"You should eat this without sauce at first to enjoy umami, and next, try it with sauce; it is awesome."
-Rin SAKAMOTO
Brief introduction about Ishinomaki city
First of all, do you know Ishinomaki City in Miyagi prefecture?
It is located in the western part of Miyagi prefecture, next to the Pacific Ocean. Its Kinkasan offshore fishery is one of the world's largest.
Ishinomaki city has the second-largest population with over 12o,ooo regidents in 2026, after Sendai city, the capital of Miyagi prefecture, with over 1.1 million citizens.
If you want to learn more about Ishinomaki City, please visit this site.
The picture of stone of the Turishi shrine in the Ishinomaki city. (Image by the author)
It has been said that Ishinomaki yakisoba was established in the early Showa period, after World War II ended in August 1945.
Although the origin of Ishinomaki yakisoba is unclear, it is often said that Sugahara Haruyoshi san, the founder of the Harumoto Noodle Factory in Ishinomaki City, invented it.
He invented the long noodle that does not get sticky after cooking in a frying pan through trial and error.
Another theory of the invention of Ishinomaki yakisoba is that a restaurant served Chinese-style yakisoba, a stir-fried dish of boiled noodles with vegetables, and that its disciples spread the unique noodles in the Ishinomaki area. While Japanese-style yakisoba uses stir-fried noodles, Chinese-style yakisoba uses boiled noodles instead.
While both theories are possible, the prevailing view is that boiled noodles were invented or introduced in the Ishinokai area, and they became popular across the city because they last longer than raw noodles, leading many restaurants to begin serving them.
In 2008, Ishinomaki brown yakisoba academy (石巻茶色い焼きそばアカデミー) was established to promote Ishinomaki yakisoba, and the organization has been hosting local events and offering lecture courses on Ishinomaki yakisoba.
Currently, Ishinomaki yakisoba has become a well-known local dish because it was featured on a national broadcast programme in 2024 that explores local food across Japan. Nowadays, you can buy Ishinomaki yakisoba noodles at supermarkets in Ishinomaki city or online stores! Therefore, you can enjoy eating Ishinomaki yakisoba at your house easily!
As I mentioned, the most important characteristic of Ishinomaki yakisoba is the blown noodle.
While regular yakisoba noodles are cream-colored, Ishinomaki yakisoba noodles turn brown after being boiled twice; they are also boiled in seafood stock, so that you can enjoy umami!
For toppings, it is common to pan-fry pork belly, carrots, and chives with noodles, then add a sunny-side-up egg on top, as shown in the image. I recommend you try any ingredients you like to enjoy them to the best of your ability!
The authentic way to enjoy noodles is to eat them without sauce first, savoring the umami of the seafood stock, then add sauce!
【How to cook Ishinomaki yakisoba】
Cut vegetables and pork meat with black pepper.
Stir-fry Ishinomaki yakisoba noodles (available online).
Stir-fly Ishinnomkai yakisoba and vegetables, and loosen noodles with seafood stock.
Put on sunny-side-up egg and red pinked gingers on top.
Enjoy the meal! (After eating without sauce, please add sauce!)
("Ishinomaki yakisoba", n.d.)
写真提供:宮城県観光戦略課
Copyright Miyagi Tourism Strategy Division
Post-earthquake recovery of Ishinomaki yakisoba
As you might already know, the Ishinomaki area was severely damaged by the 2011 Tohoku earthquake. There was a big tsunami, and many restaurants of Ishinomaki yakisoba were washed away.
However, people in Ishinomaki city worked hard to recover from the earthquake, and in 2023, Ishinomaki yakisoba was registered as a "100-year food" by the Agency for Cultural Affairs. "100-year food" refers to traditional food with more than 100 years of history.
While the city has been in the process of recovery, you will be amazed by how hopeful people are in Ishinomaki City!
6 Must Try Japanese Dishes | Miyagi
(The video is in English.
3:46- ishinomaki yakisoba)
Charge! March 20th Broadcast "Ishinomaki yakisoba Shinmakane Shoten"
(The subtitle is in Japanese, but auto-dubbed English is available in settings.)
Ishiomaki yakisoba of Fujiya-Shokudo.
