A Food and Drink Guide to Tōhoku, Home to Japan’s Best Sake and Wagyu

The internationally famous food scenes in major Japanese cities like Tokyo and Kyoto, with their hundreds of Michelin stars, tend to attract a lot of attention and tourists. But these culinary centers are only possible thanks to Tōhoku, a mountainous region located a couple hours north of the capital by bullet train, which supplies much of the country’s finest produce and seafood, and boasts a landscape — snow-dusted peaks, endless green fields — that looks straight out of Hayao Miyazaki’s anime My Neighbor Totoro.

Outside of Japan, people may be familiar with Tōhoku from the earthquake and tsunami that struck the area in 2011. The disaster took thousands of lives, precipitated the nuclear accident in Fukushima Prefecture, and destroyed homes, fisheries, and rice paddies. Japan launched an immense cleanup effort, and fishermen and farmers have since regained consumer trust in their food (which is proven safe to eat). Fourteen years after the disaster, Tōhoku has reemerged with a thriving culinary scene, including many restaurateurs who moved back to the area with a renewed sense of pride in their hometowns.

Today, Tōhoku is becoming an increasingly popular dining destination in its own right, especially in the summer, when it attracts travelers and locals seeking respite from Japan’s humid, crowded metropolises. The pristine environment is ideal for harvesting and producing wagyu cattle, uni, rice, sake, peaches, tomatoes, apples — the list goes on. Local chefs turn it all into dazzling meals for a fraction of the price of a night out in a major city. It’s just the bullet train ticket for a countryside escape.

What is the food like in Tōhoku?

Spread across the northeasternmost portion of Honshu, Tōhoku consists of six prefectures: Akita, Aomori, Fukushima, Iwate, Miyagi, and Yamagata. They each produce their own culinary specialties, but there are some common threads.

Together, they produce 30 percent of Japan’s rice, with the most flavorful grains coming from Akita and Yamagata. Lots of that rice becomes sake; Fukushima Prefecture is nicknamed the “sake kingdom” because of its production, and you can visit feudal-era breweries in castle cities like Aizuwakamatsu.

There’s also a thriving fishing industry. The dramatic Sanriku coastline, which stretches about 100 miles along the Pacific Ocean in northeastern Tōhoku, is considered one of the world’s best fishing grounds because it lies at the crossroads of three mineral-rich currents.

Then there’s the produce: watermelon in Takizawa; aromatic peaches and apples in Fukushima; cherries, pears, and grapes in Yamagata; and strawberries in Miyagi (nicknamed “edible jewels” that sell for $10 USD a piece).

What to know before you go

Iwate wagyu: Wagyu beef, made from four specific breeds of Japanese cattle, is often referred to by its geographic origin, such as the world-renowned Kobe beef from Hyōgo Prefecture. Although its label may be less familiar internationally, Tōhoku’s Iwate beef has repeatedly received the top prize at the Tokyo Meat Market, an annual contest that draws the country’s leading ranchers, and Iwate wagyu from Japanese shorthorn cows is especially well-regarded.

Hoya: The shallows of Sanriku are home to an unusual ascidian called hoya, also known as a sea squirt or sea pineapple, which is found only in these waters and reaches peak season in the summer. Resembling a bright red human heart, hoya is eaten raw or cooked, and has a strong, bittersweet, clam-like taste.

Kōji: In addition to being a top rice-growing region, Tōhoku has long been a leading manufacturer of kōji, or rice inoculated with a mold culture. The fermented substance is crucial for unlocking savory and sweet flavors in soy sauce, mirin, miso, sake, and other staples. Look for kōji products by Fukushima’s Horaiya Honten such as amazake, a milky malt rice beverage.

When to visit: Tōhoku’s parks transform into fields of cotton candy when cherry blossoms bloom around mid-April to early May, a little later than most of Japan due to the cooler temperatures up north. Gather friends for a picnic near the elegant Hirosaki Castle in Aomori Prefecture, where 2,600 blossoming trees include specimens planted by the Tsugaru clan in 1715.

As spring turns to summer, the weather becomes sunny but not too humid, the region’s famous produce is at its ripest, and the blue-green waters teem with all sorts of seafood. Come in early August for the Three Great Summer Festivals — the Nebuta Matsuri in Aomori, the Kanto Matsuri in Akita, and Sendai’s Tanabata Matsuri — which feature eye-popping displays of neon floats, lanterns stacked on poles, and giant streamers, respectively, as well as processions of musicians and dancers. At each celebration, visitors can take part in rituals, like hanging a paper fishnet at Tanabata Matsuri, to ensure plentiful catches and harvests in the fall.

