"Fujiya Honten" Enjoy Kiryu's local cuisine at a well known restaurant established over 120 years ago

Gunma is the leader in Japan for the prefecture that consumes the most udon noodles. In particular, Kiryu has been called the "udon noodle mecca," and the city's local cuisine is "himokawa udon noodles" that are characteristically wide.

The backdrop as to why these wide noodles have spread in Kiryu stems from it being a city where textiles are produced. For women who busily work at a weaver, they had found it taxing to have to prepare daily meals. In the middle of that, they found it useful how "himokawa udon noodles" that are stretched thin cook faster compared to normal udon noodles. The excellent texture from being thin, coupled with a rich flavor, became the established local taste. Even with the name "himokawa," there is a theory that says it comes from the shape of the noodles resembling a sash or string (himo) that is being washed away by a river (kawa).

Fujiya Honten is a long standing udon noodle restaurant located in one corner of the Shinmachi traditional architecture preservation district in Kiryu where you can taste traditional "himokawa" udon noodles. Over 130 years after it was established, the sixth generation owner continues to maintain the flavor that has been passed down for generations. The noodles are handmade from carefully-selected local wheat and water, and the fresh and chewy noodles slide down your throat. And even though the noodles are so thin that you can see the chopsticks through them, you can feel just how solid they are. In addition to choosing from warm or chilled dipping sauces, they also have unusual sauces such as curry flavor. The noodles are boiled after you order, so it is also wonderful that you can always enjoy the texture from when they are freshly made. And another one of the charms of this restaurant is that they also have a plentiful rice bowl menu. Their most recommended dish is their pork cutlet rice bowl that comes with sauce that, like "himokawa" udon noodles, is known as part of Kiryu's local cuisine. The thick, crisply fried pork cutlets combined with the refreshing sauce is extremely popular.

The himokawa udon noodles are also popular for how photogenic they look. Conquer Kiryu's two biggest local specialties by pairing it as a set with the pork cutlet rice bowl with sauce that you will be addicted to after the first bite.