Connoisseurs of Japanese noodles must head north to the capital of Iwate Prefecture, home of the “Three Great Noodles of Morioka.”

Criss-crossed by rivers and hemmed in by mountains, Morioka has been nicknamed “the capital of forest and water” for its natural beauty. A generous array of festivals truly makes this city come alive with color and excitement.

Morioka cherry blossoms

Cherry Blossoms in Morioka.

The Ishiwarizakura, or rock-splitting cherry tree, is Morioka’s most intriguingly unique attraction, and a national treasure of Japan. Located on the grounds of the district courthouse, it’s a beautiful 400-year-old cherry tree growing mysteriously through two broken halves of a granite boulder.

The beloved tree is an inspiring sight, especially when change-heralding sakura bloom in the spring.

Three Great Noodles

Famous wanka soba.

With Morioka’s three types of famous noodles, you could eat a different bowl for every meal of the day.

Reimen and jajamen have worldly influences: potato-starch based ramen noodles are based on a Korean dish and often served with kimchi and even a slice of fruit, while tasty jajamen is the local version of Chinese black bean noodles.

But the most interesting dish of all is wanko soba, arguably the most fun and game-like noodle-eating experience you could have.

The thin buckwheat noodles are served in bite-size portions in tiny bowls, but every time you slurp a bowl down, an attentive server will immediately replace it. The noodles are all-you-can-eat, and customers typically compete with each other to see who can stack up the most empty dishes.

Seasonal festivals

The Morioka Sansa Odori Festival.

For a small city, Morioka hosts some spectacularly vibrant and popular festivals.

Chagu Chagu Umakko Festival

On the second Saturday of June, the adorably named Chagu Chagu Umakko Festival sees 100 horses paraded through the streets and hills. Chagu chagu is an onomatopoeia for the sound of tinkling bells, and it’s fitting because the horses are decked out in beautiful traditional decorations.

Morioka Sansa Festival

August 1 to 4 brings the Morioka Sansa Festival, the largest taiko parade in the world. In the pulsing heat of summer, teams of dancers twirl energetically through the streets to the sound of taiko drums and flutes.

Morioka Fall Festival

The Morioka Fall Festival is a shrine festival held annually from September 14 to 16. Floats are paraded through the streets, and a traditional Yabusame ceremony is held at Hachimangu Shrine, where archers shoot targets from the backs of galloping horses.

The parade starts from the shrine at 1 p.m. on the first day of the festival, and at 6 p.m. from Morioka Castle Ruins Park on the second day. The exciting horseback archery kicks off at Hachimangu Shrine at 1 p.m. on the last day of the festival.

Iwate Prefecture hosted two matches during the 2019 Rugby World Cup in nearby city Kamaishi. Check out our Kamishi travel guide to plan your trip! 

No matter if you are a digital nomad or a traveler in Japan, access to good and fast WiFi is a must. If you want to get a couple of hours of work in between your explorations of Nagoya, or just need to check in with your family half a globe away, this list of the best cafes with WiFi in Nagoya will help.

Kyoto is one of the most visited cities for both local and international tourists alike. While exploring the nation’s old capital is fun, there are times where you just want to kick back, relax, and update the ‘gram. Look no further than these cafes with WiFi in Kyoto.

Okinawa has a very different history, culture, and climate than mainland Japan. Known as the Ryukyu Kingdom before being annexed by Japan in 1879, the island chain maintained close relationships with China and Southeast Asia in the centuries when the Japanese mainland was self-confined.

Expect delicious and eclectic dishes when visiting the archipelago from sea grapes to bitter melon and Spam!

1. Rafute (pork belly)

Ohhhh, yesss.

Pork is central to Okinawan cooking. Taking their cues from China, Okinawans have always been big on eating every single part of the easy-to-raise cattle.

The most popular pork dish is rafute, fatty pork belly simmered for hours in a broth of soy sauce, awamori (very strong distilled Okinawan liquor), and brown cane sugar, which is widely grown on the islands. It’s served as thick chunks of meat soft enough to melt in your mouth. Wash it down with a tall glass of awamori—but be careful, because this liquor is dangerous.

2. Goya champuru

Goya Champuru..it’s bitter for your health.

Also known as bitter melon, goya is Okinawa’s signature vegetable. This healthy veggie looks like a wrinkly cucumber and tastes exactly as the name suggests—bitter.

