The national tournament will be held in Hanamaki, the birthplace of Wankosoba, a local Iwate dish that is now known throughout the country!

Held every year on February 11th (Wankosoba Memorial Day), this unique contest sees participants compete to see how many bowls of the local dish, wankosoba, they can eat within the time limit of 3 to 5 minutes.

It all started in December 1957, when a plan was made to popularize wankosoba as a Hanamaki specialty, and it has continued to this day.

In imitation of sumo wrestling, which was a pastime enjoyed during the farming off-season at the time, the player who eats is called a "food master," the player who eats the most is called the "yokozuna," and a "gyoji" (gyouji) oversees the bouts.

The amount of soba noodles eaten is standardized to 10g, so approximately 1 bowl of soba noodles with sauce will accompany 15 to 20 bowls of soba noodles.

Every year, food experts (participants) are recruited and those boasting the best stomachs from all over the country engage in a heated battle.

 

You can also check the latest event information here. ⇒ Hanamaki Original Wankosoba Tournament Official Instagram (Links to external site)