Hoto

All of Yamanashi Prefecture

A hearty local dish which once sated the hunger of a samurai commander.

Hoto is a miso-flavored soup with thick, flat noodles. Also filled with chunks of kabocha squash, green onions and mushrooms, hoto is a local Yamanashi delicacy known throughout the country. Although the noodles may look like udon at first glance, they absorb the flavor of the soup and have a richer taste, making it better to enjoy them alternately with the broth rather than slurping them up as one might with udon. There are various theories as to the origin of hoto, but one legend has it that Takeda Shingen, the famous samurai commander, liked to eat hoto, as we know today, in between battles because it was quite filling.

Enjoy a variety of ingredients with a hearty bowl of hoto.

Hoto started as a homemade dish. There is no fixed recipe, and today one can find everything from an extravagant hoto variation with wild boar meat to a spicy, curry-flavored variation. The most basic recipe is quite simple and includes kabocha squash, carrots, shimeji mushrooms, and green onions. Thick noodles and miso-flavored broth form the base. In Yamanashi, one can enjoy hoto throughout the year, but tucking into a piping hot bowl during the winter is particularly recommended.

The scent of hoto wafts in the air like clouds.

Hoto restaurants can be found throughout Yamanashi. Hoto Fudo is particularly popular, with six restaurants in the Kawaguchiko area of Yamanashi. Hoto Fudo serves homemade noodles and broth, offering its customers a simple flavor born from Yamanashi miso and mountain vegetables. Hoto Fudo restaurant at Higashi Koiji features unique architecture. The building, based on the image of a cloud clinging to the side of Mt. Fuji, seems to embody the gentle flavor of hoto. After you’ve tasted classic hoto flavor in this novel atmosphere, be sure to check out the souvenir section and buy some hoto noodles to take home.

For reference

Hoto Fudo Higashi Koiji restaurant

Address

2458 Higashi-koiji, Funatsu, Fujikawaguchiko-machi, Minamitsuru-gun, Yamanashi-ken
Telephone

0555-72-8511
Opening hours

11:00 A.M. to 8:00 P.M. (closes when sold out)
Closed

No regular days of closure
Price

Fudo Hoto 1,080 yen
Website

http://www.houtou-fudou.jp/english.html

Access

JR Shinjuku Station is 30 minutes by shuttle bus from Haneda Airport. Kawaguchiko Station is about 105 minutes by highway bus from JR Shinjuku Station. Hoto Fudo’s Higashi Koiji restaurant is 10 minutes by taxi from JR Kawaguchiko Station.