Saitama Prefecture is known as the "Udon Republic" because of the variety of udon noodles that are rooted in the region. One of these is Musashino Udon. Musashino Udon is a local dish that has been handed down on the Musashino Plateau since the Edo period.

Let's explore the characteristics and history of Musashino udon.

Characteristics of Musashino Udon

Musashino udon is a thick, chewy, brownish handmade noodle dish. The noodles are served in a strainer as "zaru udon" or "mori udon."

Musashino udon is served with a small plate of boiled green onions and seasonal vegetables. Boiled vegetables served with udon are called "kate" in Musashino udon. Udon served with kate is called "kate udon."

It is said that the traditional way to eat Musashino udon is with the dipping sauce on the right side, the Musashino udon on the left, and the food in the back. Depending on the restaurant, the positions of the dipping sauce and the Musashino udon may be reversed.

At Musashino Udon, you may find a single wide slice of udon noodles served on the plate. This is the remaining part of the handmade udon noodles, called "mimi."

Cold udon noodles are rinsed in water and then dipped into warm dipping sauce. It is not eaten like tempura udon. The dipping sauce often contains simple ingredients such as shimeji mushrooms and enoki mushrooms, and has a simple and mild flavor.

The dipping sauce is soy sauce-based, but not too strong. When you eat Musashino Udon, the sweetness of the wheat comes through naturally. After you finish eating Musashino Udon, you can drink the dipping sauce as it is without adding hot water.

Recently, "nikujiru udon" is popular, which is Musashino udon dipped in warm meat juice with a strong soy sauce flavor. "Nikujiru udon" with thinly sliced pork as a topping is a style that has been around since the mid-Meiji period.

Besides meat broth udon, there are also mushroom broth udon and eggplant broth udon. Some restaurants also offer dipping sauce without toppings.

The history of Musashino udon

Musashino udon is a local dish that originated in the western region of Saitama Prefecture and the Tama area of Tokyo. It is a home-cooked dish eaten by farmers on the Musashino Plateau during the Edo period.

The Musashino Plateau is a plateau surrounded by the Arakawa, Tamagawa, and Irumagawa rivers in Saitama Prefecture, and is an area with little water. Because rice could not be harvested in the Musashino Plateau, people planted wheat instead of rice and ate udon noodles made from wheat.

Farmers in this area hold all ceremonial occasions such as weddings and funerals at home, and it is customary to serve udon noodles after a feast. However, udon noodles were a precious commodity at the time, so people could not fill their stomachs with them, and so they ate them with vegetables as a source of nourishment.

At that time, it was women's role to cook, so households with women who could not make udon noodles would often hear comments like, "A woman who can't make udon noodles can't become a farming wife," or "That wife can't even make udon noodles."

Although hand-made udon has been handed down on the Musashino Plateau for a long time, it did not have a name for it.

The person who named it Musashino udon was Yuji Kato, a professor emeritus at Kokugakuin University, who was born in Kodaira, Tokyo. Kato named the udon made from wheat grown on the Musashino Plateau "Musashino hand-made udon."

Kato, who grew up eating his mother's handmade udon, founded the Musashino Handmade Udon Preservation and Promotion Association in January 1988 to protect this food culture. In March 2022, the "Musashino Region Udon Culture" was recognized in the "100 Years of Tradition Food Category" as a local dish that has continued since the Edo period.

Kato named it "Musashino Hand-made Udon," but it is now known popularly as "Musashino Udon."

Saitama Tourism Information and Access

When you visit Saitama, why not enjoy sightseeing in Kawagoe City, where you can eat Musashino Udon? This time, we will introduce three popular sightseeing spots in Kasama City.

Storehouse-style streetscape

The "storehouse-lined streets," which retain the atmosphere of Edo, are also known as "Little Edo" and are a popular tourist spot visited by many people.

Stately buildings with tiled roofs line both sides of the road. You can enjoy sightseeing in the charming streets, sampling food and shopping for souvenirs. The "Toki no Kane" (Bell of Time), the symbol of the streets, is also a must-see. The bell rings four times a day at 6:00, 12:00, 15:00, and 18:00.

Candy Shop Alley

Near the street lined with storehouses is Kashiya Yokocho, a candy alley. There are about 20 nostalgic candy stores lined up here and there along the cobblestone streets. Kashiya Yokocho is a tourist spot that can be enjoyed with children.

There are so many different products to choose from, such as rice crackers, manju, cheap snacks, and handmade candy, that it's hard to decide what to eat. The simple, nostalgic scent that permeates the "Kashiya Yokocho" was selected as one of the "Top 100 Scented Landscapes" in 2001.

Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine

Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine, affectionately known as "O-Hikawa-sama," enshrines five gods. As the five gods are a family, they are worshipped as the "gods of family harmony" and the "gods of marital harmony and matchmaking."

In spring, the "Schoolbag Purification Ceremony" is held to pray for traffic safety and academic success for children entering elementary school. In summer, the "Tanabata Festival" and "Enmusubi Wind Chime" are held. The "Kawagoe Festival" held in mid-October is a subsidiary festival of the Hikawa Shrine Annual Festival. Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine, where various religious ceremonies are held throughout the year, is loved by tourists as well as locals.

Kawagoe City, where you can enjoy both gourmet food and sightseeing, is close to the city center and has good access. It is about an hour and a half by car from Tokyo. From Nagoya, it takes about three hours by Shinkansen. Find the best way to get there.

Location of Kawagoe City, Saitama Prefecture

summary

Musashino udon, which is served with a soy sauce-flavored dipping sauce, has brownish noodles that are chewy and satisfying to eat. The ingredients and accompaniments in the dipping sauce vary depending on the restaurant, so you can enjoy a variety of flavors.

Musashino udon, which was popular as a ceremonial food on special occasions among farmers on the Musashino Plateau, is a local B-class gourmet dish that is still passed down today.

If you visit Saitama, be sure to try Musashino udon.

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