Yakisaba Somen: Where to Eat, Prices & Hours (Shiga)

Yakisaba somen is a home style dish handed down in Nagahama. Grilled mackerel is simmered in a sweet savory sauce, and somen noodles are cooked in that broth so they absorb the mackerels rich umami. In landlocked Shiga there is a history of treasuring mackerel brought over the Saba Kaido highway from Wakasa, present day Fukui, and the dish carries that food culture to this day.

Highlights

The harmony of the grilled mackerels depth and the sweet savory seasoning clinging to the noodles is exquisite. The slowly simmered mackerel falls apart tenderly, and its pairing with the somen that has drunk in the broth is superb. Grilling firms the mackerels flesh and brings out the richness of the fat and its savory aroma. It is a distinctive local dish of the northern lake, tasting fish and noodles on one plate.

Enjoying the Seasons

It was once a dish linked to the custom of gifting to a married daughter in early summer during the busy farming season. Today it is enjoyed year round and tastes good either warm or cooled. Choosing this local flavor for lunch during Nagahama sightseeing is also recommended.

Access and Basic Information

It is served at local cuisine restaurants around JR Nagahama Station and eateries near the Kurokabe Square district. Since it can be enjoyed within walking distance of the station, it is perfect for lunch during Nagahama sightseeing. Kurokabe Square is a popular area with glass workshops and old streetscapes, where you can stroll along with a meal.

Practical Travel Notes

• It is a local dish of the northern lake using mackerel brought over the Saba Kaido highway from Wakasa.
• It tastes good warm or cooled, and how it is served varies by shop, as a guide.
• Around Kurokabe Square gather sights within walking distance such as the Kurokabe Glass Hall, the Nagahama Castle History Museum, and Keiunkan.
• Breaking the mackerel apart little by little and eating it together with the somen is the finest way to enjoy it.

A Quick Tip

Breaking the mackerel apart little by little and eating it together with the somen is the finest way to enjoy it.

Souvenir and Takeaway Tips

Yakisaba somen is a local dish handed down in Nagahama City, in which fragrantly grilled mackerel is simmered in a sweet-savory sauce and somen noodles are then simmered in that same broth to absorb its flavor. In Shiga, which has no coastline, there is a history of treasuring mackerel brought from Wakasa along the Saba Kaido (Mackerel Road), and the umami of the fish soaks thoroughly into the somen. It is best freshly made, but retort-pouch and set products are available at souvenir shops in Nagahama and by mail order, and the long-keeping items are well suited as gifts. In Nagahama, we recommend trying the local specialty yakisaba somen.

Practical Information for Your Visit

• Season: As well as being served as a feast dish at the "Hikiyama Matsuri", the festival of Nagahama Hachimangu Shrine held every April, it has traditionally been eaten as a "gogatsu-mimai" (May greeting dish) during the busy farming season in spring (Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries).
• Main area where it is served: The Kohoku (northern Lake Biwa) area. In addition to the Kosei route running from Wakasa and Obama via Kutsuki, Kohoku also had a route from Tsuruga, so mackerel was readily available (Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries).
• Where to try it: Yokakuro (7-8 Motohama-cho, Nagahama City, 526-0059; tel. 0749-63-3663) / Open from 10:30 until sold out, closed on Mondays. 3 minutes on foot from JR Nagahama Station.
• Points to note: Since they close as soon as they sell out, it is safest to arrive earlier than the lunchtime rush.

*Opening hours and prices at individual shops vary from shop to shop.

(Sources: Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, "Our Local Cuisine: Saba Somen, Shiga Prefecture"; Yokakuro official website; the tourism information site for enjoying Nagahama, Maibara and Oku-Biwako (Nagahama Maibara Tourism Association), "Yokakuro")

Information Sources

This article is compiled from tourism guidance for Shiga Prefecture and information published by each shop. Prices, menus and seasons may change, so please check the official information of each shop for details.

Sightseeing Checklist

• Budget guide: From around 1,000 yen for a plate or a set meal
• Where to eat it: Local cuisine restaurants and diners in Nagahama City
• Recommended time of day: Mainly lunchtime, combined with a stroll around Nagahama
• Avoiding the crowds: Popular restaurants get busy at lunchtime, so shift your timing
• Enjoy it together with: Nagahama Castle, Kurokabe Square, the Hikiyama Matsuri festival and lake fish dishes