Saitama Local Gourmet Guide: Hiyajiru Udon

Hiyajiru Udon

If you travel Saitama in summer, there is one dish we want you to eat first. That is "hiyajiru udon" (cold-broth udon).

Noodles richly soaked in cold broth slip down your throat the instant they enter your mouth. This udon, nurtured by the rich water and wheat culture of Musashino that Saga—Saitama—boasts, has its own distinct firmness and flavor, different from both Tokyo udon and Sanuki udon. The moment thick handmade noodles entangle with cold broth in which plenty of ground sesame and condiments are dissolved—it soaks into a body tired from the heat with surprising ease. The instant you slurp one bite, you involuntarily mutter "this is it." It is a bowl with such power.

Characteristics

This food culture, rooted especially around the Hiki District and Kumagaya area within Saitama Prefecture, is a common folk's flavor born from the "wisdom for living" that farming people ate between agricultural work. The method handed down from the era before refrigerators still lives on continuously at long-established local shops. The fragrance of ground sesame, the fresh green aroma of myoga and shiso leaves, and the smooth-throated handmade noodles—if any one of these is missing, that distinctive deliciousness is not born. Within the simple combination of ingredients, the wisdom and ingenuity of our predecessors are condensed.

If you ask a local shop owner "why this flavor was born," the history of Saitama's land and people comes into view. That too is a real thrill of travel. Hiyajiru udon eaten while exchanging words with the owner over the counter, casually entering a local eatery not turned into a tourist site, is sure to become a moment that shines especially bright in your travel memories.

Best Season & Recommended Time: The hot season of June to September is by far recommended. After walking under the blazing sun, the refreshment of entering a shop and slurping hiyajiru udon is irreplaceable by anything else. Eaten at midday when you have worked up a sweat, that refreshment is all the greater. Entering during the 11 a.m. hour before the lunch peak lets you enjoy it leisurely without waiting. For those who dislike the heat, many shops offer hiyajiru udon even when visiting in the mild climate of late May or early October. If you eat it, you will surely understand why it is loved regardless of season.

Access: Famous udon shops are concentrated around "Ogawamachi Station" and "Kumagaya Station" on the Tobu Tojo Line. Access is also good, about 1 hour to 1 hour 20 minutes from Ikebukuro Station on the Tobu Tojo Line. Since you can stroll the surroundings of both stations within walking distance, comparing tastes among multiple shops is the local way to enjoy. We want you to enjoy even the time spent agonizing over "which shop to go to" as a real thrill of travel.

Tip for Travelers: It is not unusual for popular shops to sell out and close in the early afternoon. To avoid the regret of "I came but couldn't eat," you'll want to arrive by noon at the latest. In summer the sunlight is strong, and you can get drenched in sweat just walking from the station to the shop. Don't forget to carry a hat, sunscreen, and a small towel. Also, some areas distribute a "hiyajiru udon map" at the tourist information center, so checking the homepage before departure gives peace of mind. Asking the local staff "what's today's recommendation?" can also lead to an encounter with an unexpected famous shop.

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Jumangoku Manju

"Delicious, too delicious"—many people may have heard this catchphrase. A famous confection every Saitama resident knows, that is "Jumangoku Manju."

The moment it enters your mouth, the soft skin crumbles, and chunky bean paste of refined sweetness spreads softly. Within a simplicity that adds nothing unnecessary lies the reason it has continued to be loved for many years. The sight of a local grandmother buying it as a souvenir for her grandchild, of a salaryman buying it in bulk on the way home from a business trip—it is truly the "prefectural soul sweet," blended into Saitama's daily life. Be sure to experience for yourself the moment a first-timer narrows their eyes happily and says "so this is the flavor of Saitama." There is a reason for things long loved.

Tips for Eating-Walking

Munching on a warm, just-bought Jumangoku Manju right at the storefront—this is the best way to eat that only locals know. Many people buy boxes as souvenirs, but be sure to try "eating on the spot" with just one. The fluffiness of the freshly made skin and the sweetness of the warm bean paste hold an emotion in a class apart from eating it after it has cooled. The moment that warmth conveys from your palm, your face is sure to break into a smile.

It is also fun to eat-walk while touring the head shop in Gyoda City and shops in various parts of the prefecture such as Omiya and Urawa. "It's the same manju, but somehow it feels subtly different by shop"—such taste-comparison discoveries are also a pleasure unique to travel. Many shops open from around 9 a.m., and a bite enjoyed along with the local morning air is sure to be carved deeply into your travel memories.

Best Season & Recommended Time: It can be enjoyed year-round, but the experience of munching on a warm manju on a cold, crisp winter morning has an indescribable sense of happiness. The sensation of a body shrunken from the cold softly loosening—be sure to experience it once. Visiting in the early morning hours raises the possibility of tasting something closer to freshly made. Since weekend afternoons are often crowded, visiting with leeway in your time is recommended.

Access: The head shop is about a 10-minute walk from "Gyoda-shi Station" on the Chichibu Railway. Once you get off and start walking, the sweet aroma that eventually drifts in naturally guides your feet. There are sales outlets inside Omiya Station and around Urawa Station too, and a charm is that they are easy to drop by on the way home from your trip. The breadth of this famous confection satisfies both the particular type who insists "since I'm here, at the head shop" and the casual type who says "I'll grab some at Omiya on the way back."

