Hachinohe: A Food Journey

Untold Japan Media’s latest video looks at the food culture of Hachinohe, a port city on the eastern coast of Aomori Prefecture in Japan’s Tohoku region.
Hachinohe is home to one of Japan’s largest weekly food markets, as well as a distinctive collection of yokocho (alleyways) crammed with tiny bars and restaurants. Hachinohe is also known for its seafood, in particular squid and mackerel, but what really makes this part of Aomori stand out in a culinary sense are its flour-based food traditions.
With the Yamase winds here making rice cultivation extremely challenging, crops such as wheat, buckwheat and barley became predominant. That’s most notably reflected in the local Nanbu senbei wheat crackers, which are a key component of Hachinohe’s signature dish, a hotpot called senbei-jiru.
In Hachinohe: A Food Journey, the people at the heart of Hachinohe’s food culture tell the city’s story in their own words - from Nanbu senbei maker to restaurant owners and the market vendors at the Tatehana and Mutsuminato morning markets.
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CREDITS
By @untoldjapanmedia (@irwinwongphoto and @robgosswriter).
With our thanks to everyone at Kawagoe Senbei, Rapurazatei, the Tatehana and Mutsuminato morning markets, Miroku Yokocho, and Aomori Prefectural Government for their assistance. This isn’t sponsored content, but the project wouldn’t have been possible without everybody’s cooperation and kindness.

[@erickbennett]

I recently visited Kawagoe Sembei. The owner was very friendly. He shared some interesting history about the area as well as his shop. The senbei were amazing and each one had a very distinctly different texture and taste. You can take a bus from Hachinohe station and there is a stop very near his shop. Highly recommend.

[@ichii-ka]

Nicely done, thank you. Please introduce more Hachinohe videos!