[Yamagata] 5 Japanese soba noodles to try in the Yonezawa and Okitama areas

• Table of Contents
• 1. [Yonezawa City] A famous restaurant that has been in business since the samurai era: "Yonezawa Domain Official Soba Konaya Kotaro"
• 2. [Yonezawa City] Soba-making experience is also popular! "Magariya Nadera" where soba noodles are grown and flour is made in-house
• 3. [Yonezawa City] Hearty soba noodles and rice cakes! "Denemon"
• 4. [Shirataka Town] "Senri-an" - Delicious 100% buckwheat noodles!
• 5. [Nanyo City] A famous restaurant nestled in the mountains: "Kotaki Soba Yukariya"
• Experience the deep world of soba in the Yonezawa and Okitama areas!

1. [Yonezawa City] A famous restaurant that has been in business since the samurai era: "Yonezawa Domain Official Soba Konaya Kotaro"

Located a 20-minute walk from Uesugi Shrine, "Yonezawa Domain Official Soba Konaya Kotaro" is a long-established soba restaurant with over 300 years of history, making it a rare and valuable soba restaurant nationwide.

300 years ago, Japan was in the Edo period (1603-1868), an era when samurai existed. The first owner, Konaya Kotaro, is said to have received permission from the Yonezawa Domain and started business as an udon shop owner. Owners of this udon shop owner's stock were exempt from taxes and were responsible for preparing meals for soldiers on the battlefield. It was truly a soba restaurant catering to the Yonezawa Domain.

The store has moved to its current location over the last 100 years, and the tasteful furnishings and beautifully maintained garden add to the store's prestige.

The current signature dish is "Wariko Soba" (5 layers, 1,980 yen *as of October 2024). Wariko is a vermilion lacquerware that can be stacked in several layers. The soba noodles are served in the wariko, and different ingredients are placed on each layer. At Konaya Kotaro's wariko soba, the ingredients are also placed in small wariko, so you can eat with excitement, wondering what's inside.

As it was autumn when we visited, the top tier was topped with chrysanthemums and walnuts. Boiled edible chrysanthemums are a popular autumn delicacy in Yamagata, but it was a new discovery to discover that they also go well with soba noodles. The combination of smooth soba noodles and various ingredients that change with the seasons makes this a truly enjoyable dish.

As one of the oldest restaurants in Yonezawa, there are many regular customers who have been coming here for many years. Some customers have visited for the first time in decades when they returned to Yonezawa, so it seems to be a place of refuge for local residents. Why not enjoy some delicious soba noodles at this famous restaurant that has been in business since the samurai era and think back on the history of the castle town of Yonezawa?

[Store Information]

・Business hours: 11:30-19:00 (ends when sold out)
・Closed on Mondays
・Address: 5-3-19 Chuo, Yonezawa City, Yamagata Prefecture, 992-0045
・Access: Approximately 8 minutes by car from Yonezawa Station / Approximately 30 minutes on foot
・Tel: 0238-21-0140
・Payment method: Cash
・Language support: Japanese

Click here for the "Konaya Kotaro" homepage

2. [Yonezawa City] Soba-making experience is also popular! "Magariya Nadera" where soba noodles are grown and flour is made in-house

"Magariya Nadera" in Yonezawa City is a soba restaurant that is particular about using home-grown and home-floured soba. In addition to regular business, they also offer soba-making experiences.

The shop features a distinctive thatched roof and is a relocated old house that was once used as the home of a wealthy local farmer. There is an irori hearth in the center of the shop, giving you a glimpse into the lifestyle of old-time Japanese people.

This time, I ordered the "Kamonabe Soba" (regular size 1,210 yen *as of October 2024), which is especially good to eat in the cold season. The cold soba noodles are dipped in hot duck broth. The pot containing the fragrant duck broth is served on the stove, so you can enjoy the flavor and firmness of the hot broth and cold soba noodles until the very end.

Another recommendation is "Kaimochi" (770 yen *as of October 2024). Kaimochi is a local dish from the inland area of Yamagata Prefecture, made by adding buckwheat flour to water and kneading it over a fire. It is a dish that allows you to enjoy the rich aroma of buckwheat and its fluffy, chewy texture.

Taste the soba you made yourself on the spot! You can even try making soba noodles yourself!

