Discover what to eat in Yamagata—from the special ita soba noodles and succulent Yonezawa beef to the savory dondonyaki grilled pancake! Let us take you on a tour of the food scene, featuring must-try dishes and top dining spots for a memorable culinary experience.
Yamagata Prefecture, nestled in Tohoku’s bountiful nature, is blessed with pristine natural landscapes, from lush mountains and clear streams to nutrient-rich fertile soil. The result is an abundance of fresh, locally sourced ingredients that shape its distinctive cuisine. Whether it’s the luscious cherries, revered as some of the best in Japan, or the rich and hearty stews perfect for warming up during the cold winters, there is always something delicious to eat, no matter the time of year.
Table of Contents
Yonezawa Beef (米沢牛)
What better way to start your food journey than with some succulent wagyu beef? Yamagata’s prestigious and sought-after Yonezawa beef is considered one of “Japan’s Three Great Wagyu,” alongside Matsuzaka and Kobe. Yonezawa beef is not to be confused with Yamagata beef. The former is limited to the cow farms in Yonezawa, while Yamagata beef can be found all over the prefecture.
There are very specific conditions for being classified as Yonezawa beef, including the breeder living in the Okitama region of Yamagata Prefecture, the cattle being Japanese Black heifers, and the cattle being 32 months or older.
Yonezawa cattle are fed a unique blend of wheat and corn to produce a delectable balance of fat and meat that’s tender, naturally sweet, and rich in flavor.
You can enjoy Yonezawa beef in a wide variety of dishes, including sukiyaki, shabu-shabu, and yakiniku (Japanese BBQ). Alternatively, if you stay at the Takinoyu Hotel in Tendo, you can indulge in a Yonezawa and Yamagata beef-tasting course! After relaxing in their famed onsens, treat yourself to a course filled with beef, seafood, and more. Grill your beef to your liking, then taste and compare the differences!
Imoni (芋煮)
One of Yamagata’s most famous dishes is imoni, a taro and beef stew in a dashi and soy sauce-based broth. It is said that imoni originated in the 1600s when boatmen had to wait days for the consignee to show up. To pass the time, they would make a stew using dried cod from their boats and locally produced taro from the nearby Koshio village. This eventually turned into the present-day imoni.
Imoni, at its core, is a blend of taro, beef, konnyaku, and leeks. However, the beauty of this dish lies in its regional variations. In the Shonai area, on the Sea of Japan side, pork with miso replaces beef, and ingredients like thick fried bean curd, konnyaku, and green onion are added. On the other hand, in the Mogami area, the stew takes on a different character with the use of wild vegetables and mushrooms. You can find this comforting dish in many izakayas and restaurants throughout Yamagata. The imoni at Nakano, a small family run izakaya, was so delicious, I had to have a second portion!
In fact, imoni is so popular that locals often hold imonikai (imoni parties) as the weather starts to get cold late in the year. There’s also an annual riverside festival in September, where a massive 6-meter cauldron of imoni is cooked using over 3 tons of taro to feed over 30,000 guests. Fun fact: in 2018, the festival earned the Guinness World Record for the “Most soup served in 8 hours,” reaching a staggering 12,695 people!
Jingisukan (ジンギスカン)
Many of you may know jingisukan as one of Hokkaido’s most popular dishes. However, it is also very popular in the Zao area. Pieces of lamb are grilled over a dome-shaped grill, along with various vegetables at the base. As the lamb cooks, its juices and fat slowly drips down the grill and onto the vegetables, making them even more delicious!
Head to Barbecue Shirakaba (バーベキュー白樺) for a homely jingisukan meal. I was recommended this restaurant by a local, and it did not disappoint. The set meal came with rice, a variety of side dishes, a mountain of vegetables, and a whole plate of sliced lamb meat. As it is fresh and odorless, the lamb is best enjoyed a little pink, as recommended by the staff.
