, konjac and seasonal ingredients. Moreover, many restaurants offer cheap but tasty local food such as ‘Hiyashi (cold) Ramen’ which ice put in and ‘Dondon-yaki’ which is Okonomiyaki looking like an omelette. Why not go on a trip to enjoy Yamagata’s local dishes to your heart’s content?

This time, we’re going to introduce a food event held around Yamagata Nanokamachi Washington Hotel and our recommended Yokocho (food stall village).

“Nihon-ichi-no Imoni-kai Festival” offering Imoni to 30,000 people

In Yamagata, it’s one of the customs to eat Imoni (taro and vegetables are simmered in a hot pot) with family and friends in riverside in autumn. In order to propagate Yamagata’s food culture throughout the country, “Nihon-ichi-no Imoni-kai Festival” is held since 1989. A huge pan with a diameter of 6m comes into your eyes as soon as you visit the venue. To your surprise, Imoni will be made with this pan and a new large heavy machinery! Of course, it uses an incredible volume of ingredients: 8.5 light trucks of taros, beef meats of 6 heads of cattle, 2.8 light trucks of konjacs, 1 light truck of leeks, 700 litres of soy sauce, 90 litres of Japanese sake, 200kg of sugar, 6 tons of water of Yamagata. In addition, people light 6 tons of firewoods and simmer Imoni. All of the ingredients are produced Yamagata except sugar, and vegetables are organic and beef meats are a branded wagyu ‘Yamagatagyu.’ Try eating Imoni made with plenty of Yamagata’s agricultural products!

“Hottonaru-Yokocho” full of food stalls offering cheap but tasty dishes

“Hottonaru Yokocho” is a food stall village where there are 12 food stalls. Passing through the gate illuminated by red lanterns, you can feel a nostalgic and cozy atmosphere. Each food stalls offers various exquisite dishes for cheap prices, such as a local food of Yamagata ‘Dondon-yaki,’ local dishes using fish caught in offshore Shonai and local vegetables, branded Wagyu including Yamagatagyu and Yonezayagyu and more. You can also enjoy talking with other customers and masters while eating your meal. This Yokocho is a heart-warming spot that makes you feel like wanting to stay long.