Early March I spent 1 week in Japan on VisitJapan‘s influencer program. They have selected influencers from all over the world to visit different parts of Japan.

I was originally supposed to be on the Kansai trip but I couldn’t make it for that week so the organizer assigned me to Chubu & Hokuriku area instead. And I was soooooo happy and thankful because that was one of the regions left in my yet-to-visit #47PrefectureMission. By the end of that trip, I have visited 5 new prefectures, and now I have checked off a total of 36 prefectures, leaving only 11!!!

Thank you, Japan, for loving me back. T_T.

There are so much I need to blog about, but first I’d start with our first day as a group in Nagoya, where we visited Yamamotoya for an udon-making experience!

Yamamoto Ya

Yamamoto-ya is one of the oldest and most loved chain for Miso Nikomi Udon (noodles in stewed miso broth) – one of the most famous Nagoya specialties.

Their noodles are freshly handmade every day, and there’s no preservatives used so you can ensure the highest quality for your meal.

With Nancy and Tai Tai from Taiwan. 3 fake Japanese okusan here hahahha because all married to Japanese danna. ^^ The first night we chatted until late night about our housewife life being married to a different culture and we all could relate soooo well.😂

Udon-making

Yamamotoya is using two kinds of different flours including soba flour to coat the noodle so that it blends well with the miso-based broth.

Each participant get to experience the dough making (due to time limitation we skipped this), rolling, flattening and chopping!

Roll it out, roll it out!

This rolling technique is called “men uchi” (literally “noodle beating”).

Udon master demonstrating his skill.

Evenly sliced udon noodles.

My turn. ^^

Mine!!

I really do feel a sense of achievement haha, especially now that I’m enjoying cooking. Maybe one day I’d make my own noodles!

Me and Tai Tai who probably had no idea what we were doing haha.

 

Miso Nikomi Udon

After the experience we are treated to a scrumptious set lunch that includes the highlight of the restaurant, and probably in Nagoya – Miso Nikomi Udon!

Side dish – tempura fried to crispy perfection.

Simmered dish – daikon and yam stick in miso sauce! (Yes daikon was really yummy haha.)

The claypot Miso Nikomi Udon! A very local way of eating it is to use the claypot lid as a serving bowl, to cool a small portion of noodle down since it is served steaming hot!

A lot of people find the broth a little on the salty side for them, but apparently this is the true Nagoya taste! For me I really enjoyed the chewy texture of the noodle, it is different from any other udon I have tasted before, really 很有嚼劲 (very al dente), and the udon master was right!! A light coat of soba flour on the raw noodles allowed it to absorb the broth, making the noodles itself super flavorful.

Itadakimasu!

Yamamoto-Ya has a few branches in Nagoya, do check them out when you visit the city!

Also, I have received some enquiries about udon-making experience, and yes they do accept bookings from travelers, only at the Okutecho branch! More info on their website, FB page and IG : @yamamotoya_official. (Sorry it’s only in Japanese for now T_T).

Hope you guys like it!!

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