Azumaya Honten
東家 本店39°42′ N 141°09′ ESoba¥¥¥
Azumaya Honten suits anyone who wants wanko soba served the old Morioka way, with a server tipping mouthfuls into your bowl until you close the lid, and the trade-off is that weekend and holiday seats go to whoever turns up first.
What to order
- Wanko soba, with the server refilling your bowl until you close the lid
- Zaru soba from the vegan menu if you want one plain bowl
Azumaya has served soba in Morioka since 1907, and the main shop sits near the Morioka Bus Center on Nakanohashi-dori. Wanko soba cost ¥4,500 a person in 2026. A server stands beside you calling out "hai, don-don" and drops a mouthful of soba into your bowl each time you empty it, and fifteen of those bowls add up to roughly one ordinary bowl of kake soba. The table carries tuna sashimi, grated daikon with nameko mushrooms, minced chicken, sesame, nori and pickles to vary each round.
You stop by putting the lid on your bowl while it is empty and the server is watching. Anyone who passes 100 bowls takes home a wooden certificate, and the shop's own records stand at 500 for men and 753 for women. Azumaya says there is no rule about speed, so pace yourself and talk to the server between bowls. A vegan menu uses a kombu and shiitake broth, with zaru soba from ¥1,050.
Worth knowing
- Check the shop's daily wanko soba notice on its website before you walk over, since the evening sitting can close its list early on busy days.
- The Ekimae branch, on a second floor by exit A1 of the underpass in front of Morioka Station, serves the same wanko soba and closes on Tuesdays.
Quick answers about Azumaya Hontenよくある質問
How much does Azumaya Honten cost?
Prices at Azumaya Honten start at ¥4,500 per person (2026), about CAD 40 or USD 28 (October 2026 rates).
What are the opening hours of Azumaya Honten?
Azumaya Honten keeps these hours: Mon–Sun 11:00-15:00, 17:00-19:00.
What should you order at Azumaya Honten?
At Azumaya Honten, order wanko soba, with the server refilling your bowl until you close the lid, or zaru soba from the vegan menu if you want one plain bowl.
Do you need a reservation at Azumaya Honten?
Azumaya Honten: Walk-ins are fine for wanko soba. Azumaya takes bookings for some tables on weekdays only, and on weekends, public holidays, Golden Week and from Marine Day to the end of August every seat goes to walk-ins.
Within 12 km
