Wanko Soba
Every city and prefecture has a speciality food they are renowned for, and in Iwate Prefecture especially Hanamaki and Moriaka, the most famed dish is Wanko soba. The name Wanko is derived from the particular local dialect there, where Wanko means small wooden bowl.
Wanko soba is the serving of multiple small bowls of soba paired with seasonal pickles and other local side dishes. In this soba experience, you consume your noodles at constant pace. As soon as you finish one bowl, another is instantly placed in front of you to eat. There is no pause or rest between bowls, however traditionally it is not a race, so you can eat at your own leisure, though I recommend a regular pace. Don’t fret either, the amount of soba in each bowl is really only a mouthful, I believe ranging from 5-10grams. One generally has a server, who has soon as you finish will chant the phrase “Hai, dokkoi, janjan (ok done, one more!)” and you keep going. When you decide you’re done, you can simply place the lid back on the bowl in front of you and the server will know you’re finished.
Presently in Japan, you will probably see wanko soba being used in speed-eating competitions on Japanese variety game shows. Historically, it holds a more honourable meaning than an eating competition.
Legend has it that wanko soba was served to a visiting daimyo (feudal lords) Nanbu Toshinao, and at first the locals were afraid that the small bowl of soba they had given him was too rustic and simple. However Toshinao-san reportedly thought it was delicious and asked for another, and another. This is said to have established the tradition of hosts continuing to serve small bowls until their guest was satisfied
Another origin tale is that a landowner was having a festival on his land, where over 100 guests were attending. Traditionally soba was consumed at the festivals, however with so many people to feed, the soba was served in smaller bowls to reduce the quantity of the soba in each bowl so there was enough to feed everyone.
Whichever story holds true, if you happen to be in Hanamaki or Moriaka, do try to have a Wanko Soba experience. The two most popular in Moriaka, are AZUMAYA and CHOKURIAN. In Hanamaki a popular choice is also YABUYA. Due to my limited time in Iwate, my experience was at KINKONTEI which is a restaurant upstairs along with a large omiyage shop on the ground floor which is perfect for picking up local speciality food and other delicious bits and bobs!
PS. head to my instagram @ryokanwanderings to see a hilarious timelapse of me stuffing my face with wanko soba. Unfortunately I couldn’t upload the video on the website.
