
Shirakawa City is located in the south-central part of Fukushima Prefecture.
It is popular as a place to live because it has cool summers and a comfortable climate all year round. Another attractive feature is its easy access to central Tokyo, which is only 70 minutes away by Tohoku Shinkansen.
This time, we will thoroughly explain the characteristics and appeal of Shirakawa Ramen, a local B-class gourmet food from Shirakawa City!
Shirakawa ramen is a ramen that represents Shirakawa, with chewy, hand-made, wide, curly noodles and a rich, flavorful soup.
The soup is soy sauce based and has a clear and refreshing taste.
The history of Shirakawa ramen dates back to the Meiji period.
At the time, ramen stalls were the norm for ramen restaurants, but in 1887, Genbei Kibuse, the creator of Shirakawa ramen, opened a sweet red bean soup restaurant called "Kameya" as a shop rather than a stall.
However, since there were no customers at the sweet red bean soup restaurant in the summer, he decided to create another menu item, and together with his son, Kobuse Genmatsu, came up with Shirakawa Ramen.
In 1921, his son, Genmatsu Kobuse, completed his training in Yokohama and founded the hand-made ramen shop "Kamegen."
Although this restaurant closed after one generation, it was a major catalyst for Shirakawa ramen to spread throughout the country.
It is so popular that there are now over 100 Shirakawa ramen restaurants in the city alone.
There are many shops that pride themselves on their taste, and you can enjoy a variety of flavors prepared by different chefs, so it's fun to find your favorite dish.
The appeal of Shirakawa ramen is undoubtedly the combination of curly noodles and excellent soy sauce-based soup, creating an exquisite flavor.
The traditional method of making Shirakawa ramen noodles involves pounding the noodles with a wooden stick, cutting them with a knife, and kneading them by hand to create a curly texture, which takes more effort than regular ramen, but this is also one of its charms.
From here, we will introduce some recommended tourist spots in Shirakawa City, the birthplace of Shirakawa ramen.
Shirakawa City is known for its many historic sites, local gourmet foods, and as a pleasant place to live.
Let's check out the tourist spots in Shirakawa City, which is full of charm!
The first one I would like to introduce is Nanko Park.
This is the oldest park in Japan, and is said to have been built by Matsudaira Sadanobu, the lord of Shirakawa domain who is known for the Kansei Reforms, based on the idea of "samurai and commoners enjoying each other's company" so that people of all social classes could enjoy it.
You can enjoy beautiful scenery in every season, such as cherry blossoms in full bloom in spring, atmospheric autumn leaves in autumn, and pure white snowscapes in all directions in winter.
The park also houses the teahouse Kyorakutei and the Japanese garden Suirakuen, allowing you to experience Japanese history.
The second place I would like to introduce is Shirakawa Flower World.
This is a botanical garden adjacent to Nanko Park, which we introduced earlier, and is open every year from April to June, but admission is required.
You can see a variety of flowers that bloom from spring to summer, including tulips, anemones, and German irises.
Not only locals, but many people from all over the country visit the park every year to enjoy the beautiful flowers.
The third place I would like to introduce is the ruins of Komine Castle.
It is said that this castle was first built on this hill by Yuki Munehiro's eldest son, Chikatomo, during the Kōkoku and Shōhei eras of the Nanboku-chō period. In the Edo period, the first feudal lord, Niwa Nagashige, spent four years constructing a full-scale flatland castle.
The castle later fell during the Boshin War, but after 120 years the three-story turret and front gate were restored in wood.
With its beautiful black and white appearance, it is loved by locals as a representative building of Shirakawa city.
If you visit Shirakawa City, be sure to experience the power of Komine Castle ruins up close.
From here, we will introduce how to access Shirakawa City.
If you are traveling from Tokyo to Shirakawa City, you can take the Tohoku Shinkansen from Tokyo Station to Shin-Shirakawa Station in 1 hour and 15 minutes. Since there are no transfers, it is easy to get there.
To travel to Shirakawa City from Osaka, fly from Kansai International Airport to Fukushima Airport and then drive for about 30 minutes to reach Shirakawa City.
Location of Shirakawa City, Fukushima Prefecture
This time, we thoroughly explained the characteristics and appeal of Shirakawa Ramen, a B-class local gourmet food from Shirakawa City, Fukushima Prefecture.
Now you know that this ramen has a long history and is made with great care, unlike other ramen.
We also learned that there are many tourist attractions in Shirakawa City, the birthplace of Shirakawa ramen.
All of these spots are wonderful tourist destinations that are sure to look great in photos, so if you visit Shirakawa City, be sure to check out the tourist spots as well as Shirakawa ramen.
Shirakawa City is famous as a place in the Tohoku region that is easily accessible from the city center, so if you've never been to Tohoku before or would like to visit the area, why not give it a try?
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