3 Hot Must-Eat Dishes Popular among Local People in Yamagata Prefecture through Your Winter Trip

Yamagata Prefecture in the Tohoku region produces lots of specialty products leading Japan, such as ‘Yonezawa Beef’ which is one of the three great Japanese beef and ‘Sato Nishiki’ known as the king of cherries. This time, we focused on its local dishes and cheap but delicious ones and selected 3 hot must-eat dishes perfect for winter. All of these eateries are within 10 minutes’ walking distance or bus-ride from Yamagata Station, so you can easily visit them even for your day trip.

“Yamagata Nagaya Sakaba” gives you a chance for trying to taste different ‘Imoni’ of Yamagata’s 4 areas containing local seasonal ingredients

Yamagata’s people often eat ‘Imoni (soup with various types of vegetables including taros, 芋煮)’ from autumn to winter because it is the harvest season for taro. To our surprise, it’s said to be born in the 1600s. Imoni’s feature is that tastes and kinds of ingredients are different depending on each area. At “Yamagata Nagaya Sakaba (山形長屋酒場),” you can experience eating 4 types of Imoni that are from the Shonai area and the Mogami area, the Okitama area and the Murayama area: Imoni with pork, mushroom and miso (Shonai), one with pork, mushroom and soy sauce (Mogami), one with beef and carrots, radish and soy sauce (Okitama), basic style one with beef and taro, leeks and soy sauce (Murayama). You’re sure to feel as if your body and heart is melting just by savoring Imoni full of Yamagata’s vegetables. In addition, it’s also a nice charm that they offer 49 types of local sake. By the way, Yamagata folk song live is performed from 7:30 PM every Friday.

Opening Hours	5:00PM – 11:30PM／Friday, Saturday, A day before a holiday 5:00PM – 0:00AM
Address	1F Yamagata Daiichi Building, 1-8-8 Kasumicho, Yamagata City, Yamagata Prefecture
Access	A 3-minute walk from Yamagata Station
URL	https://marutomisuisan.jpn.com/nagaya-yamagata/

“Oyatsuyasan” lets you feel the Japanese festival mood with their unique ‘Dondon-yaki’

Do you know Yamagata’s specialty food ‘Dondon-yaki (どんどん焼き)’? It’s one of Yamagata’s light meals and made by wrapping chopsticks with thin dough similar to Okonomiyaki. Because people sold it while beating a drum (its sound is Dondon in Japanese) to gather customers, it’s named Dondon-yaki. Anyway, “Oyatsuyasan (おやつ屋さん)” is a Dondon-yaki specialty shop with a cozy ambiance. When you order it, staff grills it to become moist and fluffy. The red pickled ginger and sausage are kneaded into the dough, and their tastes are an accent. Moreover, it goes well with rich sauce and mayonnaise. There are various flavors such as sauce and soy sauce, curry and pizza, so why not share each one with your family or friends? Its price starts from 220 yen.

Opening Hours	9:30AM – 7:00PM　Closed on the 1st Monday
Address	Bell City Kajo Building, 2-6-16 Jonan-machi, Yamagata City, Yamagata Prefecture
Access	A 5-minute walk from Yamagata Station
URL	https://dondonyaki.net/

“Sakaeya Honten” whose ‘Tori Chuka Noodle’ made with broth for Soba gains popularity from locals

Reference from Shirokumasan Deai Blog “Torichuka Sakaeya Honten“

‘Tori Chuka Noodle (鳥中華)’ has chicken meats and soup made with broth for Soba. Visiting around Yamagata Station, you should head to “Sakaeya Honten (栄屋本店)” with about 90 years of history to savor Tori Chuka Noodle. They’re creating interesting and attractive Ramen including Hiyashi Ramen (Cold Ramen). The Japanese-flavored soup using chicken oil and soy sauce is a little sweet. The oil that exudes from the toppings of crunchy left over pieces adds a rich flavor. It has a nice balance of flavorful soup, juicy chicken meats and slightly thick Chinese noodles.

Opening Hours	Summer (19th March to 30th September) 11:30AM – 8:00PM Winter (1st October to 18th March) 11:30AM – 7:30PM Closed on Wednesday
Address	2-3-21 Honcho, Yamagata City, Yamagata Prefecture
Access	A 4-minute walk from Honcho Bus Stop where it takes 5 minutes from Yamagata Station by bus
URL	http://www.sakaeya-honten.com/shop.html