To cook, place a small piece of lamb fat at the top of the grill. Then, place the vegetables at the bottom and the lamb on the dome part of the grill. The fat will run down the grill, coating the lamb and vegetables. Once the lamb is cooked, dip it into the restaurant’s special homemade tare (sauce) and enjoy! I’ve had many jingisukan meals in Hokkaido, but Barbecue Shirakaba was among the best! It’s a popular restaurant with locals, so a reservation is a must!
Dondonyaki (どんどん焼き)
To truly appreciate dondonyaki, let’s journey back to its birthplace, Tokyo, and the creation of its predecessor, monjayaki. This delectable dish, born in the vibrant shitamachi (working-class area), is a unique blend of flour, sauce, and dashi, topped with a variety of ingredients, including the surprising addition of cheese and mochi. The key distinction between monjayaki and okonomiyaki is the former’s thinner, almost liquid-like consistency.
The problem with monjayaki was that it could not be taken home. It wasn’t until 1938 that creator Kamekichi Oba cooked up a slightly firmer version of monjayaki and rolled it around a wooden stick. As it grew in popularity, the savory pancake was wrapped around a pair of wooden chopsticks to make it easier to eat. Its name came from staff banging on drums (Japanese onomatopoeia “dondon”) outside their stalls to attract customers.
Before you head to Kajo Park to enjoy the cherry blossoms, stop by the Dondon Yaki Snack Shop outside the park’s entrance! Choose from different variations, including cheese, double cheese, and curry. Topped with an okonomiyaki-style sauce and mayonnaise, you can enjoy the classic flavors of monjayaki and okonomiyaki while on the go! It’s a popular shop that’s been visited by many famous personalities, so be sure to get there before they sell out!
Hiyashi Ramen (冷やしラーメン)
If you visit Yamagata in the summer, you must try hiyashi ramen or cold ramen. As the name suggests, it’s a standard bowl of ramen served chilled, often with ice cubes. This dish was first created at Sakaeya Honten (栄屋本店) by the owner, Abe Senshiro, after a customer questioned why they offered cold soba but not cold ramen.
The dish is much more than simply a cold bowl of ramen. Typically, ramen broth is made from chicken or pork bones, whose fat would solidify when chilled. So, Abe dedicated one year to perfecting a secret soy sauce-based soup made with bonito and kelp stock. Even as the ice melts, the flavor does not change!
Sakaeya Honten offers different variations of toppings, including vegetable, chicken, and wonton. The refreshing dish is perfect for filling up on a hot summer’s day.
Ita Soba (板そば)
Another noodle dish, but this time soba. Ita soba is made using unpolished buckwheat and is traditionally served in a shallow wooden box made from straight-grained cedar. Grinding the husks with the soba produces a darker flour, adding more flavor depth and a slightly chewier, rougher texture to the noodle.
My go-to soba restaurant is Shojiya (そば処 庄司屋), about a five-minute walk from Yamagata Station. They offer a wide range of options, whether it’s hot or cold soba, with fantastic tempura and side dishes like dashi tamagoyaki. You can choose between regular or large portions and between regular or ita soba, ensuring a meal that will keep you energized for your travels.
During the late spring and summer, they also have Kanzarashi soba. This special type of soba is unique as whole buckwheat harvested in the autumn is soaked in cold winter water and exposed to cold wind to mature. It’s said that this reduces the soba’s bitterness and astringency, and the aroma and taste become richer.
Cherries
Widely dubbed as the “Fruit Kingdom,” Yamagata is famous for all kinds of fruits, such as pears, grapes, particularly cherries. Cherry cultivation began in 1868 with trees imported from overseas. However, the June rainy season, known as tsuyu, initially posed challenges for successful cherry cultivation. Yamagata’s suitability for producing these ‘red pearls’ is attributed to its short rainy season and the protection provided by surrounding mountains against damaging typhoons.
As cherries come into season in early summer, farms open their grounds to the public for cherry picking. Look out for the ‘Sato Nishiki’ variety, often called the ‘red jewel,’ prized for its plumpness and perfect balance of sweetness and sourness. Its name derives from its founder, Sato Eisuke, who crossbred the Napoleon cherry—known for its firm texture and sour flavor—with the Kidama cherry, which is tender and sweet. Sato Nishiki is so highly desired that at a Tokyo auction in 2023, 500 grams of these cherries sold for a staggering 1.3 million yen!
