Naraoka ya Kosaka

If you can’t decide between the comfort of the classic Japanese katsudon (breaded pork cutlet with scrambled eggs and onions over rice) and a bowl of ramen - because these are real problems people have and I’m not one to judge - you need to pack your bags and head to the small town of Kosaka in eastern Akita prefecture. Back in the seventies, a pack of hungry citizens working day and night to get ready for the annual tanabata festival hankered for exactly this combination, and the birth of “katsu-ra” was born.

The soup is a classic shoyu made with pork, chicken and fish, and noodles equally nostalgic. Add an entire breaded cutlet that has been sautéed in a velvety egg-onion-mirin-dashi mixture, and dig in.

The town is so famous for this invention there’s a little guide to where you can get it at multiple ramen shops. I went to Naraokaya and was not disappointed - I even ordered a proper katsudon to go - the sweetness and creaminess pairs so well with the tang of a shoyu ramen.

Little towns with big history are what I love about Japan! Less