Local Guide
Recommended lunches in Inawashiro and Urabandai area

The Aizu region, including Inawashiro and Urabandai, is an area rich in nature located almost in the center of Fukushima Prefecture. Fields spread out along the shores of Lake Inawashiro, and buckwheat noodles are one of the specialties of the area. This place rich in the bounty of the earth is also rich in flavor for lunch. From soba noodle stores with long lines to café lunches by herb specialty stores, here are some restaurants where you can taste exquisite dishes made with local ingredients.

Soba noodles made with locally produced flour.

Zarusoba and mini filet mignon with pork cutlet served on top of a bowl of rice
Zarusoba and mini filet mignon with pork cutlet served on top of a bowl of rice" 1,100 yen

This famous soba restaurant is located in a peaceful rural area near the Inawashiro Town Hall. You can enjoy completely handmade Jyuwari Soba made with buckwheat flour, a specialty of the Aizu region. The soba is thin, smooth, and firm. It goes well with the sweet and spicy sauce made from bonito and Rishiri kelp.
Sauce katsu-don, another local delicacy of Aizu Wakamatsu, is a bowl of rice topped with cabbage and a cutlet dipped in sauce. The sauce is homemade and enhances the sweetness of the filet. The zaru soba and katsudon set allows you to enjoy the flavors of the Aizu region all at once.

Not quite a soba restaurant, more like a coffee shop

Jazz is the background music. New soba noodles appear around the end of November every year.
Jazz is the background music. New soba noodles appear around the end of November every year.

It has been open for 34 years in 2019. In the beginning, it was a coffee shop serving light meals and pasta. The owner began serving soba noodles 21 years ago when he started making them as a hobby. The restaurant is always fully booked, even on weekdays, so make sure to go out with plenty of time to spare. The owner humbly explains the reason for the restaurant's popularity as "the mismatch between the image of the restaurant and the soba noodles," but he is always researching, including traveling to Tokyo to visit famous soba restaurants.
It is recommended to enjoy soba with sake from local breweries, such as Hiroki and Kozumusume, which are prepared to the owner's liking.

Kaimono-ya La Neige
  • Address 140-1 Jonan, Inawashiro-cho, Yama-gun, Fukushima MAP
  • Direction 16 minutes walk from JR Inawashiro Station.
  • Direction Take a bus from JR Inawashiro Station and get off at "Inawashiro Town Hall Mae" (about 1 minute walk)
  • Business hours 11:30～14:30
  • Closed Closed on weekends and holidays
  • TEL 0242-62-5070
  • Parking Free of charge

Excellent curry made with spices and herbs

Butter chicken and pork vindaloo
Butter chicken and pork vindaloo "Curry Double" 1,000 yen and "Chicory Cafe au Lait" 550 yen

This café is run by "Flos Herba," which grows more than 30 kinds of herbs in Bandai Town, next to Inawashiro Town. The original menu prepared by the owner, who knows everything about herbs, is very popular. The most popular dish is the cardamom-scented butter chicken curry. It is a sweet tomato-based curry, but the flavor changes drastically when you add a special spiciness made from a mixture of three kinds of hot peppers.
Chicory coffee, a coffee-flavored herbal tea made by roasting the root of chicory, a major herb in France, goes well with the spicy curry.

A store with items to add color to your life

A corner with pottery, linens, and other miscellaneous goods. Don't miss
A corner with pottery, linens, and other miscellaneous goods. Don't miss "GOSHIMA Carpets," the world's finest made-to-order carpet brand from Morocco.

Cafe Chimney Tree" is located inside "Roots Inawashiro," which is operated by a local construction company. Roots Inawashiro" proposes houses, tools, and food that nurture a rich lifestyle in close contact with nature. The building is made of solid wood, and the aroma of wood heals you as you enter the store.
The "Roots shop" on the second floor is a select store based on the concept of "things that can be used with love and care for a long time. The shop offers a collection of high quality items from Japan and abroad, ranging from daily utensils such as pottery made by local ceramic artists to clothing, furniture, and carpets.

Cafe Chimney Tree
  • Address 2748-1 Shimizu-mae, Inawashiro-cho, Yama-gun, Fukushima MAP
  • Direction 10 minutes drive from JR Inawashiro Station
  • Direction Take a bus from JR Inawashiro Station, get off at "Shakunage-daira Iriguchi" and walk about 1 minute.
  • Business Hours 10:00-17:00 (L.O. 16:00)
  • Closed Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays
  • TEL 0120-91-3969
  • Parking Free of charge

Ramen noodles using "mountain salt" with a beautifully clear soup

Aizu Yama-Shio Ramen
Aizu Yama-Shio Ramen" 750 yen

This restaurant is famous for its ramen noodles made with mountain salt extracted from "Oshio Urabandai hot spring", a chloride spring in Kitashiobara Village on the west side of Bandai Mountain. The mountain salt is made by boiling down the hot spring water in a wood-fired oven according to traditional methods, and when tasted, it has a sweet taste with a salty flavor and is rich in minerals. The soup of "Aizu Yama-Shio Ramen" made with this salt and local spring water is clear, easy to drink, and has a soft and pleasant aroma. The flat, coiled noodles, which are specially ordered from a noodle mill in Inawashiro Town, are chewy and smooth, and the tender pork chashu is also excellent.