Enjoying the delicious soba noodles at the restaurant is a special experience, but Nadera also offers a soba noodle making experience where you can taste the soba noodles you have made yourself. You don't need to bring anything with you, and you will be taught carefully from the very beginning, so even beginners can feel at ease. One set makes enough for 3-4 people, so it is recommended for family trips or group trips.

Soba noodles are made from buckwheat flour through the processes of kneading, rolling, and cutting.

At the end of the experience, we boiled the soba noodles we wanted to eat and then we ate them! Although they looked clumsy, the taste of the soba noodles we had made with our own hands was a special joy and a great impression.

As the owner says, "The experience is over until you eat it," and the experience of eating the soba noodles you have made yourself will be an irreplaceable memory.

You can enjoy the delicious soba noodles at the restaurant, or try your hand at making soba noodles. Please enjoy Nadera's soba noodles in whichever way you like.

[Store Information]

・Business hours: 11:00-15:00
・Closed on Tuesdays
・Telephone number: 0120-38-4636
・Address: 211 Sasanohonmachi, Yonezawa City, Yamagata Prefecture, 992-1445
・Access: 15 minutes by car from Yonezawa Station
・Payment method: Cash
・Language support: Japanese

Click here for the "Magariya Nadera" homepage

[Soba noodle making experience] *Must make a reservation in advance by phone

・Time required: Approximately 90 minutes ・Experience fee: 1 set (serves 3-4) 4,200 yen (tax included)
・Number of participants: 2 to 40 people ・What to bring: None (aprons are available for rental)

3. [Yonezawa City] Hearty soba noodles and rice cakes! "Denemon"

Denemon, located a 12-minute walk from Yonezawa Station and a 20-minute walk from Uesugi Shrine, is a popular restaurant that serves not only Japanese soba noodles, but also rice cakes made with locally grown rice.

Particularly popular is the restaurant's eponymous "Denemon Soba (1,600 yen *as of October 2024)." This highly satisfying dish comes with four types of soba noodles topped with grated daikon radish, mekabu (seaweed), tororo (grated yam), and shrimp tempura, as well as rice cakes. Just looking at it will get you excited.

The soba noodles are made with buckwheat flour from Minamihara district, Yonezawa city. The locally milled buckwheat flour is what makes the noodles so fragrant. The portion of noodles is a little large for 1.5 people, but I was able to finish it in no time while enjoying the four different flavors.

You can choose from three types of mochi in your set: mochiten, jindan mochi*, and anko mochi.
*"Jindan" is a local dish made from mashed edamame beans seasoned with sugar and a little salt.

At the time of this article, I chose the mochiten. The combination of the crispy batter and soft mochi was excellent, and it was also delicious when the batter was soaked in the broth.

Apparently, Mochiten was officially added to the menu after the owner, Hirayama-san, started eating mochi tempura. Another popular dish, Mochiten Zouni, has won multiple championships at the ”Y-1 Grand Prix”, a food contest held in Yonezawa City.

There are two types of seating inside the restaurant: table seats and tatami-mat seating. There is also a storehouse-style seating area that can be used for banquets.

Denemon is easily accessible from Yonezawa's tourist hub, so why not try some locally produced soba noodles and rice cakes?

[Store Information]

・Business hours: 11:00~14:30 / 17:00~19:00
・Closed on Mondays (except for public holidays)
・Address: 2-74 Aioicho, Yonezawa City, Yamagata Prefecture, 992-0032
・Access: 12 minutes on foot from Yonezawa Station
・Telephone: 0238-22-7804
・Payment method: Cash
・Language support: Japanese

4. [Shirataka Town] "Senri-an" - Delicious 100% buckwheat noodles!

Although it is located about a 50-minute drive from Yonezawa Station, Senrian in Shirataka Town is a famous restaurant that attracts soba lovers from all over the country and is definitely worth a try.

The restaurant is fully booked as soon as it opens, even on weekdays. It is so popular that sometimes it sells out in the early afternoon.

The menu is simple, with only "Morisoba" (900 yen) and "Okawari" (700 yen) (prices as of October 2024). If you want to eat a lot, be sure to order "Morisoba" and "Okawari" at the same time.

