This time, we will explain the appeal of "Fujinomiya Yakisoba," a local B-class gourmet dish from Fujinomiya City, Shizuoka Prefecture.

Fujinomiya City in Shizuoka Prefecture is the city that is home to Mount Fuji, the tallest mountain in Japan and a well-known sight for every Japanese person.

There are many places around Mount Fuji where you can enjoy activities, including famous tourist spots and campsites.

This time, we will also introduce some of the charming tourist spots in Fujinomiya, so be sure to check it out until the end!

What is Fujinomiya Yakisoba?

Fujinomiya yakisoba is characterized by its firmness, unlike regular yakisoba which is soft.

Those eating it for the first time may find it strange that it is different from regular yakisoba, but after eating it two or three times, you will surely become addicted to the chewy texture of the noodles and the unique seasoning of Fujinomiya yakisoba.

The noodles are made by four noodle manufacturers in Fujinomiya City. A distinctive feature is that while regular yakisoba noodles are steamed and then boiled once, Fujinomiya yakisoba noodles are not boiled but cooled quickly and have their surface coated with oil. This results in less moisture than regular noodles, which gives them a chewy texture.

There are many yakisoba restaurants in Fujinomiya that are particular about the flavor, so it's fun to enjoy the different flavors that each restaurant offers.

The history of Fujinomiya Yakisoba

Originally, yakisoba was a standard dish on the menu at festival stalls.

However, the noodles used for yakisoba sold at food stalls were thick, commercial-grade noodles, which meant that they needed a thick, large iron plate with plenty of heat to cook properly.

Later, in April 1975, Toyo Suisan began selling the home-use version of "Maruchan Yakisoba for Three People," and it became possible to eat it at home, and it became a popular dish among the general public.

However, in fact, yakisoba had been eaten at home in Fujinomiya even before this time. The reason is that Akitoshi Mochizuki of Marumo Foods, which was founded in 1951, could not forget the taste of Taiwanese rice noodles he had eaten on the battlefield in Indonesia, and was researching how to recreate it.

Wanting to create a long-lasting yakisoba, Akitoshi Mochizuki conducted extensive research and discovered that after steaming the yakisoba noodles, they were quickly cooled without being boiled and then coated with oil. This is how the long-lasting, chewy noodles unique to Fujinomiya were born.

How to make Fujinomiya Yakisoba

Here we will introduce how to make Fujinomiya Yakisoba.

First, cut the necessary ingredients: finely chop the meat scraps, roughly chop the cabbage, julienne the carrots, and cut the pork into bite-sized pieces.

After cutting the ingredients, heat a small amount of oil in a frying pan, add the pork and meat scraps, and stir fry thoroughly over medium heat until the oil comes out. Then add the cabbage and carrots and stir fry until the oil is evenly distributed.

Once it has been stir-fried to a certain extent, add the noodles while breaking them up, add water swirls, cover, and steam over low-medium heat for about 3 minutes.

Once steamed, remove the lid, turn the heat to high, add the sauce, and stir fry. After that, turn off the heat, sprinkle some dashi powder on top, and it's done. You can also add some pickled ginger to taste.

Things to do in Fujinomiya

From here, I will introduce some tourist spots in Fujinomiya City.

Mount Fuji Hongu Sengen Shrine

Fujisan Hongu Sengen Taisha Shrine is known as a component part of the World Heritage Site of Mount Fuji.

It is the head shrine of the Sengen Shrines, which have over 1,300 affiliated and subordinate shrines, and enshrines Mount Fuji as its sacred object.

The main hall, worship hall, Sakuramon Gate, etc. were built and donated by Tokugawa Ieyasu, and currently the main hall and worship hall are registered as Important Cultural Properties.

The Fujinomiya Festival, held from November 3rd to 5th, is a famous festival that attracts as many as 100,000 people.

Additionally, the shrine is full of other things to see, including Wakutama Pond, a nationally designated special natural monument.

Shiraito Falls

Shiraito Falls is a component part of Mt. Fuji and is registered as a World Heritage Site. It is also designated as a Place of Scenic Beauty and a Natural Monument, and is a famous waterfall that was ranked first in the 100 Best Waterfalls in Japan.

The waterfall is called Shiraito Falls because of the beautiful sight of hundreds of waterfalls cascading like silk threads down the entire curved cliff.

Another feature of this waterfall is that, except for a small part of the main waterfall, all of it is spring water. The wisteria flowers in spring and the autumn leaves in autumn make the waterfall look even more beautiful.

Access to Fujinomiya City

From here, we will introduce how to access Fujinomiya City, Shizuoka Prefecture.

If you are traveling by Shinkansen, get off at Shin-Fuji Station on the Tokaido Shinkansen line, then transfer to a bus bound for JR Fuji Station, which will take you there in about 10 minutes. Alternatively, we recommend taking the JR Minobu Line to Fujinomiya Station, which will take you there in about 18 minutes.

If you are accessing by car, take National Route 139 from the Tomei Expressway Fuji IC and arrive at Fujinomiya City in about 17 minutes.

Location of Fujinomiya City, Shizuoka Prefecture

summary

This time, we introduced "Fujinomiya Yakisoba," a local B-class gourmet dish from Fujinomiya City, Shizuoka Prefecture.

Unlike regular yakisoba, Fujinomiya yakisoba has chewy noodles, and we can see that they are particular about how they make the noodles.

Also, each restaurant has different flavors, so be sure to try it out and find your favorite one.

Fujinomiya City has many attractive tourist spots, so if you visit Fujinomiya, be sure to check out the tourist spots as well as the Fujinomiya Yakisoba.

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