THE TOHOKU REGION, located in the northeastern part to the northernmost tip of Honshu, offers up a diverse collection of six prefectures that take in everything from coast to mountains. The area is famed for its stunning countryside, hot springs and lakes, and the rice produced here is considered some of the most delicious in the country, especially hitomebore from Sendai,
the capital city of Miyagi Prefecture, and akitakomachi from Akita. Given its size, there are numerous unique dishes on offer, many of them featuring the aforementioned rice; one such dish is kiritanpo, cooked rice that is kneaded and then toasted on a skewer and subsequently added to soups. Another dish unique to the area is the comically named Wanko Soba, a favourite of Iwate Prefecture, which involves mouthful-sized servings of buckwheat noodles being flung into the bowls of diners by a server as each one is finished; they repeat the process until the diner is full,
sometimes after 50 to 60 serves. MUST-TRY BITES: Sasakamaboko is a steamed fish paste that is a specialty of Miyagi Prefecture, especially Sendai; it’s a popular gift or souvenir. MUST-SEE SIGHTS: Tohoku has a fascinating samurai history; visit Kitakami in Iwate Prefecture, Aizuwakamatsu in Fukushima Prefecture and the lovely town of Kakunodate in Akita Prefecture.