Though used in a multitude of ways, goya champuru is Okinawa’s most famous dish involving goya. It sees the vegetable stir-fried with tofu, eggs, and meat. More often than not, the meat in the mix is Spam, a more recent legacy of the American presence in Okinawa. In fact, you’ll find Spam all over the island as a snack or even for breakfast served with eggs.

3. Okinawa soba

The soba you know and love but with an Okinawan twist.

Unlike traditional Japanese soba made with flat buckwheat noodles, the soba you’ll find in Okinawa uses thick white noodles made from wheat flour. The noodles are typically served in a ramen-like broth, often with slices of rafute pork belly and pieces of kombu (kelp) on top.

Okinawa soba is traditionally a working-class food. Ask a taxi driver where he and his colleagues eat it—those are the best places to enjoy them.

4. Umibudo (sea grapes)

Under the sea…there are grapes.

Umibudo, literally translated as sea grapes, is a dish coming straight out of ancient Okinawa. Those “sea grapes” are actually a type of seaweed forming little bubbles that burst in your mouth. They are also known as “green caviar” and that is what they essentially are.

Umibudo brings a taste straight out of the southern sea to your palate. Usually served with a dressing made of soy sauce and vinegar, it’s one of the defining culinary wonders you will encounter on the islands.

5. Irabu jiru (sea snake soup)

Photo by: Johannes Schonherr Care for seconds?

Irabu are highly poisonous sea snakes known in English as the Black-banded sea krait. On the tiny island of Kudaka, an easy reach from Naha, those snakes are caught by hand by two old ladies. Yes, they are total badasses.

The snakes are smoked and later turned into a delicious soup in the few restaurants on the island. Irabu jiru combines a large chunk of the snake, pork rib, and a good measure of kelp into a nice soup. In the days of the Ryukyu Kingdom, the royals and high priestesses indulged in this dish for its famed rejuvenating properties. Today, it is available to any adventurous gourmand.

If you dig the snake theme, go ahead and sip some habushu—sake made from venomous pit vipers. Did we mention how awamori was dangerous? Habushu is right up there with it.

Hungry for more? Check out the rest of our Famous Food in Japan series. 

In operation since the mid-1700s and boasting more than 180 shops today, the Omicho Market is one of Japan’s most energetic fresh food markets. Vendors noisily shout out their special offers to local shoppers buying supplies for their kitchens and they are always ready to let you taste samples of their wares.

The historic city of Kanazawa, where you’ll find this awesome market, offers a great mix of traditional Japanese culture, modern facilities, and stunningly beautiful landscapes. From the Northern Japanese Alps to the Sea of Japan coast to the rolling hills of the Noto Peninsula stretching out north of the city, there’s plenty to see.

Photo by: Johannes Schonherr Try some of the freshest snow crab in Japan at Omicho Market in November and December.

The Omicho Market brings all these different features of Ishikawa Prefecture right to your plate in the heart of Kanazawa.

Walking around the market

Kanazawa has traditionally been a wealthy city blessed with a rich environment. Hungry locals demand the best of the fish from the Sea of Japan, beef from the nearby Noto Peninsula, and fruits and vegetables grown near the city.

There are no bad choices here, but the plethora of seafood available is really top-notch. Take your pick from squid, octopus, ikura (salmon roe), and even fresh iwagaki (rock oysters) and uni (sea urchins) that you can eat right on the spot.

Photo by: Johannes Schonherr Sea urchin for the brave. The texture is nice and creamy.

The most famous product of the market is the zuwaigani (snow crab) which is in season during November and December. Fishermen take the crabs from the sea just off the coast of Ishikawa and deliver them straight to the market. During this season, Omicho becomes the center of Japan’s snow crab trade. Buy it here, fresh.

If you are especially intrigued with a crab or any of the other seafood on offer but have no access to cooking facilities on your trip, just have the merchant ship it in an icebox to your address or that of a friend’s anywhere in Japan.

Omicho Market restaurants

Crab rice bowl? Shrimp rice bowl? All of the above? Which will you choose?

Now that you’ve gawked at all the mouth-watering seafood for sale, are you ready to eat? The market has plenty of restaurants of all kinds from market booths with just a few benches outside to upscale eateries.

Most of them specialize in seafood, of course! The restaurants typically feature photos of the dishes on offer outside, spelling out the prices right next to them so it should be easy to take your pick.

