Morioka City, Iwate Prefecture: 3 Recommended Restaurants for "Jajamen," the Soul Food of Morioka Locals!

Wanko soba, reimen, and jajamen are known as the "Three Great Noodles" of Morioka, and all are B-grade gourmet dishes that originated from its unique noodle culture.

Among them, "Jajamen" in particular is loved as the soul food of Morioka residents, and there are many Jajamen specialty restaurants in the city.

In this article, I, a Morioka resident, will introduce three of these shops that I recommend

Please note that the prices (tax included) in this article are current as of mid-November 2025

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What is "Jajamen," the soul food of Morioka residents?

Jajamen was first created by Kanesuke Takashina, the founder of the long-established restaurant "Pairon" in the city, who started making it at a street stall, based on a noodle dish from northeastern China (Manchuria).

The thick, flat noodles are similar to udon and topped with plenty of thinly sliced ​​cucumber and finely chopped green onions, and topped with a generous amount of each restaurant's secret homemade meat miso

Nikumiso is made by stir-frying minced pork with various types of miso, and apart from ginger and garlic, the ingredients vary from restaurant to restaurant, giving each restaurant its own unique character

First, you mix these ingredients well before eating, but the key is that you can add vinegar, chili oil, garlic, ginger, etc. to customize the flavor to your liking

The timing and blending of these seasonings and condiments varies from person to person, and is a commitment that cannot be compromised

What is "Chiitantan"?

Leave some of the noodles and toppings, crack a raw egg into it and stir, then say to the staff, "Chi-tantan, one more thing!", place your chopsticks on the plate and hand it to them

The hot broth is poured over the dish in the kitchen, and the amount of minced meat is increased and mixed in toChitantan"complete the egg soup called

The base flavor is meat miso dissolved in the broth, but some restaurants will let you add more, while others allow you to add more yourself from the meat miso pot on the table

The meat miso dissolved in the boiling water tastes different from when it is mixed with the noodles; the flavor of the ingredients spreads softly, creating a delicious beaten egg soup

What's the difference between Zhajiangmyeon (fried noodles)?

One dish that people visiting Morioka from other areas often confuse is "Jajangmyeon" (炒醤麺), which has a similar name.

Chao jiang noodles are a dish made by stir-frying minced pork and vegetables with sweet bean paste or chili bean paste, and pouring the mixture over Chinese noodles. It is similar to jajangmyeon, but the type of noodles and the way it is eaten are different

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Recommended store #1: Hakuryu Main Store (Uchimaru, Morioka City)

, founded about 60 years ago by Kanekatsu Takashina, who returned from Manchuria after the warMorioka Jajamen noodlesis a long-established restaurant specializing in

The secret miso recipe, made by mixing over a dozen ingredients including miso, minced meat, sesame seeds, and shiitake mushrooms, then frying and letting it sit, is a secret recipe kept by the founding family, and has the unique flavor of the original

The flat surface has a chewy texture, which is interestingly different from the texture of the shredded cucumber, and it goes perfectly with the meat miso when mixed in

The main store is crammed with autographed autograph cards left by visiting celebrities and other guests, and it is so popular that at lunchtime and on holidays, there is often a line all the way to the branch store next door

In addition, there is the Fezan store in the Oden-kan on the first floor of the Fezan building at Morioka Station, and the Parc Avenue Kawatoku store on the first basement floor of Parc Avenue Kawatoku in Saien

The menu also includes "Rousuumen" and "Cold Tsukemen," but the pan-fried dumplings and boiled dumplings are hidden gems.

The prices for Jajamen are (small) 630 yen, (medium) 730 yen, (large) 840 yen (580 yen for children), and Chitantan (with raw egg) is 50 yen

Hakuryu main store <Information>

• Store name: Hakuryu Main Store
• Address: 5-15 Uchimaru, Morioka City, Iwate Prefecture
• Phone number: 019-62-42247
• Business hours: Monday to Saturday 9:00-20:45, Sunday 11:30-16:00
• Closed: Not specified
• URL:Hakuryu Official Website

Google Map

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Recommended restaurant #2: Haruharuya Small Snacks (Nakano, Morioka City)

Harubaruya Shosutenis located along the National Route 4 bypass in eastern Morioka City. It is known for its delicious ramen, and one of the reasons for its popularity is its large parking lot with space for 23 cars.

The restaurant is bright and spacious, and although it is famous as a ramen restaurant, it is said that more customers order Jajamen

The meat miso here is characterized by its strong salty flavor, and at Chitantan we recommend adding the extra meat miso provided on the table little by little

The thin noodles, which resemble Inaniwa udon, are a little soft and cling well to the meat miso

In addition to the main store,Morioka Jajamen Xiaochi-ten Fezan Store" in "Menkoi Yokochothere is also

The original menu item "Soup Jajamen" and the summer-only "Cold Jaja" are also popular, with Jajamen costing (small) 620 yen, (medium) 670 yen, (large) 850 yen, and (extra large) 970 yen, and Chitantan (with raw egg) is 120 yen

Harukaya Snack Store <Information>

• Store name: Harubaruya Snack Shop
• Address: 1-1-5 Nakano, Morioka City, Iwate Prefecture
• Phone number: 019-652-5738
• Business hours: Wednesday to Monday 11:00 to 20:00
• Closed: Tuesdays
• URL:Haru Haru Ya Xiaochi Shop Official Instagram

Google Map

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Recommended restaurant #3: Morioka Jajamen Akio (Odori, Morioka City)

is open late due to its location in a bustling entertainment district, anda late-night mealthis restaurant

The chef runs the counter with 10 seats all by himself, and the noodles are thick, flat noodles with a strong texture, so they take a while to boil and it takes a while for the food to be served

However, beer and other alcoholic beverages are cheap at 350 yen, so late at night, many customers enjoy a drink while waiting for their jajangmyeon

The plate on which the jajangmyeon is served is shaped to make it easy to mix the noodles and meat miso together, and also prevents the green onions and cucumbers from spilling out when you first start mixing them

The garlic in the meat miso seemed a little on the low side, but if you ask they will give you a pot of grated garlic, so you can add the garlic later for a more robust flavor

The big difference from other stores is that the raw egg and chitan (chitantan) are free, so even though the total price is almost the same, you feel like you're getting a little something extra

In addition, they offer a wide variety of other dishes, including original variations of Jajamen noodles such as "Natto Jajamen," "Motsu Jajamen"Nutsted Pork Jajamen," as well as rice bowls and other menu items.

The prices for Jajamen are a little high at 730 yen for a small bowl, 750 yen for a regular bowl, and 900 yen for a large bowl, but the chitan is free

Morioka Jajamen Akio <Information>

• Store name: Morioka Jajamen Akio
• Address: CT33 Building 1F, 2-3-7 Odori, Morioka City, Iwate Prefecture
• Phone number: 019-653-5959
• Business hours: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday 11:00-23:00, Friday, Saturday 11:00-24:00, Sunday 11:00-18:00
• Closed: Tuesdays

Google Map

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summary

Jajamenhard to understand at first, but addictive after three bitesis a mysterious, unpretentious type of street food that is said to be

However, it is such a beloved soul food among Morioka residents that there are debates over which restaurant is the best and what the best seasoning is

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