(The subtitle is in Japanese, but it does not contain the voice; therefore, you can understand what Ishinokai yakisoba is with visual information.)
I became a big fan of Ishinomaki yakisoba after eating it in elementary school. My elementary school regularly provided local food from Miyagi Prefecture, and I had several times to eat it for school lunch. One student deliberately made a noodle, and another put a fried egg on top. I was amazed by the match of the umami taste and stimulating flavor of the sauce. Moreover, a fried egg plays a crucial role as a mediator between the sauce and umami! While brown noodles seem to have a strong taste, if you bite into them, you will enjoy the seafood stock. As someone who experienced the Great East Japan earthquake on March 11th, I always hope for Ishinomaki's recovery when I eat Ishinokai yakisoba. When I went to Ishinomaki City with my family a year ago, I was surprised to see how lively it was, with people smiling. The city was very lively, and I enjoyed Ishinomaki yakisoba at the roadside station called "Jobin no Sato". The place provided a lot of snacks, seafood, and vegetables from Ishinomaki city, and we enjoyed not only Ishinomaki yakisoba but also buying local products. I genuinely hope more people will visit Ishinomaki City and enjoy the rich, savory sauce and noodles of Ishinomaki yakisoba. Furthermore, we should not forget the effort people in the city put into recovering from the great earthquake.
Abroad in Japan. (2016, November 9). 6 Must Try Japanese Dishes│Miyagi. [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/CFF8LMH1XhE?si=CK4tTsFiURrGtXr_
Agency for Cultural Affairs. (n.d.) 100 nen fu-do dēta bēsu [100 years food database]. https://www.bunka.go.jp/seisaku/shokubunka/foodculture/assets/pdf/hyakunenfood/jirei/pdf_1963.pdf
Dashi de aziwau yasahii aji "Ishinomaki yakisoba" ["Ishinomaki yakisoba", warm taste with stock]. Gastronomy town. https://www.gastronomy.town/7881/
Ishinomaki Tourism Association. (n.d.). Brown fried noodles originating from Isinomaki. https://www.ikanko.com/local_info/%E7%9F%B3%E5%B7%BB%E7%99%BA%E7%A5%A5%E3%80%80%E8%8C %B6%E8%89%B2%E3%81%84%E7%84%BC%E3%81%8D%E3%81%9D%E3%81%B0/
Ishinomak Tourism Association. (n.d.). Welcome to Ishinomaki. www.i-kanko.com/english/
Ishinomaki yakisoba. [Digital image]. (n.d.) https://digi-photo.pref.miyagi.jp/photo/020102-2/?s=&prefecture[]=2
Ishinomaki yakisoba. (n.d.). Mytabi. https://miyagi.mytabi.net/ishinomaki-yakisoba.php
Ishinomaki yakisoba 100 nen sakimo bunkatyō "fūdo" nintei isinomaki tihou deha niken me [Ishinomaki yakisoba in 100 years. Confirmation as "food" by the Agency for Cultural Affairs, which is the second case in Ishinomaki City] (2024, April 17th). Sanriku Kahoku Shinpo. https://kahoku.news/articles/20240417khn000016.html
khb Eastern Japan broadcast. (2023, March 22). Charge! March 20th Broadcast "Ishinomaki yakisoba Shimakane shoten". [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/hsqVJe5f788?si=A_EzJIpIXmqkORw2
Miyagi Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Memorial in Ishinomaki City. [Digital image]. (2021). https://digi-photo.pref.miyagi.jp/photo/no-020110-%e3%81%bf%e3%82%84%e3%81%8e%e6%9d%b1%e6%97%a5%e6%9c%ac%e5%a4%a7%e9%9c%87%e7%81%bd%e6%b4%a5%e6%b3%a2%e4%bc%9d%e6%89%bf%e9%a4%a8/?s&prefecture[0]=2
Student group Toku. (2021, September 28). Ishinomaki yakisoba. Cookpad. https://cookpad.com/jp/recipes/21965353?ref=search&search_term=%E7%9F%B3%E5%B7%BB%E7%84%BC%E3%81%8D%E3%81%9D%E3%81%B0