Take a look around and decide what best appeals to your stomach and your wallet. No Japanese? Check out this English shop and restaurant map from Omicho Market’s official website! Or just order by pointing at the pictures.

Try the kaisendon which is loaded with heaps of raw seafood!

Kaisendon, a variety of raw seafood on rice, is the most popular dish at Omicho Market and for good reason. We’re drooling just thinking about it.

If you’re not feeling that, you can go with just one particular seafood over rice. We recommend kani-don (crab on rice), ikura-don (salmon roe on rice) or uni-don (sea urchin on rice). Enjoy.

There’s more to Japanese food than just fish! Have your sushi and eat it too with our famous food in Japan series. 

Cafes with Wifi are essential for both travelers and digital nomads alike. These shops have what you need, whether you’re looking for a nice spot for remote work or just to check Facebook. Here are our top picks for the best cafes with WiFi in Tokyo.

National brands if all else fails

If you want something more familiar or just aren’t feeling any of the places on this list, look for some of the more common chain shops below. They typically have Wifi, though you may be limited on the amount of time you can use it. No guarantee on outlets.

• Starbucks
• McDonald’s
• Pronto
• Tully’s
• Komeda Coffee
• Miyakoshiya Coffee
• Doutor Coffee
• Ueshimaya Coffee
• Cafe Renoir
• Cafe Miyama
• New Yorkers Cafe

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Hitting up one of these shops? We want to know about it. Tag us on Instagram with #GaijinPotTravel Your post may be featured on our site!

Sushi and ramen have already made culinary waves around the world and, of course, you’ll want to check out the real deal while you’re here. But the fact that this list was so hard to narrow down (and caused a whole lotta’ debate here at GaijinPot) is proof that when it comes to food in Japan, the choice is pretty much endless.

So put on those stretchy pants and let’s go!

1. Sukiyaki and shabu shabu

Sukiyaki is a one-pot dish.

Order plates of your favorite raw meats, cook them in a big pot in the middle with seasonal vegetables in broth and dip them into a sauce of your choosing. Polish it off with some delicious white rice.

The main difference between the two is that sukiyaki is cooked in a sweet and salty broth with a strong flavor while shabu shabu is meat boiled in a clear, seaweed-based broth. Both are pretty classy meals here (especially shabu-shabu) – mainly because of the amount of meat consumed – so watch your wallet as things can get pricey.

Try it

The Kanto and Kansai regions have their competing versions of sukiyaki which vary in ingredients and cooking processes, but you can find it almost everywhere in Japan. While the first-ever shabu-shabu restaurant was in Osaka, you can find a huge range of places offering it across the country from inexpensive chain stops to Michelin-starred options like Imafuku in Tokyo.

2. Katsudon

Comfort food at its finest.

At first sight, katsudon is not the most appealing of dishes aesthetically-speaking, but it sure is tasty. Made with a solid helping of rice, onions, deep-fried pork cutlet (tonkatsu), and eggs poured over the top, this is the ultimate Japanese comfort food.

It’s also become a tradition for Japanese students to eat it the night before taking an exam since “katsu” also means to win. Recently, katsudon has become more familiar to western audiences because of the popularity of the figure-skating anime, Yuri on Ice, and its main character’s obsession with the dish.

Try it

Tonkatsu-specialty restaurants almost always offer up a variety of katsudon as well as the regular tonkatsu dish (the cutlet served with shredded cabbage and a barbecue-style sauce). A sauce-loaded katsudon is really popular in Fukui, but you can find it practically anywhere.

Miso Katsu Yabaton in Nagoya is a regional specialty. There is also Katsuya, a popular fast-food chain where you order via a ticket machine and wolf it all down at a counter lined with businessmen doing the same.

3. Omurice

So simple yet so satisfying.

How can eggs and rice be so darn satisfying? Omurice (an abridged katakana version of “omelet and rice”) is usually mixed with ketchup, stuffed with chicken, rice, and vegetables, and held in a smooth embrace by a simple egg omelet.

Although usually homemade fare, there are plenty of restaurants that feature omurice on their menus or specialize in this most versatile of meals. Favorite variations include demi-glace sauce instead of ketchup and Okinawan style with taco rice.

Try it

You’ll spot omurice on most all-rounder restaurant menus, and it’s also a popular breakfast feature in retro Japanese cafes. It’s the crowd-pleasing equivalent of spaghetti and meatballs.

