Gunma Local Gourmet Guide: Mizusawa Udon

Mizusawa Udon

When talking about Gunma's food culture, the one thing you absolutely cannot leave out is "Mizusawa udon." Near Ikaho Onsen in Shibukawa City, long-established shops lined up in a row in front of the gate of Mizusawa Kannon (Ryusho-in) produce beautiful, gleaming white noodles—a supreme bowl known to udon connoisseurs nationwide as one of the three great udon of Japan, alongside Sanuki and Inaniwa. Its history spans about 400 years, and it boasts a unique firmness and smooth throat-feel that no other production area can ever reproduce, born only when the techniques handed down from craftsman to craftsman over generations meet the pure water that springs from deep underground at the foot of Mount Akagi.

The moment you slurp a mouthful, the powerful elasticity and the smooth, silk-like texture make you squint with pleasure. First, try eating it as a simple zaru udon—you will surely be left speechless by the unadorned, honest deliciousness in which the ingredients and the craftsman's skill are conveyed directly to your tongue. Eating it with a sesame sauce has also long been a beloved local style, and the moment the slightly sweet, hearty, rich sauce clings to the chewy noodles is truly a moment of bliss you can encounter only while traveling. Many shops also prepare a walnut sauce, and the joy of comparing them to find your own favorite is exceptional, too.

Features

The soul of Mizusawa udon lies in the "hand-stretching" (tenobe) process, in which craftsmen carefully finish it by hand without relying on machines. Precisely because the ingredients—wheat flour, salt, and water alone—are so extremely simple, the quality of the water used and the craftsman's skill directly determine the flavor of the noodles; it is a bowl of serious, no-fooling competition. At some shops in the Mizusawa area, there are places where you can watch skilled craftsmen knead the noodles up close. If you take your seat after witnessing the moment the noodles are born, the flavor of each bite will deepen even further.

Best season and recommended time of day Mizusawa udon can be enjoyed year-round, but the times we especially recommend are the fresh greenery of spring (April–May) and the autumn foliage season (October–November). Slurping the famous udon while gazing at the vivid trees coloring the approach to Mizusawa Kannon—this combination is sure to remain one of the most vivid scenes in your memories of a Gunma trip. As for timing your visit, right after opening on a weekday (around 11 a.m.) is overwhelmingly recommended. The chance of eating freshly made noodles without lining up rises sharply. On weekends and holidays it is not unusual for long lines to form during the lunch hours, so even if you visit on a weekend, we strongly recommend arriving on site before 11 a.m.

The local way to enjoy it and hidden tips The "Mizusawa Udon Kaido" (Udon Road), where Mizusawa udon shops gather, is a rare area unmatched anywhere in the country, with about 10 specialty shops crammed along a street several hundred meters long. You may tend to head for the famous long-established names you see in magazines and on social media, but try daring to open the door of a small, family-run shop quietly frequented by local regulars. Not only can you taste hand-made noodles at a surprisingly reasonable price, but the travel memories born from conversation with the owner will become treasures you cannot get at famous shops. Also, after eating, leisurely paying your respects at Mizusawa Kannon is the standard local course. After enjoying the lingering afterglow of the trip in the stillness of the ancient temple, head to your next destination.

Access About 25 minutes by bus from Shibukawa Station on the JR Joetsu Line (get off right at the "Mizusawa" bus stop on the Ikaho Onsen-bound route). It is also conveniently about a 15-minute drive from the Shibukawa-Ikaho IC on the Kan-Etsu Expressway. Staying a night at Ikaho Onsen and enjoying both Mizusawa Kannon and Mizusawa udon in the refreshing air of the next morning is the standard plan of seasoned travelers. The deliciousness of udon eaten the morning after refreshing yourself at the hot spring is something exceptional.

Tips for travelers

• Popular shops can fill up before noon. Especially on weekends, plan to visit early in the morning.
• Some shops let you compare multiple sauces such as "sesame sauce" and "walnut sauce" in addition to zaru udon. Always check when ordering.
• Raw and dried noodles for souvenirs are sold at each shop, letting you reproduce the authentic taste at home. Be mindful of the shelf life of raw noodles, and it is better to time your purchase for the latter half of your itinerary.
• Combining your visit with a trip to Mizusawa Kannon raises your satisfaction as sightseeing another notch.