Tip for Travelers: The boxed gift items keep well, but the freshly bought individually-sold items are best eaten the same day. Lines can form during consecutive holidays and the year-end and New Year, so visit with leeway in your time. There is also online sales, but the "freshly baked warmth" you can taste only on-site is a privilege you can experience only through travel. Unless you firmly separate the souvenir portion and your own portion when buying, you may end up in the not-funny situation of "the souvenir portion ran out while I was eating"—though that might be a happy failure in its own way.

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Kawagoe Sweets

Kawagoe, affectionately known as "Little Edo," is a place where the travel mood already rises just from walking the warehouse-style townscape. The moment you set foot on the charming streets, as if time has stopped since the Edo period, the hustle of daily life recedes and your heart mysteriously settles. But here, a "treasure house of sweets" spreads out that makes your heart flutter as much as the scenery, no—even more.

When it comes to Kawagoe, it's sweet potatoes. In this town, famous as a sweet-potato production area continuing since the Edo period, the variety of sweets using sweet potatoes is astonishingly abundant. Piping-hot daigaku-imo, smooth sweet-potato pudding, sweet-potato sweet potato cakes crisp outside and moist inside—a town where a single ingredient shows such diverse expressions is rare even nationwide. While eating-walking, you suddenly notice: "Huh, have I eaten this much already?" That pleasant regret is the greatest proof of strolling Kawagoe. Furthermore, beyond sweet potatoes, the temptations of eating-walking continue endlessly with nostalgic dagashi sold at Kashiya Yokocho (Candy Alley) and Kawagoe-limited sweets at Western confectionery shops. Saying "just the next shop," before you know it both hands are full—such happy confusion is also a Kawagoe-like way to enjoy travel.

Best Season & Recommended Time: October to December, the sweet-potato harvest time, is the perfect season to enjoy the in-season flavor. Freshly harvested potatoes have rich sweetness, and the depth and flavor when made into sweets are a notch different. Autumn, when the warehouse-style townscape overlaps with the colored foliage, is also most photogenic, and picture-worthy scenery continues just by walking. Weekday mornings are relatively empty and make eating-walking easy. Since the streets can be packed with tourists from weekend afternoons onward, if you want to enjoy it leisurely, a weekday visit is by far recommended.

Access: About a 15-minute walk from "Honkawagoe Station" on the Seibu Shinjuku Line to the warehouse-style townscape. The time spent gradually steeping in the town's air while walking is also an important prologue to a Kawagoe trip. Or, access is convenient, about 10 minutes by Tobu Bus from "Kawagoe Station" on the Tobu Tojo Line and JR Kawagoe Line. From Ikebukuro Station it is excellent access, about 30 minutes at the fastest on the Tobu Tojo Line, and it boasts immense popularity as a day-trip destination from Tokyo. Even those who thought "it might be a bit far" find it's over in a flash once they get on.

Tip for Travelers: For eating-walking, so that both hands are free, a backpack or shoulder bag is by far convenient for your bag. Since many sweet-potato sweets are eaten while warm, the trick is to buy little by little in amounts you can finish. Buying too much at once out of greed can leave you with the regret of the last bite having gone cold. Many Kawagoe-limited package souvenirs are also limited in quantity, and it is not unusual for them to sell out by the afternoon. Get what you definitely want during the morning. Also, the area around Kashiya Yokocho becomes greatly crowded on weekends. Those who want to take photos leisurely should aim for the 9 a.m. hour right after opening. The warehouse-style townscape lit by morning light and the quiet streets with few people show a face of Kawagoe different again from the daytime. That scene is sure to become your favorite among your travel commemorative photos.

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Access and Business Hours

To fully enjoy Saitama gourmet, advance research greatly affects the satisfaction of your trip. Preparation to prevent the regret of "I came all this way, but" is the first step toward a fulfilling trip.

Each shop's business hours and regular holidays are often changed by season and event. Especially many popular shops adopt a "ends when sold out" style, so we strongly recommend checking the latest information on official sites and social media before departure. Just making a habit of checking once more on the morning of your departure day can greatly reduce unnecessary trouble.

Actively make use of local tourist information centers. At the tourist information centers near major stations such as Kawagoe Station, Honkawagoe Station, and Gyoda-shi Station, you can obtain the latest recommended-shop maps and seasonal-limited gourmet information for free. Word-of-mouth information from local staff often tells you of hidden gems not listed in guidebooks. Casually ask "what's recommended this season?" That one word can sometimes create an encounter with an unexpected famous shop or superb gourmet.

Also, since gourmet spots within Saitama Prefecture are scattered, a "theme trip" style of narrowing down areas and digging deep into one area per day is recommended. Building an itinerary like half a day in Kawagoe alone, half a day in the Gyoda and Kumagaya area, lets you enjoy a fulfilling food trip without becoming too hectic. Rather than being too greedy with "this and that," by thoroughly savoring one area, you should be able to feel even the air and culture of that land along with your eating-walking. For travel, making use of a one-day free pass for the Seibu Line or Tobu Line can sometimes make transportation costs a good deal, so be sure to check before departure. The accumulation of small preparations makes a Saitama gourmet trip a richer one.