If you can’t visit during cherry season, don’t worry! Cherry-flavored foods, sweets, and drinks are still available throughout the area.
Tama Konnyaku (玉こんにゃく)
Konnyaku, also known as yam cakes, is a Japanese food product made from Konjac or devil’s tongue. It consists of water (97%), pulverized konnyaku powder, and seaweed powder. It has almost no calories, sugar, fat, or protein. Its lack of flavor means it can absorb flavors from dishes such as oden and sukiyaki.
In Yamagata, konnyaku is shaped into small balls, skewered, and stewed in a soy sauce-based broth for several hours. The konnyaku slowly soaks up all the deep flavors of the broth, becoming salty, sweet, and packed with umami. Served alongside some mustard, it’s an explosion of flavor with each bite.
You can find tama konnyaku stalls at festivals, as well as in some restaurants and izakayas. Alternatively, visit Tanno Konnyaku (丹野こんにゃく), a specialty konnyaku souvenir store, where you can try individual skewers of the famed regional dish alongside seasonal varieties, all for a couple of hundred yen!
Dadacha Mame (だだちゃ豆)
Dadacha beans are a specialty product grown in a specific area of the Shonai region of Yamagata Prefecture. They are a variation of edamame, with only two beans in a pod, smaller than their counterparts, and characterized by their sweetness and rich bean flavor.
They are only grown in a very limited area of Tsuruoka City, where the soil is rich in rhizobia, and the morning mist from the nearby Yujiri River envelops the bean leaves, enhancing their flavor.
You can find fresh dadacha mame from July to September. Otherwise, they are used in various desserts and sweets such as roll cakes, dorayaki, and mochi. Head to a depachika (department store underground floor), where you can find souvenir shops selling a variety of dadacha mame sweets and treats!
Fuuki Mame (ふうき豆)
Fuuki mame is a simple yet delicious snack made by boiling green peas and cooking them with sugar. The result is a fluffy texture and a rich bean flavor with a slight sweetness. It’s a dish that has been enjoyed since the end of the Meiji Era (1868 – 1912).
Fuuki mame are not typically sold in restaurants but rather as souvenirs. Visit Yamadaya Fuukimame Honpo (山田家ふうき豆本舗) to pick up your own box of sweet peas. They use only green peas, sugar, and salt, with no added preservatives, so they last only 3 days. They make an excellent snack for a picnic in the park or if you’re riding the Shinkansen!
Yonezawa Ramen (米沢ラーメン）
There have been quite a few noodle dishes on this list, so what better way to end than with Yonezawa ramen? This delicious bowl features a soy sauce-based broth made from chicken bones and dried sardines.
The star of the show is the noodles, distinct from other ramen varieties due to their higher moisture content. The dough is softened with additional water, then hand-kneaded, rolled, cut, and left to mature for 2-3 days. The result is a curly noodle with a satisfying chew, capable of cradling the broth in its strands.
For a true Yonezawa ramen experience, visit Menkou (めんこう). This renowned restaurant is a haven for ramen enthusiasts, offering a light soy sauce broth rich in flavor, thanks to high-quality chicken bones and sardines used in its preparation. The chashu pork topping strikes a perfect balance of meatiness and melt-in-the-mouth fat. The menma (bamboo shoots) provide a subtle sweetness and satisfying crunch, while sliced negi (green onion) adds a refreshing touch to the dish.
While ramen can often be very oily and rich, Yonezawa ramen offers a unique balance of flavors that is sure to please a variety of palates. It excels in all flavor aspects, from the savory soy sauce-based broth to the satisfying chew of the noodles. Most importantly, it leaves you craving more!
So that concludes Yamagata’s food scene! Whether it’s noodles, meat, or fruits, there’s something for everyone throughout the year. Let me know in the comments what other food guides you’d like to see!