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Yaki-manju

If you visit Gunma, there is a soul food you absolutely should carry and walk around with—its name is "yaki-manju." A fluffy fermented-dough bun is skewered on a large stick, slathered generously with a sweet-and-savory secret miso sauce, and grilled slowly over charcoal. The moment you smell that savory aroma drifting down the street, your feet will naturally stop, and you will notice yourself already reaching for your wallet. For the people of Gunma, yaki-manju is "the original landscape of a snack" they have been familiar with at festivals and stalls since childhood. It is a culinary memory engraved deep in the prefecture's residents' DNA, a food Gunma can be proud of.

Crisp and savory on the outside, moist and chewy on the inside. The miso sauce, in which sweetness and richness intertwine in an exquisite balance, is addictive—once you take a bite, you can't stop yourself from another, and another. The volume is more than sufficient, satisfying enough to serve not only as a snack while strolling but even as a light lunch substitute. If asked "If you could eat only one thing on a Gunma trip, what would it be?" this is the one dish I would recommend without hesitation.

Tips for Eating While Strolling

Devouring it fresh off the grill is, above all, the greatest luxury. At shops that grill it on the charcoal stand right before your eyes after you order, the few minutes you wait while watching the craftsman skillfully layer on the miso sauce are also a luxurious time unique to travel. The happiness of the moment you receive the finished one and bite into it while it's piping hot truly cannot be fully conveyed in words. Also, the recipe for the miso sauce is a secret each shop has protected for generations, and the degree of sweetness, spiciness, and thickness differs subtly from shop to shop. Try comparing several shops in the Takasaki or Maebashi areas, and you are sure to find yourself groaning at the depth of the yaki-manju world.

Best season and recommended time of day Yaki-manju is a gourmet treat you can enjoy year-round, but it is especially flavorful in the autumn-to-winter season (October–February). In the chilly air, feeling the warmth of the charcoal as you devour a piping-hot yaki-manju is an exceptional skewer that gently melts away travel fatigue. Summer, too, has its appeal, as the chances to encounter it at festival and fair stalls increase, and eating it amid the lively atmosphere is also exceptional. Specialty shops in shopping districts are most lively around 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., the time slot when you are most likely to encounter fresh-off-the-grill ones.

The local way to enjoy it and hidden tips In the shopping districts of Takasaki City and Maebashi City, old-fashioned yaki-manju specialty shops are dotted about. At locally rooted long-established shops standing quietly in residential areas away from tourist spots, you may even encounter the sight of local grandpas and grandmas sitting on a bench, leisurely devouring yaki-manju. It is precisely such yaki-manju shops blended into "everyday life" that will become the one shop that stays in your memory long after the trip ends. Furthermore, famous shops known only to those in the know are also dotted near small stations along the Jomo Dentetsu railway line. An itinerary of leisurely enjoying a local-line journey while searching out a hidden gem is also a luxurious way to spend time unique to Gunma.

Access If you're searching for yaki-manju, the most straightforward way is to start from the shopping districts around JR Takasaki Station or Maebashi Station. From Takasaki Station, there are several specialty shops even within walking distance, easy to stop by before or after a Shinkansen transfer. From Tokyo, access is excellent at about 50 minutes to Takasaki on the Joetsu Shinkansen. Also, it is sold at roadside stations (michi-no-eki) throughout the prefecture, so a nice point is that you can casually encounter it in the middle of a car road trip.

Tips for travelers

• The miso sauce sticks to clothes and hands more easily than you'd imagine. Always bring wet wipes.
• At most shops you can buy from a single skewer, so it's easy to try. Perfect conditions for a comparison-tasting trip.
• Vacuum-packed or frozen take-home versions are popular as souvenirs, too. Always check the shelf life, and for ones requiring refrigeration, be mindful of your purchase timing.
• At charcoal-grilling shops, you can sometimes specify the grilling to your preference. Asking for "a slightly stronger char" is also a connoisseur's way of enjoying it.

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Okkirikomi

A warming bowl with which families have long gotten through Gunma's long, harsh winters together—that is "okkirikomi (okirikomi)." It is a Gunma local hot-pot udon in which wide, flat fresh noodles are simmered slowly with root vegetables and seasonal vegetables in a soy-sauce-based broth. The cooking gesture of cutting the noodles and "cutting them right into (kiri-komu)" the pot is said to have become the name of the dish itself. If Mizusawa udon is "celebratory-day udon," okkirikomi is truly "everyday, ordinary-day udon that stays close to daily life." It has a nostalgic, gently soothing flavor that somehow overlaps with the memory of grandma's kitchen. Even though it should be your first time eating it, for some reason you'll want to say "I'm home"—it is a bowl with that kind of mysterious familiarity.