The restaurant overlooks Lake Hibara, the largest lake in Urabandai.

Located by the lake, with a great view. Outside terrace seating is also available.
Located by the lake, with a great view. Outside terrace seating is also available.

The famous Kitakata ramen restaurant "Kiichi" is the originator of Aizu Yama-Shio Ramen, and since its opening in 2008, the restaurant has been making ramen based on the "Kiichi" recipe. The restaurant is located in the Hibara History Museum by Lake Hibara. It is a reconstructed and reconstructed kanban mansion that was located in an inn town on the Yonezawa highway during the Edo period, and the thick beams and sunken hearths convey the atmosphere of the old mansion. The restaurant is open from 10:00 a.m., but soup is often finished after 2:30 p.m., even on weekdays, so it is recommended to go out well in advance.

Urabandai Ramen Restaurant
  • Address 1034-19 Ramobatazawa, Oaza Hibara, Kitashiobara-mura, Yama-gun, Fukushima MAP
  • Direction Approx. 38 min. by car from JR Inawashiro Station
  • Business hours 10:00 - until the soup runs out
  • Closed Tuesdays
  • TEL 0241-34-2200
  • Parking Free of charge

Hamburger steak made with local ingredients

Hamburger steak set with black pepper
Hamburger steak set with black pepper" 2,400 yen

This Western-style restaurant is located near Onogawa Lake, near the three-way intersection of National Route 459 and Prefectural Route 2. The hamburgers made from Okuaizu black beef and "Keniku Biyori Pork" in the ratio of 7 to 3 are very popular. The most popular dish is the black pepper grill, in which the patties are grilled with plenty of black pepper on them. The demi-glace sauce is made with water from the Bandai Mountains and simmered for a week to create a perfect balance of sweet and sour flavors. The "homemade Kokkemono sherbet" flavored with Grand Marnier sake for dessert is also exquisite.

You can spend a relaxing time in the calm and luxurious atmosphere of the restaurant.

The restaurant is named after Monterey, the owner's memorable place in the U.S.
The restaurant is named after Monterey, the owner's memorable place in the U.S.

This famous Western-style restaurant was established in 1976. The restaurant has a relaxed atmosphere with tables lined with cloths. Terrace seating is also available, and pets are welcome. For a light meal, the "Japanese spaghetti with cod roe" and sandwiches made with bread from the popular local bakery "Sasakitei" are also popular. Because of the chef's desire to offer as much as possible within his reach, there are only six set menus and eight individual dishes, which is not a large number, but all dishes are made with the utmost care, using quality local ingredients as much as possible, and being handmade.

Restaurant Monterey
  • Address 1093 Hibara Kengamine, Kitashiobara-mura, Yama-gun, Fukushima MAP
  • Direction Approx. 25 min. by car from JR Inawashiro Station
  • Direction Take a bus from JR Inawashiro Station, get off at "Onogawako Iriguchi" and walk about 3 minutes.
  • Business hours 9:00-17:00
  • Closed Wednesday
  • TEL 0241-32-2623
  • Parking Free of charge

Bowl of rice topped with Aizu brand horse sashimi

Sakura sakurai donburi (horse-meat bowl)
Sakura sakurai donburi (horse-meat bowl)" 1,840 yen (with sakura soup and a small bowl)

This restaurant specializing in horse sashimi is owned by a butcher store that has been in business for over 80 years. You can simply enjoy the finest horse sashimi certified as an Aizu brand. The meat used is rump, which has the best meat quality among thighs. It is characterized by the rich taste of red meat. In the Aizu region, it is common to eat it with garlic spicy miso mixed with soy sauce. The spicy and tangy taste of homemade garlic spicy miso whets the appetite. A separate plate is included, and you can transfer the horse sashimi from the bowl and dip each piece in the sauce, or eat it however you like. The set's sakura-jiru (sakura soup) made with horse suji meat is also full of vegetables.

Stylish red and white interior

Enjoy horse meat, which is often eaten at festive occasions, in a red-and-white interior.
Enjoy horse meat, which is often eaten at festive occasions, in a red-and-white interior.

The "Sakura Yukke-don" and "Sakura Tataki-don" served with homemade yukke sauce are also popular. The "Horse Croquette" and "Bandaisan Mentshi," which are available only on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays, are also available for takeout. The various parts of the meat on the showcase, such as loin, miseji, and tategami, are also available in 100g increments, so you can order the part you like best.
The Aizu region is the second largest producer of horse sashimi in Japan. Horse meat is considered to be a food of good omen, as it is said to bring "good luck" in the Japanese language. Why not try it in this famous production area?

Okubo Shoten
  • Address 1110-1, Aza-Hanagome, Mitsuwa, Inawashiro-cho, Yama-gun, Fukushima-ken MAP
  • Direction 8 minutes drive from JR Inawashiro Station
  • Direction Take a bus from JR Inawashiro Station, get off at Hideyo Noguchi Memorial Hall and walk about 3 minutes.
  • Business hours Restaurant 11:00-16:00 (winter - 15:00), Shop 10:00-17:00 (winter - 16:00)
  • Closed Wednesdays (Tuesdays and Wednesdays in winter)
  • TEL 0242-23-9279
  • Parking Free of charge
The information in this article is current as of the date of the update. Please check before visiting as they are subject to change.