4. Anago (conger eel)

Anagodon is conger eel baked in a sweet sauce on rice.

Rest assured, this yummy seafood is nowhere near as slippery on your plate as the creature is while alive. For those who aren’t a huge fan of seafood but don’t want to miss out on Japan’s fishy cuisine, anago is perfect as its texture and smell have more in common with meat than your typical seafood. Anagodon is grilled eel in a kind of teriyaki sauce laid on top of steaming rice. It’s a good introduction for the skeptics.

Keep in mind that anago’s freshwater cousin, unagi, is endangered, and you should avoid eating it if you are concerned about sustainability.

Try it

Miyajima in Hiroshima Prefecture is well-known for its delicious anago dishes. You can also find anago in most sushi shops throughout Japan. It’s typically served with sweet sauce instead of wasabi.

5. Karaage (fried chicken)

Eat your heart out, Colonel Sanders.

KFC has nothing on Japan’s version of fried chicken. Technically called tori no karaage, the basic recipe involves boneless, tender chicken thighs, marinated in sauce, and deep-fried. Almost everybody in Japan knows how to make it at home, yet they’ll almost always order it when drinking in an izakaya (Japanese pub). 

Try it

Chicken nanban is the sunny southern version of karaage. It’s served with tartar sauce and is available all across the country, but it’s most famous in Miyazaki, the dish’s place of origin.

6. Onigiri

Classic.

It’s a mystery why delicious and filling onigiri hasn’t swept the world, but you cannot leave Japan without trying one. It’s a cornerstone of Japanese lunchboxes, snacks, and late-night eating. The humble rice ball is a simple concoction of rice and filling that’s shaped into a triangle or ball. They’re usually wrapped in seaweed, which adds a nice, healthy crunch.

Try it

You can find onigiri in every convenience store in Japan for about ¥100 each. Some favorites are tuna and mayonnaise and the sour umeboshi (pickled plum). There are also dedicated onigiri restaurants like Bongo, which serve giant, handmade rice balls with a choice of fresh fillings.

7. Mochi

Mmmm mochi.

Mochi is about as traditional as it gets in terms of Japanese food. Roughly translated as a “rice cake,” mochi is made from glutinous rice, which is traditionally pounded with a large and heavy hammer into a sticky texture.

There are lots of ways to eat mochi—in soup, grilled, stuffed with anko (sweet red bean), or wrapped in an edible leaf for cherry blossom season. Daifuku is a mochi cake usually stuffed with a sweet filling. Not only are these little guys adorable to look at (those pale colors and squishy texture are just too much), they’re also one of the most delicious of the mochi-variants.

Try it

If you want the best of the best, you’ve gotta try strawberry-stuffed daifuku. Head to a food shopping court in the basement of a high-end department store, known as a depachika, for top-quality-guaranteed.

8. Melonpan

Just look at those buns.

A uniquely Japanese bakery sweet, melonpan (i.e., “melon bread”) is a sugary, cookie dough-coated bun in the shape of a cantaloupe melon that doesn’t taste anything like a melon. Variants can be found throughout the country, such as chocolate chip, caramel, and custard filling.

Try it

Melonpan can be picked up anywhere from fancy cafes to your local Seven-Eleven convenience store. Kagetsudo, close to the historic Senso-ji Temple in Asakusa, is famed for its jumbo versions.

9. Anko

Dorayaki filled with anko.

Like lots of ingredients used in making traditional Japanese sweets, anko (red bean paste) isn’t that sweet, and its texture can sometimes be off-putting to foreigners. For those who can get over their initial reservations, there is a whole new world of related goodies for you to try. Take Doraemon’s namesake, dorayaki, for example. 

These mini pancakes are filled with pure red bean goodness and rated by top pastry chefs like Dominique Ansel. How about trying taiyaki next? These cute little fishies come with not only the traditional anko filling but also chocolate, custard, and matcha. Anmitsu, made of agar jelly, topped with anko, and lots of fruit is a classic Japanese dessert beloved by grandpas and grandmas out for an afternoon coffee and a sweet.

Try it

From supermarket cans to artisan vendors, it’s highly likely that you’ll come across ankoin some form or another on your travels. If you’re in Tokyo, Ginza is a reliable place to seek out traditional Japanese wagashi (sweets) in a bubble economy-era setting.