The ingredients are packed with root vegetables such as daikon radish, taro, carrot, and burdock, and as seasonal foods are added, it shows a different expression each season. When the wide noodles have soaked up plenty of the broth and become smoothly, supplely soft is the sign that it's ready to eat. This bowl that warms you gently from your core is a "true essence of Gunma's winter" that we especially want travelers who visit Gunma in the cold season to experience.

Best season and recommended time of day Okkirikomi shines most from autumn to winter (around October to March). The colder the air gets, the more the warmth of that broth and the smooth texture of the noodles sink into you. Okkirikomi enjoyed at a snow-covered hot-spring resort will surely be engraved as a special memory even within a Gunma trip. It is often offered during the lunch service at local-cuisine restaurants, with 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. being the time to aim for. Some shops close once sold out, so be sure to visit early.

The local way to enjoy it and hidden tips If you want to know the true charm of okkirikomi, don't be satisfied with sightseeing-spot restaurants alone. Some farm guesthouses and experience farms hold an "okkirikomi-making experience." Receiving direct instruction from a local mother or farmer while you make the noodles yourself, cut the vegetables, and gather around the pot to eat will surely become a travel treasure that no high-class restaurant can replace. Also, at the roadside station "Komochi" (Shibukawa City) and at farm-produce direct-sales shops in various areas, raw and dried noodles for okkirikomi are sold as souvenirs. Reproducing it at home after returning and savoring the trip's afterglow at the table is also one of the savvy traveler's ways of enjoyment.

Access Local-cuisine restaurants offering okkirikomi are widely dotted throughout Gunma Prefecture, including the Maebashi, Takasaki, Numata, and Minakami areas. Especially at the inns and guesthouses of hot-spring resorts such as Ikaho, Kusatsu, Shima, and Minakami, okkirikomi is often built into the dinner or lunch menu, so there's a chance to encounter it just by staying. There are also diners that feature local cuisine on their signs around Numata Station and Minakami Station on the JR Joetsu Line, making them ideal to stop by during a train journey.

Tips for travelers

• Because the ingredients change with the season, even the same shop has a freshness like a different dish depending on the season you visit. Worth repeating.
• The wide noodles keep soaking up the broth and swell as time passes. Once served, don't take too long—the trick is to start eating while it's piping hot.
• Dried-noodle-type souvenirs are light and don't take up bulk, an excellent souvenir easy to fit into your travel bag. Some products are sold as a set with a soy-sauce-based broth base, so look for those together.
• If you wish to do an experience program, advance reservations are required in most cases. Check early on the official website or at a tourist information center.

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Access and Hours

To fully savor Gunma's regional gourmet food, gathering information in advance greatly affects the quality of your trip. Mizusawa udon shops tend to be open around 11 a.m.–3 p.m., and yaki-manju specialty shops around 10 a.m.–5 p.m., but be especially careful that many shops close on Tuesdays or Wednesdays. Before visiting, always check the latest business information on each shop's official social media or website before heading out. Temporary closures and seasonal shortened hours are not unusual.

Major access to each area

• Mizusawa Udon Kaido: about 25 minutes by bus from JR Shibukawa Station (get off right at the "Mizusawa" bus stop on the Ikaho Onsen-bound route) / about 15 minutes by car from the Shibukawa-Ikaho IC on the Kan-Etsu Expressway.
• Takasaki and Maebashi (yaki-manju): start from Takasaki Station on the Joetsu Shinkansen, or Maebashi Station on the JR Ryomo Line. Excellent access at about 50 minutes from Tokyo to Takasaki by Shinkansen.
• Numata and Minakami (okkirikomi): the nearest stations are Numata Station or Minakami Station on the JR Joetsu Line. Taking a taxi from Jomo-Kogen Station on the Joetsu Shinkansen is also convenient.

Tips for travelers (common)

• During peak tourist periods such as Golden Week, the autumn foliage season, and year-end and New Year, crowding becomes intense in every area. Visiting on a weekday or aiming for right after opening is the wise move.
• The tourist information centers in Shibukawa City, Maebashi City, and Takasaki City often distribute the latest recommended-shop maps for free. Stop by at the start of your trip and make active use of them.
• Many areas of Gunma Prefecture have infrequent buses and trains. If using trains or buses, always check the timetable in advance and plan an itinerary with leeway.
• Using a rental car is most recommended. Because you can efficiently visit multiple gourmet spots in one day, such as the Mizusawa Udon Kaido, Takasaki, and Numata, a rental car is a powerful ally for anyone who wants to enjoy Gunma gourmet food without missing a thing.