Slurp up All-you-can-eat Noodles in Morioka

The relationship between Morioka (盛岡市) and noodles are inseparable. Have you ever heard of the three great noodles, which is coined as “Morioka Sandaimen (盛岡三大麵)” in Japan?

1）Reimen (冷麵)

• Made with wheat flour and potato starch

• Served in a spicy chilled soup, with kimchi, boiled egg, a slice of grilled beef

• Topped with a chunk of watermelon or Japanese pear

2）Jajamen (じゃじゃ麺)

• Topped with a miso-mince paste, sliced cucumber, green onion and grated ginger

• Locals either mix this boiled wheat noodle and accent with chilli oil or vinegar, or mix in egg and hot broth to create a soup noodle

3）Wanko soba (わんこそば)

• Served with a small portion of hot soba in a bowl, where 15 bowls equal 1 normal bowl

• Keep refilling the bowl until the customer stops it

• Empty bowls are stacked for achievement commemoration

Back in the Edo era, a local lord was pleased to be served with multiple small bowls of soba. As time went by, this form of hospitality sparked into a fashion of eating challenges. Currently, the official mascot of Morioka is Wanko Kyodai (aka Wanko Brothers), which resembles the mini bowls of buckwheat noodles, making wanko soba an irreplaceable position in this city of Iwate.

Established in 1907, the restaurant Azumaya (東家) nowadays owns several branches around the city centre. Their staff will carry a tray of mini soba servings (aka the wanko). Once the customer slurps it, they will refill the wanko repeatedly. While the customer manages to get through 40 to 60 bowls on average, a woman from Morioka could devour 570 bowls as the unbreakable record.

In 2023, Morioka in Iwate Prefecture (岩手県) being listed on the New York Times' 52 Places-to-go list became such jaw-dropping news for Japanese, one can actually savor the view of Mount Iwate nearby the Yuganse Bridge (夕顔瀬橋), or start an aimless walk in Iwate Park (岩手公園) and Morioka Hachimangu Shrine (盛岡八幡宮) afterwards to help your digestion.

Eat till your insides beg for mercy. The number of bowls you can eat is the age to which you will live? Believe it or not.

Lying in the grass（不來方の）

Of the ruins of Kozukata Castle（お城の草に）

My 15 year old heart（寝ころびて）

Felt as if it was being drawn（空に吸はれし）

Up into the sky（十五の心）

── Takuboku Ishikawa（石川啄木）