Where to eat in Tōhoku

Fukushima Prefecture

Located 30 minutes south of Fukushima City, the mountainous castle town of Nihonmatsu has been Tōhoku’s sake center since feudal-era Japan. The descendants of samurai, who founded the brewery in 1752, continue to run Daishichi, where you can try a flight of sake made with the traditional, labor-intensive kimoto method. The nearby Okunomatsu Brewery was established by a family of ronin (masterless samurai) in 1716, but the current owners proudly produce sake with cutting-edge tech. Nihonmatsu is also home to Kunitaya, a small miso factory established in the Edo era, where a wood-beamed storehouse now serves as Kura Cafe; the cafe’s homestyle lunches include zaku zaku soup with cubed vegetables, sagohachi pickles, and miso-stuffed onigiri in flavors such as yuzu citrus or ginger.

An hour’s drive west takes you to Kitakata, which has the most ramen shops per capita in Japan. Since 1927, Genraiken has specialized in a light yet multifaceted, soy sauce-based soup with chewy, medium-thick noodles, while Ban Nai draws lines for its nearly clear broth made from mountain water and slices of simmered pork belly. Travel an hour southeast to contrast Kitakata’s lightweight style with Kōriyama’s nearly black, soy sauce-based ramen. Masuya and Masuhan were the first restaurants to introduce this dark yet surprisingly mellow version, and it has become a rising star for ramen fans.

Finally, stop by Road Station Namie, one of the heartfelt projects that helped revive Fukushima’s culinary scene following the 2011 earthquake. The friendly roadside station preserves the food and art traditions of Namie, a seaside town of artisans, serving up seasonal dishes like summertime whitebait rice bowls, alongside cold beer from local Suzuki Brewery.

Akita Prefecture

Bordered by the Sea of Japan and snow-capped Ōu Mountains, Akita is a favorite summer spot for Tokyoites looking to beat the heat. In 2021, Shuhei Okazumi transformed an abandoned Oga City train station into craft brewery Ine to Agave, which produces sake sweetened with agave syrup, alongside koji mayo and soft serve made from sake lees. Guests can find the brewery’s sake, paired with dishes made from Akita ingredients, at Tsuchi to Kaze.

Summer visitors also cool down by slurping cold Inaniwa udon, a local speciality since the 1660s. Thinner than standard udon (but just as soft and chewy), Inaniwa udon is best enjoyed cold with a side of metsuyu (soy, sake, and mirin) and sesame dipping sauce at Sato Yosuke, which has been doling out hand-stretched noodles for eight generations.

Or go for babahera ice cream, a flower-shaped dessert named after the baba (grandmothers) that shape the petals with a hera (spatula). You’ll find parasol-covered pushcarts on roadsides all summer, as well as at Roadside Station Futatsui. Try a classic scoop of pink strawberry with yellow banana, intricately arranged into a rose.

Miyagi Prefecture

Sendai in Miyagi Prefecture is Tōhoku’s largest city and the birthplace of gyūtan: sliced beef tongue cooked over charcoal or wood fire, served with oxtail soup, barley rice, and pickled vegetables. In 1948, chef Keishiro Sano learned about the flavor possibilities of beef tongue from a French colleague and developed a Japanese version of the dish at Aji Tasuke. Today, restaurant Gyūtan Kaku stands out for preparing the meat in thick, juicy slices with crisp outer layers.

Once you’ve accomplished the requisite beef tongue feast, join Sendai’s residents in strolling around the city’s thoroughfares lined with green Japanese zelkovas while snacking on traditional bites. Look for sasakama, a skewered, grilled fish cake shaped like a bamboo leaf that can be customized with savory toppings or fillings, such as rock salt and cheese. Then satisfy your sweet tooth with zunda mochi, a soybean rice cake that originated in Sendai that’s especially popular in the summer; vendors mash freshly harvested edamame with sugar and salt into a vivid green paste, before molding it into a chunky rice cake. You can find these snacks and more at Sendai Station, or in livelier neighborhoods such as Jōzenji and Aoba Streets.

