Namie Yakisoba Bold Thick Noodles Take Center Stage

Namie yakisoba is a local fried noodle dish long loved in the town of Namie in the Hamadori coastal area of Fukushima. Above all, its defining trait is the extra thick noodle, far wider than usual.

Highlights

Noodles as thick as udon are combined with a simple filling of just pork and bean sprouts and coated in a rich sauce. Fried in lard for a full bodied flavor, it is remarkably filling. It is said to have begun around 1955 when a town diner served yakisoba made with extra thick noodles, spreading as a dish that kept laborers satisfied. Sprinkling seven spice chili is the connoisseur way to enjoy it. At the local gourmet festival known as the B-1 Grand Prix it placed near the top again and again, finally reaching the summit at the Toyokawa event in 2013.

Enjoying the Seasons

It is an everyday taste to enjoy year round. A staple at food stalls during local festivals and events, a mouthful of the piping hot noodles restores your energy. It also makes a fine lunch while driving along the coast.

Access and Basic Information

It can be enjoyed at eateries in Namie and at the Michi no Eki Namie roadside station. After the Great East Japan Earthquake and the nuclear accident the whole town was once an evacuation zone, but as the evacuation orders were lifted it came to be served in the town once more. The thick noodles are also sold dried or fresh, so you can recreate the dish at home. It is a taste rooted in the community as a symbol of recovery.

Practical Travel Notes

• Where to eat: Eateries in Namie and the Michi no Eki Namie roadside station, ideal for a Hamadori drive lunch
• How to eat: Sprinkling seven spice chili is the connoisseur way, with a simple filling of pork and bean sprouts
• Takeaway: The thick noodles are sold dried or fresh, so you can recreate it at home
• Background: A dish that symbolizes recovery from the earthquake and nuclear accident

A Quick Tip

The trick is to fry the thick noodles thoroughly. Keep the crunch of the bean sprouts while coating everything in sauce to come close to the shop flavor.

Practical Information for Your Visit

• Public facility where you can taste it: Michi-no-Eki Namie roadside station (60 Aza Chimyoji, Oaza Kiyohashi, Namie Town, Futaba District / 0240-23-7121). Food Terrace Kanade in the food court (10:00-18:00, last order 17:30) serves the local speciality Namie yakisoba. The same facility also houses the Irodori Sanchoku Inaho farm produce shop (10:00-18:00) and Menodokoro Hirota Seifunjo noodle shop (10:30-17:30).
• Characteristics of the noodles: According to the write-up for the Agency for Cultural Affairs' 100-Year Food programme (applicant: the Namie Town Chamber of Commerce and Industry), the dish was devised about 65 years ago to give labourers a hearty, filling meal, and the noodles are about 3 times thicker than normal. The only toppings are pork and bean sprouts.
• How to eat it: The same write-up notes that sprinkling on ichimi togarashi (ground red chilli pepper) is the connoisseur's way to eat it.

Note: Opening hours and prices at individual shops vary from establishment to establishment.

(Sources: official website of Michi-no-Eki Namie; Agency for Cultural Affairs, 100-Year Food, Fukushima Prefecture list)

Information Sources

This article is compiled from tourism information for Namie Town and Fukushima Prefecture and from information published by the individual shops. Prices and menus differ from shop to shop and are subject to change, so please check the official information of each shop for details.

Travel Checklist

• Budget guide: Affordable, from a few hundred yen to around a thousand yen a plate
• Where to eat it: Restaurants and diners serving it in Namie Town and across Fukushima Prefecture
• Best time of day: Mainly at lunch. The portions are generous, so come hungry
• Avoiding the crowds: Popular shops get busy at lunchtime, so try shifting your visit outside peak hours
• Great to combine with: Michi-no-Eki Namie roadside station and sightseeing in the Soma and Futaba areas