The 100% buckwheat soba noodles, which do not contain any additives, are so delicious that you will want to savor them without adding any sauce or condiments. The smooth texture and firmness of the noodles are very pleasant, and the more you chew them, the more you can taste the natural sweetness of the soba.

What supports this unique deliciousness is the dedicated craftsmanship of the owner, Endo-san. To master the art of making 100% buckwheat soba, which requires a high level of skill, Endo-san kept making the noodles morning, noon and night, going through many trials and errors. Furthermore, because the quality of the buckwheat flour greatly affects the quality of the 100% buckwheat soba, Endo-san continued to search for the ideal buckwheat flour. Then, miraculously, he came across buckwheat flour from Yamato-machi, Fukushima Prefecture. Endo-san was shocked to find that it was possible to make long 100% buckwheat soba without any binders. Since then, Senri-an has continued to use buckwheat flour from Yamato-machi.

It has been just under 30 years since the restaurant opened. The soba noodles here are the result of a long history of dedication to both technique and ingredients. Please come and enjoy the full flavor of the soba noodles.

[Store Information]

・Business hours: 11:00~14:00 (ends when sold out)
・Closed on Wednesdays
・Address: 1656 Hirono, Shirataka-machi, Nishiokitama-gun, Yamagata Prefecture, 992-0851
・access
By car: Approximately 50 minutes from Yonezawa Station.
By public transport: Take the Yonesaka Line from Yonezawa Station and get off at Imaizumi Station. From Imaizumi Station, take a taxi for approximately 25 minutes.

・Telephone: 0238-87-2087
・Payment method: Cash
・Language support: Japanese

5. [Nanyo City] A famous restaurant nestled in the mountains: "Kotaki Soba Yukariya"

"Kotaki Soba Yukariya" in Nanyo City is also a popular restaurant that is crowded with many customers every day, even though it is located in the mountains. It is about a 50-minute drive from Yonezawa Station.

The store, which was renovated from an old house built over 80 years ago, exudes a good old Japanese atmosphere. It was originally a lumber store, so it has a relaxing atmosphere with an abundance of wood.

This time, I had the Yamagata specialty, the cold meat soba "Furuppa Soba" (750 yen *as of October 2024). "Furuppa" refers to a parent chicken, and the soba is topped with thinly sliced chicken. The unique crunchy texture of the parent chicken, which has a firmer texture, and the concentrated umami are irresistible.

The thin soba noodles are made using buckwheat flour from the "Dewakaori" variety, an original variety from Yamagata Prefecture, and are mixed well with the chicken stock-flavored broth. You can also order hot meat soba, but to enjoy the original firmness of the soba, cold meat soba is recommended.

As the owner says, "I want to be a restaurant where customers can come several times a week," the light yet rich chicken flavor of the meat soba is a timeless dish that you'll want to eat again and again. The soup is also so delicious that you'll want to drink it all up.

Yukariya is a restaurant that focuses on ingredients and aims to be a restaurant that will satisfy your stomach at a reasonable price. If you visit, you will surely feel the warmth of the owner. Why not spend some time satisfying both your stomach and your soul in an old house surrounded by nature?

[Store Information]

・Business hours: 11:00~14:00 (ends when sold out)
・Closed on Thursdays and Fridays
・Telephone number: 0238-41-2033 *Please contact us before 11:00 or after 14:00.
・Address: 1425 Kotaki, Nanyo City, Yamagata Prefecture, 992-0581
・access:
By car: Approximately 50 minutes from Yonezawa Station.
By public transport: Take the Ou Main Line from Yonezawa Station and get off at Akayu Station. From Akayu Station, take a taxi for approximately 23 minutes.

・Payment method: Cash
・Language support: Japanese

Click for the "Kotaki Soba Yukariya" homepage

Experience the deep world of soba in the Yonezawa and Okitama areas!

The soba you can eat at restaurants in the Yonezawa and Okitama area is filled with the passion of artisans who have treasured the local food culture along with a long history. By visiting multiple restaurants and experiencing different ways to enjoy soba, you will be able to feel the depth of Japanese soba even more. If you visit Yonezawa and Okitama, be sure to enjoy the deliciousness of soba nurtured by the local climate.

If you would like to know more about how to access Yonezawa and how to get around the city, please also check out the article below.