Picturesque Ishinomaki has been an important port city since the 1620s, and it’s now home to the world’s longest fish market, where boats deliver catches like coveted Matsushima oysters and Ezo abalone. After a raucous auction over colorful creatures displayed in rows of containers, the fishermen grab lunch at Genki Shokudo, a no-frills cafeteria that doles out generous portions of sardine ramen and rice bowls overflowing with red salmon roe. For dinner, visit chef Masateru Imamura, who moved to Ishinomaki to volunteer after the 2011 disaster; he transforms the freshest catch of the day into an elegant, multicourse kaiseki dinner at Imamura featuring dishes like mackerel with edamame and couscous.

Iwate Prefecture

Iwate’s spring water and circular farming practices are a winning combination for beef. Experience the nuances of Iwate wagyu at yakiniku restaurant Ginga Rikyu, where diners lightly grill various types of raw beef slices before dipping them in sauces like apple-ginger to bring out the umami. If you’re visiting in the summer, be sure to try hoya, aka sea pineapple, in ramen or fried rice at homey Hamanasu-Tei.

A food tour of Iwate is not complete without trying the Three Great Noodles of Morioka: wanko soba, jajamen, and reimen. Visitors flock to Azumaya Soba Shop, founded in 1907, for all-you-can-eat wanko soba; servers stack emptied bowls while chanting the nonsensical encouragement: “Jan jan, don don!” Just don’t try to break the record of bowls finished in a single sitting — it’s 570.

Although jajamen is eaten year-round, the hearty noodles are particularly satisfying during Morioka’s icy winters. Inspired by China’s zhajiangmian, the dish mixes thick udon-like noodles with a miso meat sauce and sliced cucumber or pickled vegetables. Try the original jajamen at Pairon, with hot chile sauce and grated garlic added to suit your taste.

In the summer, residents cool down with reimen, a cold noodle dish similar to North Korean naengmyeon. Seirokaku serves the chewy semitranslucent noodles in a refreshing beef broth, along with house-made kimchi that stains the soup bright red.

Tōhoku’s best hotels for food lovers

Hotel Juraku

Iizaka Onsen, a hot springs town situated 30 minutes from Fukushima City, has been a beloved nature getaway for over a thousand years. That’s where you’ll find Hotel Juraku, where suites are outfitted with short-legged chabudai tables, sliding screens, tatami mats, and windows overlooking the Surikami River. Soak in the shared onsen baths filled with spring water before wrapping yourself in a yukata robe and filling up on gyoza and grilled fish at the extensive international buffet. Rooms start at $174.
27-27 Nishitakinomachi, Iizakamachi, Fukushima City, Fukushima Prefecture 960-0201

Hotel Metropolitan Morioka

Hotel Metropolitan is located steps from Morioka’s main railway station, making it an excellent home base for exploring the city’s noodle shops. The breakfast buffet also showcases local products of Iwate, so be sure to try the sekai ichi apple slices, milk, and yogurt from nearby farms, and Hitomebore short-grain rice with a slightly sticky texture. The Metropolitan’s in-house restaurants also feature seasonal offerings like conch and simmered mushrooms. Rooms from $68.
1-44, Moriokaekimaedori, Morioka, Iwate Prefecture 020-0034

Saryou Souen

Just like Emperor Kinmei, who traveled to Miyagi’s Akiu Onsen hot springs to treat skin ailments 1,500 years ago, seek out the healing waters of the Natori River. Bask in the stylish Saryou Souen resort, which resembles an ancient scroll painting complete with a Zen garden, koi pond, and waterfalls. A seasonal dinner in your room is the perfect end to a day at the bubbling open-air baths. Accommodations from $1,330.
Aza Kamado Higashi, Yumoto, Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture 982-0241

Hotel El Faro

Hotel El Faro is made up of about 40 mobile homes, leftover emergency houses for people displaced by the 2011 tsunami that were upcycled into cozy accommodations. El Faro, which means “lighthouse” in Spanish, is now a beacon for travelers in Tōhoku. Wake up to natto, nori, and miso soup at the homey on-site restaurant, or fire up a grill in the barbecue area for a DIY dinner beneath the mountains. Rooms begin at $81.
2-1-2, Onagawa, Onagawa-cho, Oshika-gun, Miyagi Prefecture 986-2265

La Carmina is an award-winning travel/food/subcultures blogger and journalist who writes for the New York Times, Travel + Leisure, and National Geographic, among others. She hosts TV shows worldwide — including Travel Channel and Food Network programs in Japan — and has published several books with Simon & Schuster and Penguin Random House. Follow her adventures in over 70 countries @LaCarmina.