10. Seasonal food

Sakura mochi is extremely popular during cherry blossom season.

Japan loves to boast about having many different seasons. Take the cherry blossom season, for example. From mid-February until the beginning of April, everything is sakura-themed. Everything is mango and cherry-themed during early summer.

Scorching August? Cool down with a peach frappuccino. Christmas? Try a strawberry-packed Christmas cake. Valentine’s Day? Stuff yourself with chocolate! White Day? Stuff yourself with even more chocolate!

Try it

There is always food of some kind that is “in season” in Japan. Once its season is over, it can disappear completely until the next year, so stock up while you can!

For more regional foods, check out our Famous Foods series highlighting Japan’s stellar and unique food culture.

Akita Prefecture is located north of Tokyo and known mostly for its rice farms and sake breweries. In February, the locals throw a huge festival to celebrate demons and scare children called the Namahage Sedo Festival. It’s also a nice place to escape from big cities with nature trails such as the Shirakami Sanchi. After you’ve had enough demons and hiking, chow down on these local Akita delicacies.

1. Kiritanpo (pounded rice)

Eat your heart out, chicken soup.

Kiritanpo is Akita’s pride and joy. It’s made using cooked rice pounded until soft enough to shape into a cylinder. Then, the rice is skewered with Japanese cedar, toasted over an open hearth, and finally slathered in mouth-watering sweet miso paste.

It’s delicious on the go or as a festival food, but you can also skip the miso and serve it in a hot pot with meat and vegetables. Ideally, the chewy snack is eaten in winter after a trip to Akita’s Yokote Kamakura Snow Festival.

2. Iburigakko (smoked radish)

You can’t come to Japan and not try some kind of daikon—it’s the perfect side dish!

Iburigakko is a simple dish with a big flavor. The locals take every-day daikon (radish) and smoke it over a hearth for a few days. Before it’s served, it’s pickled in fermented rice or salt.

This smoking method is unique to Akita, as the rest of Japan typically sundries daikon. Akita’s style came about as a necessity from needing to smoke food to preserve it. Today, iburigakko is famed for its unique smell and savory taste.

3. Inaniwa udon

Japanese udon noodles are serious business.

Godzilla lives in Akita??

It’s a long process, but it’s worth it once you’re slurping down nice and chewy noodles. Whether it’s served hot or cold is entirely up to your preference.

4. Hatahata fish

Photo by:  Akita Shirakami Tourism Starting to get fishy around here.

Hatahata is a species of fish that migrates to Akita’s coast during winter. This was considered a blessing back in the day when food was scarce. At a glance, the fish look a bit slimy since they live in muddy sand and don’t have scales. Akita locals just see that as a bonus because those traits make the fish really easy to catch and cook.

These flavorful fish are prepared in every way imaginable—broiled, fried, pickled, you name it. Even the roe that come from the fish are considered a (very salty) delicacy.

5. Babahera ice cream

Almost too pretty to eat.

You can’t make the trip to Akita and skip babahera ice cream! This homemade ice cream shaped into a rose is just as beautiful as it is tasty. The texture is more similar to sherbet than regular ice cream.

Its name comes from the folks you typically see selling it from pushcarts, baba (old lady), and hera (ice cream scoop). Flavors vary, but banana is the most popular.

Have your sushi and eat it too, with our Famous Food in Japan series. 

Tokushima is a small prefecture southwest of Osaka on the corner of Japan’s smallest island, Shikoku. It’s most known for being the birthplace of Japan’s traditional Awa Odori dance, but there are also natural wonders such as the Whirlpools of Naruto and the unparalleled scenery of Iya Valley. You’re bound to have an appetite after seeing one amazing destination after another, so here are five famous foods you’ll find in Tokushima.

1. Awa no sanchiku (grilled meat)

Grilled awa odori chicken.

Tokushima was once called the Awa Province. The region’s agriculture is highly regarded, especially its meat. Awa no sanchiku, or “Awa’s three livestock,” refers to the prefecture’s beef, pork, and chicken which is some of the very best in Japan.

Awa beef has a soft, sometimes chewy, texture and sweet flavor. The pork is savory and contains moderate fat. Tokushima chickens—or Awa Odori chickens because their movements resemble the Awa Odori dance—graze freely. This gives their meat a low-fat content and a lot of umami flavor.

2. Tokushima ramen

The signature raw egg really makes this ramen.

