A surprising and untouched region less than three hours from Tokyo, Tohoku is blessed with astounding landscapes, delicious beef and fresh fruit across all seasons
Photos: Pamela Chow
Mention “winter wonderland” and images of Finland and Iceland would often come to mind — not so much Japan. Yet, only about two and a half hours by train from Tokyo, we found exactly where you’d imagine Santa Claus to live.
Leaving the clear blue skies behind, we zipped through the white fields and forests of Tohoku. Snow-coated pine trees rose up from the hills around us, veiled by a light winter mist. Arriving at our first stop, Takahata, we learned that we had brought with us the first and heaviest snowfall in Tohoku.
We had the region’s prized specialty at the popular Aji no Gyutan Kisuke at S-PAL Sendai: Chewy and tender seasoned gyutan (beef tongue).
Eating through Tohoku
Many are familiar with yummy Kobe beef, but seasoned experts and locals will tell you that Yonezawa, a city in Tohoku, produces even more succulent cuts. In fact, this region — particularly Sendai — is renowned for its savoury beef tongue dishes.
I was initially sceptical. Could this really beat the marvellously marbled masterpiece that I had previously been bestowed in Kobe? I ate my words aboard a JR EAST train over a humble beef bento. The springy yakiniku and minced beef chunks were juicy and fatty, and not as oily as the Kobe version.
The region takes immense pride in its beef, and it was served to us at every opportunity — from shabu-shabu in Hotel Metropolitan Yamagata, to a mom-and-pop restaurant at Yamagata Station, to even traditional home-made imoni (taro and meat) soup in Takahata.
The ultimate indulgence greeted us in Sendai: Chewy and tender seasoned gyutan (beef tongue) in the popular Aji no Gyutan Kisuke at S-PAL Sendai. Unsatisfied with just eight slices, I found myself grabbing packets of jerky and gyutan-flavoured Calbee chips from the food section at S-PAL.
Of course, I couldn’t stomach all that meat without balancing it out. Thankfully, due to Yamagata’s big temperature gaps, its fruits are some of the tastiest in Japan. Winter brought us saccharine apples, pears and persimmons; in spring and summer, one can even go fruit-picking in peach, cherry and grape orchards.
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