Itoigawa Black Yakisoba was first served in September 2010, and just three months later it won the grand prize at the Niigata Umasa Gissiri Expo. Its appearance, as well as its taste, has made it popular with local children and it is quickly becoming a "taste of home."

Let's explore the characteristics and history of Itoigawa Black Yakisoba.

Characteristics of Itoigawa Black Yakisoba

Niigata Prefecture's local B-class gourmet "Itoigawa Black Yakisoba" is a type of yakisoba with an impactful jet black appearance. The black color is actually "squid ink". It is characterized by the fact that not only squid ink but also squid meat is used as an ingredient.

"Itoigawa Black Yakisoba" can be adapted as needed as long as it uses Chinese noodles, squid ink, and local squid. Therefore, the ingredients, toppings, and seasonings vary from restaurant to restaurant.

At the original Itoigawa Black Yakisoba restaurant, the pitch black yakisoba is topped with a thin omelet, which is drizzled with mayonnaise and ketchup in a mesh pattern, giving it a stylish Italian-style appearance.

When you eat it, you can really taste the yakisoba, and of course the squid ink flavor. It's also accented with squid meat, a thin omelet, pickled ginger, mayonnaise, and ketchup.

The History of Itoigawa Black Yakisoba

Itoigawa Black Yakisoba was invented by Tsukioka Hironori, the third-generation president of "Getsutoku Hanten." After graduating from a university in Tokyo, Tsukioka spent nine years training in Yokohama before returning to his hometown. During that time, someone told him, "I want a gourmet dish that is unique to Itoigawa." Tsukioka decided, "If there is no gourmet dish in Itoigawa, I'll make it myself!"

Tsukioka first set his sights on sweet shrimp. However, sweet shrimp lose their plumpness when cooked, so they can only be used for sashimi or chirashi sushi. He also considered eating sweet shrimp live, but gave up on the idea because it would be impossible to make it in the summer during the sweet shrimp fishing ban.

The next dish I thought of was monkfish, but it's only tasty in the winter. I was racking my brains because I couldn't find a way to make either sweet shrimp or monkfish dishes that were affordable and could be served all year round.

At such times, Tsukioka-san remembers the "squid tube grill" that his mother, Kikue-san, used to make for him when he was a child. Tsukioka-san thought, "Squid can be caught in large quantities all year round," so he decided to make a squid specialty of Itoigawa.

Tsukioka, who knew about squid ink pasta, used Chinese noodles, a special sauce, and squid from Itoigawa, and after much trial and error, he perfected his "Black Yakisoba." However, at the tasting event, many people were confused by the pitch-black appearance, and the reaction was not very good. However, he was relieved when he saw some high school girls laughing at the sight of their mouths blackened by the squid ink, saying, "It's popular with the younger generation."

After that, a mascot character "Black Banchou" and an image song were created to promote Itoigawa Black Yakisoba. Through active PR activities, Itoigawa Black Yakisoba became popular.

Tourism information and access for Itoigawa City, Niigata Prefecture

Itoigawa City, where you can eat black yakisoba, has many tourist attractions. This time, we will introduce three popular tourist spots in Itoigawa City.

Jade Coast

"Hisui Coast" is a 100m wide, pebbly beach stretching for about 4km from east to west. This beautiful coastline has been selected as one of the "100 Best Beaches in Japan" and "100 Best Swimming Beaches in Japan."

Itoigawa City is the leading jade producing region in Japan. The jade of Itoigawa City, which has been selected as the national stone, is a precious mineral, and you can take home anything you find on the Jade Coast. It is a popular tourist spot where you can enjoy encountering beautiful and cute stones, including jade.

Fossa Magna Museum

The Fossa Magna Museum is a museum of stones. In the permanent exhibition rooms, which are divided into six areas, you can see rare minerals and fossils, including jade. You can also learn about the history of the Fossa Magna, the fissure in the earth that formed the Japanese archipelago, and natural disasters.

The courtyard, which features a sundial with a jade dial and a water chime, is also worth seeing. The courtyard is a rock garden made up of boulders.

jade garden

The Jade Garden covers an area of 17,000 square meters. It consists of three waterfalls, a pond, and a meandering stream against the backdrop of a pine forest. It is an elegant stroll-style garden using huge boulders and numerous other stones. Climb the stone steps next to the castle-like stone wall and pass through the entrance to find a 70-ton cobalt-colored jadeite rough stone on display. You can enjoy the seasonal scenery as you stroll around. There is also a jade museum in the garden, so it is recommended to check out the jade Buddha statues and Chinese beauties.

Itoigawa City, an attractive city for both gourmet food and sightseeing, is located at the westernmost tip of Niigata Prefecture. If you travel by Shinkansen from Tokyo, you can arrive in about 2 hours and 30 minutes. From Nagoya or Osaka, it takes about 3 to 4 hours by Shinkansen.

We also recommend taking a leisurely drive to Itoigawa City. Find the best way to get there.

Location of Itoigawa City, Niigata Prefecture

summary

The Itoigawa Black Yakisoba menu, which allows you to enjoy the flavor of squid, has a wide variety of options. Some are served with tomato sauce, while others are topped with a fried egg. Mini versions are also available, so you can enjoy eating them on the go.

If you visit Niigata, be sure to try the Itoigawa Black Yakisoba.

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