Morioka's Three Noodles: The City That Settled the Carb Debate

In 2023, the New York Times named Morioka one of the 52 places to visit in the world. The city of 300,000 in Iwate Prefecture became, briefly, internationally talked about. The reason, if you trace the coverage back to its source, is largely the food — specifically three noodle dishes that exist in their authentic form only here.

Wanko soba, Morioka reimen, and jaja-men are not variations on national dishes. They are local inventions, each with a specific origin story, each with particular restaurants where they are best experienced. This guide covers all three.

Wanko Soba: The Relay Race

The premise: you sit at a counter, receive a small bowl of soba noodles in a light dashi broth, eat it in one or two bites, and the server immediately refills it. The refills continue without pause until you put the lid on the bowl. The bowl holds approximately one bite of soba — a fraction of a standard portion.

The ritual has a specific rhythm: server holds the bowl, you raise it to mouth level, server tips it in, you eat, raise bowl again. It is faster than it sounds. After ten bowls, you begin to understand how the Morioka record of 553 bowls was set.

The soba itself is ordinary — thin, buckwheat, served in a light broth. The experience is not about the soba. It is about the rhythm, the challenge, the server's running count, and the moment of decision when you close the lid. A count of 50 is adequate. 100 is respectable. 200 is a serious achievement.

Best experienced at: Azumaya (東家), the most traditional establishment, open since 1907, with tatami seating and paper-screen partitions. Also Denden (でんでん), which has more modern facilities and English menus. Both are near the city centre. Lunch is the recommended meal — evening sittings are often reserved for larger parties.

Food & Sake

What to Eat in Tohoku: The 12 Dishes That Define the Region

Tohoku's food is the most distinct in Japan — shaped by altitude, cold, and isolation. These are the 12 dishes that define the region.

→

Price: ¥2,500–3,500 per person. Book in advance for weekend lunch.

Morioka Reimen: The Cold Surprise

Morioka reimen was created in 1954 by Seikichi Aoki, a Korean-Japanese immigrant from Hamhung (in present-day North Korea), who adapted the cold buckwheat noodles of his hometown using locally available ingredients. The Morioka version uses a chewy, translucent noodle made from buckwheat starch and potato starch — distinctly different in texture from standard soba.

The dish: cold noodles in a clear, cold beef broth, topped with kimchi, sliced cucumber, half a boiled egg, and watermelon (in summer). The watermelon is not decorative. It provides a sweet counterpoint to the saline broth and the spice of the kimchi that works so well it has become the defining characteristic of the dish.

The broth is served cold — genuinely cold, not room-temperature. In summer, this is the most refreshing dish in Japan. In winter, it requires a psychological adjustment that is worth making.

Best experienced at: Pyon Pyon Sha (ぴょんぴょん舎), which opened in 1986 and has maintained the most consistent version of the dish. The Nankandori branch near Morioka Station has a walk-in queue system. Seating is usually available within 20 minutes, even on busy evenings.

Jaja-men: The Two-Act Meal

Jaja-men was created in the 1950s by a Morioka restaurant owner who adapted the Manchurian zha jiang mian (noodles with fermented soybean paste) into a local version using a house-made miso paste with pork and ginger.

The dish: hand-kneaded wheat flour noodles (thicker and chewier than soba or udon, with a specific tooth) served with a mound of niku miso (fermented miso paste with ground pork and ginger) and sliced cucumber. The noodles are mixed tableside until the paste coats everything.

The second act: when approximately one portion of noodles remains, request a raw egg from the server. Break it into the remaining paste and noodles, then request a small ladle of hot water from the kitchen. Pour the hot water over the egg-paste mixture and stir until you have a thin, egg-drop-style soup (chatanmen). This is consumed as a finish to the meal. Skipping the chatanmen is understood to be missing the point.

Best experienced at: Shoten (白龍), which has been making jaja-men since 1954 and is credited with creating the chatanmen tradition. The Nankandori location is the original. Queues at lunch on weekends; arrive by 11:30am.

Planning a Three-Noodle Day

All three noodles in a single day is achievable and a legitimate Morioka pilgrimage. Proposed schedule: wanko soba at lunch (11:30am at Azumaya, arrive early), walk the Kaiundori district and Nakanohashi for two hours, jaja-men at late afternoon (4pm at Shoten, before the dinner rush), Morioka reimen for dinner (7pm at Pyon Pyon Sha). Total food spend: approximately ¥6,000. Total carbohydrates: significant.

Getting to Morioka

Tokyo to Morioka by Hayabusa shinkansen: 2 hours 10 minutes. From Sendai: 40 minutes. From Aomori: 40 minutes (by limited express via Hachinohe). Morioka is on the Tohoku Shinkansen mainline and is the junction for the Akita Shinkansen (Komachi line) heading west.

The city centre is walkable from the station. The three noodle restaurants are all within 20 minutes on foot of each other and the station.