Fuji City, Shizuoka Prefecture, is a town overlooking Japan's highest mountain, Mount Fuji, to the north.

Blessed with pure water and famous for its specialty products such as tea and whitebait, the town has a popular local delicacy called "tsuke napolitan."

Apparently it has become popular in a certain shopping district in Fuji City, so today we will introduce the features and appeal of this "tsuke napolitan."

What is Fuji City's specialty "Tsuke Napolitan"?

Fuji City's specialty "Tsuke Napolitan" is a local gourmet dish that was born from a TV program to revitalize the town. It is a tsukemen-style version of the Napolitan, a standard menu item at coffee shops, and is eaten by dipping noodles in a double soup made with tomato sauce, chicken bones, and bouillon.

The type of noodles, ingredients, and soup vary from restaurant to restaurant, allowing you to enjoy a wide variety of flavors.

It is also served in restaurants, cafes, and izakayas in the city, and its base soup is made with seafood, chicken bones, beef tendons, and other ingredients, giving it a unique flavor.

The noodles come in a variety of types, including medium-thick straight noodles, curly noodles, thin noodles, and noodles made with local tea, making this a dish that highlights the unique character of the shop.

The history and origin of Tsuke Napolitan

"Tsuke Napolitan," which offers such a unique flavor, was created in October 2008 as part of a town revitalization project to revitalize the Yoshiwara Shopping Street in Fuji City. It was created by the owner of a coffee shop in the Yoshiwara Shopping Street in cooperation with a tsukemen shop, and in 2011 it even participated in the B-1 Grand Prix, a festival of B-class gourmet food. It has now become a local gourmet dish that represents Fuji City, enjoyed by people of all ages.

The restaurant known as the originator of this "Tsuke Napolitan" serves it by combining tomato sauce with local chicken broth, and toppings such as cheese, steamed chicken, seasoned eggs, bok choy, etc. The noodles are thick and chewy, specially made for Tsuke Napolitan, and are topped with sakura shrimp caught locally in Suruga Bay and lemon.

One of the great things about Tsuke Napolitan is that the dipping sauce and noodles are served on separate plates, so you can enjoy it with a variety of different flavors.

For example, at the restaurant where Tsuke Napolitan originated, you can either dip it in the dipping sauce and eat it as is, or after eating about half of it, squeeze some lemon onto the noodles and enjoy. Currently, you can eat Tsuke Napolitan at dozens of restaurants, mainly in the Yoshiwara Shopping Street, so why not try to find your favorite Tsuke Napolitan?

How to make Tsuke Napolitan

From here, we will introduce a simple way to make Tsuke Napolitan. Tsuke Napolitan has become so popular that it is now featured in school lunch menus. To make it, add garlic to a pan with olive oil and fry it until it becomes fragrant, then add your favorite ingredients such as bacon and onion and fry.

Once cooked, season with canned tomatoes, ketchup, chicken stock, etc., and add salt and pepper to complete the dipping sauce. After boiling the noodles, top with cherry shrimp and parsley to finish.

The savory aroma of shrimp, the flavor of garlic, and the umami of tomatoes and chicken stock combine together to create a dish that will have you coming back for more.

The deliciousness and appeal of Tsuke Napolitan

From here, we will introduce the appeal of Tsuke Napolitan. "Tsuke Napolitan" is made with ingredients that each restaurant is proud of, and is a dish that combines chewy noodles with a double soup with a sour tomato flavor and the deliciousness of the ingredients. It has an aspect of Western cuisine, but also has the elements of Tsukemen, making it a unique and innovative combination that is appealing.

The toppings come in a variety of options, including soft-boiled eggs, cheese, and broccoli, so discovering the differences between each shop is part of the fun.

Some restaurants also offer extra noodles, rice, and baguettes so that you can enjoy every last bit of the soup. Why not try ordering a Tsuke Napolitan, which features a variety of creative ideas in the noodles and dipping sauce?

Recommended sightseeing spots in Fuji City

From here, we will introduce some recommended sightseeing spots in Fuji City. At Tagonoura Fishing Port in the south, you can enjoy dishes such as the local specialty, shirasu rice bowl.

The shirasu caught at Tagonoura Port is characterized by its sweetness and firm texture. The road leading west from the Fisheries Association is called the "Mt. Fuji Shirasu Road," where you can enjoy fresh raw shirasu landed at Tagonoura Fishing Port.

You can also eat shirasu rice bowls at the Fisheries Cooperative Cafeteria located inside the fishing port from April to December, so be sure to stop by.

Another place I would like to introduce is Fujikawa Rakuza, a roadside station located in Fuji City.
In addition to shopping and dining, the building also has many exciting and attractive spots, such as a planetarium and a science museum.

The great thing about this roadside station is that you can enjoy magnificent views of Mt. Fuji from anywhere inside the building.
Fujikawa Rakuza is a great place to spend your day off, offering a great location for meals and photos with Mt. Fuji in the background. Another great thing about it is that it can be accessed from both expressways and regular roads.

Access to Fuji City

From here, we will introduce how to access Fuji City. Fuji City is conveniently located on the Tomei Expressway and the Tokaido Shinkansen, so it is easy to travel to Fuji City by train or car.

If you are driving from Tokyo, it takes about 1.5 hours to Fuji Interchange via Tomei Expressway. From Osaka, it takes about 4 hours and 50 minutes to Fuji Interchange (or Shin-Fuji Interchange) via Tomei Expressway (or Shin-Tomei Expressway).

If you travel by train, it's best to take the Tokaido Shinkansen or Tokaido Main Line to JR Fuji Station or Shin-Fuji Station.

If you take the Tokaido Shinkansen from Tokyo, it takes about 1 hour 10 minutes, and about 2 hours 20 minutes from Shin-Osaka. If you take the Tokaido Main Line, it takes about 2 hours 40 minutes from Tokyo to JR Fuji Station, and about 6 and a half hours from Shin-Osaka. If you want to have more time for sightseeing, we recommend using the Shinkansen.

Location of Fuji City, Shizuoka Prefecture

summary

This time we introduced the local gourmet dish "Tsuke Napolitan" from Fuji City, Shizuoka Prefecture.

"Tsuke Napolitan" is a dish that can only be found in Fuji City, where you can enjoy a variety of combinations of tomato-based dipping sauce, noodles of various textures and thicknesses, and toppings. It is quite different from regular tsukemen.

If you have a chance to visit Yoshiwara Shopping Street, please give it a try.

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