Tokushima ramen comes in three colors—brown, yellow, and white. Brown soup uses tonkotsu (pork bone broth) combined with heavy soy sauce and is usually topped with a raw egg. You’ll fall in love at first bite, trust us.

Discover Tokushima!

The toppings are pretty much the same, but all three colors taste sweet and salty. If you’re near Tokyo and want to try Tokushima ramen, drop by Inotani at the Shin-Yokohama Ramen Museum.

3. Naruto kintoki (sweet potatoes)

Photo by: T-mizo Gold and fluffy.

Tokushima’s out of this world sweet potatoes have been cultivated in the region for centuries. The most famous variety, kintoki-imo (golden potato), comes from Naruto City and is named after the Japanese folk hero Kintaro the golden boy. These have a fluffy texture and high sugar content for extra sweetness.

In Tokushima, you’ll find these sweet potatoes fried, boiled, steamed, and even turned into pudding and ice cream.

4. Dekomawashi (grilled skewers)

Photo by: MK · Photography Follow It’s grilling time.

This traditional Iya Valley dish comes from Tokushima’s Miyoshi City. The dish is simply skewered Iya potatoes, tofu, and konjac slathered in miso and roasted over an open flame. The name comes from the Japanese words for puppets (deko) and the action of turning something over (mawashi). The ingredients stacked on top of each other resemble the deko puppet. Often paired with river fish, dekomawashi is sweet and savory.

5. Kaizoku ryori (pirate food)

Eat what you want because you’re a freaking pirate.

Kaizoku ryori (pirate food) originated in Tokushima with shell divers and fisherman grilling their hauls right on the beach. Today, you can find restaurants around Tokushima’s ports and beaches serving up grilled mollusks, lobsters, shrimp, and abalone.

One of the more popular kaizoku ryori restaurants is Shishikui in Tokushima City. It’s a bit pricey at around ¥8,000 per person, but if you find yourself craving high-quality seafood, it doesn’t get much better than this.

Wondering what else to eat around Japan? Check out more of our famous foods series for ideas!

Located in Japan’s northern Tohoku region, Fukushima Prefecture is well-known among Japanese people for its beautiful landscapes, turquoise lakes, and feudal history. It was one of the last strongholds of the samurai fighting imperial rule, and it’s home to Ouchi-juku, one of the best-preserved Edo era villages in Japan.

With all this history on display, it goes without saying you’ll find some of the best traditional delicacies in Fukushima.

1. Kozuyu

Happy birthday?

Kozuyu is Fukushima soul food. While each household has its favorite recipe, it’s a broth typically served with carrots, bamboo shoots, mushrooms, konjac, and, most importantly, dried scallops. All these ingredients combined provide a hearty meal, packed with vitamins and nutrients. It’s such a local favorite you’ll find it served on holidays, at religious ceremonies, and even on birthdays.

2. Enban Gyoza

Photo by: Wikimedia Commons So round. So crispy.

There are a couple of different ways to prepare gyoza. Boiled, steamed, pan-fried, everyone has a preferred style. In Fukushima, you’ll often find the gyoza of choice to be Enban (disk). It’s gyoza that’s fried extra crispy on a round hotplate until the bottom fuses into a round disk. Other than that, you’ll find your typical fillings of pork and vegetables, but the extra crunch makes it so much more satisfying.

3. Nishin no sansho zuke

Herring drying in the sun.

Nishin is the Japanese word for herring, one of Japan’s favorite fish. Fukushima likes to dry them, layer them with sansho peppers, and finally pickle them in spirits made from sauce, sake, sugar, and vinegar. It has a strong taste, and it isn’t for everyone. But pair it with some Fukushima sake, and you’ll be dining just like the locals.

4. Kitakata ramen

One of Japan’s three major ramen noodles.

Plan your trip to Fukushima!

Its broth is a combination of soy sauce, tonkotsu (pork bones), and sardines. You’ll almost always find it topped with a huge portion of chashu (sliced pork).

5. Negi soba

Starbucks may have paper straws, but do they have leek spoons?

Sure. You could eat soba (buckwheat noodles) with chopsticks. Heck, you could even eat it with a fork and spoon. But if you’re visiting Fukushima, you better be prepared to eat it with a leek. This dish has a long history, but the tradition of eating soba with leeks is said to have originated in Ouchi-juku when a restaurant used leeks to add an extra layer of flavor.