Tokushima

Local ramen loved mainly in Tokushima City. The best-known type is the brown style with a rich pork bone and soy sauce broth; there is also a lighter yellow style and a white pork bone style. A signature feature is pork belly simmered sweet and savory, topped with a raw egg. Mixing the egg in, like sukiyaki, makes it mellow. The strong broth goes well with rice, and many people order rice with their ramen. The city has many popular shops.

Typical price

¥700–1,000

Where

Tokushima City

A fish cake called the soul food of Tokushima. Fish paste mixed with curry powder and other spices is coated in breadcrumbs and fried, offering a hint of curry and the flavor of fish. It is said to have been created by a fish cake maker in Komatsushima. Eat it as is, lightly toasted, with sauce or mayonnaise, or in curry or sandwiches. It is easy to find at supermarkets around the prefecture.

Typical price

¥150–250 per piece

Where

Komatsushima, Tokushima City and around

A local dish of the remote Iya area. Soba-gome, buckwheat grains boiled in salt water, hulled and dried, is simmered in dashi with chicken, carrot, shiitake and tofu. It features the popping texture of the grains and a gentle broth. It comes from life in the mountains, where rice was hard to grow and buckwheat was eaten instead. Legend also says defeated Heike warriors made it while longing for the capital. Try it at inns and diners in Iya.

Typical price

¥600–1,000

Where

Iya, Miyoshi

Rustic soba made in the Iya area of western Tokushima. With almost no binder, the noodles are thick, short and break easily. The natural aroma and flavor of buckwheat come through strongly, giving a simple, robust taste. It is usually eaten in a light broth made from dried sardines and bonito. Try it at local diners along with sightseeing at the Iya vine bridge and Oboke Gorge. It is a bowl that lets you feel mountain village life. Pair it with soba-gome porridge.

Typical price

¥700–1,000

Where

Iya, Miyoshi

Hand-stretched somen made in the Handa area of Tsurugi. Thicker than ordinary somen, it has a firm bite and a chewy texture. In the Yoshino River basin, a hand-stretching method that uses the cold winter wind and sunshine has been passed down for generations. Besides cold somen, it is delicious hot as nyumen or stir-fried. Being thick, it does not go soggy easily. It is sold at supermarkets and souvenir shops around Tokushima and makes a welcome gift.

Typical price

¥500–1,500

Where

Handa, Tsurugi

A specialty of Donari in Awa: udon served in its cooking water in a big wooden tub, shared by everyone around it. It is said to have started with mountain workers boiling udon in a large pot on the riverbank. Some shops make the dipping sauce with jinzoku, a small river fish, for a unique flavor. Gathering around the tub of chewy, thick udon with a group is fun. Udon shops are scattered in the hills of Donari. Visit with a big group.

Typical price

¥700–1,000 per person

Where

Donari, Awa

A local dish essential to Tokushima's autumn festivals. Bouze, butterfish, is split open, cured in vinegar and placed whole on vinegared rice. The vinegar often uses juice from sudachi, a Tokushima citrus specialty, for a refreshing aroma. The tender fish, with moderate fat, pairs well with the tart sudachi. At festival time, families make it and share it with relatives and neighbors. It is sold at supermarkets and fish shops in autumn. Its whole-fish look is striking.

Typical price

¥400–800 per fish

Where

Throughout Tokushima

Awaodori chicken, a Tokushima jidori breed, grilled fragrantly over charcoal. Awaodori has a pleasant chew and flavorful meat that is not too fatty, giving a clean taste. Charcoal grilling makes the skin crisp and the meat juicy. Grilling it with salt and pepper and squeezing on local sudachi is recommended. Try it at yakitori restaurants and izakaya in Tokushima City. It is perfect with drinks, and the flavor deepens as you chew.

Typical price

¥800–1,500

Where

Tokushima City and around

Uiro made in Tokushima by steaming rice flour with wasanbon, a fine local sugar. It features a chewy bounce and the refined, gentle sweetness of wasanbon. In the past, families are said to have made and eaten it for the festival in the third month of the old calendar. There are white, matcha, azuki, cherry blossom and other varieties. It is sold at confectioners and station souvenir shops in Tokushima. With its simple, gentle flavor, it is perfect with tea.

Typical price

¥500–1,200

Where

Tokushima City and around

One of Tokushima's best-known souvenir sweets, made by a local confectionery company. White bean paste is wrapped in chocolate-flavored dough and coated with chocolate. The name comes from Kincho, the righteous raccoon dog in a Tokushima tale about a great raccoon dog battle. Enjoy the gentle sweetness of the paste with the slight bitterness of chocolate. It is also tasty chilled. It is sold at Tokushima Station, the airport and souvenir shops, and is a familiar taste for locals.

Typical price

¥600–1,500

Where

Tokushima Prefecture

A specialty of Sadamitsu in Mima: tiny round buns skewered like a bunch of grapes. One theory says the name, budo, was a lucky charm sold to pilgrims to sacred Mt. Tsurugi for progress in budo, martial arts. Inside is bean paste, and the pale green skins look like grapes. Enjoy its simple, gentle sweetness. It is sold at shops in Sadamitsu and souvenir stores in the prefecture. Pair it with a stroll through the town's old streets with udatsu firewalls.

Typical price

¥600–1,200

Where

Sadamitsu, Mima

A Japanese sweet made with Naruto Kintoki, a sweet potato that is a specialty of Naruto. Naruto Kintoki is grown in sandy fields near the sea and is a popular variety known for its fluffy texture and refined sweetness. Uzu imo makes the most of its flavor, letting you enjoy the natural sweetness of the potato. Uzu in the name refers to the famous whirlpools of the Naruto Strait. Pick it up at souvenir shops in Naruto or Tokushima City along with seeing the whirlpools.

Typical price

¥500–1,500

Where

Naruto and around