Gunma Okirikomi (Wide Hand-Cut Wheat Noodle Stew in Earthy Miso-Dashi Broth)

Designated as an Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Gunma Prefecture and celebrated on the Ministry of Agriculture’s heritage registry, "Okirikomi" is an ancestral rustic winter stew that has nourished Gunma farming households for generations. Blessed by sunny winters and the brisk mountain dry winds known as "Karakaze", Gunma produces Kanto’s premier wheat harvests, fostering a deep-rooted wheat-flour culinary identity unique to this subalpine interior. The culinary hallmark of Okirikomi is its broad, hand-cut noodles crafted from local stone-ground wheat flour and mountain water without added salt. The flattened sheets are sliced into ribbons 2 to 3 centimeters wide and dropped directly—raw and dusted in excess dusting flour ("kiri-komi")—into a simmering dashi broth. As the uncooked raw noodles cook, their surface starches naturally thicken the broth into a rich, velvety consistency that traps piping steam and shields diners against freezing mountain winds. Simmered in communal cast-iron nabe cauldrons, the wide ribbons absorb the earthy essence of seasonal Gunma root vegetables: tender Satoimo taro roots, sweet winter daikon, carrots, fragrant wild Maitake mushrooms, buttery Shimonita leeks, and pork or chicken morsels, seasoned with local farm miso and dark shoyu. An authentic simmering cauldron costs approximately ¥1,000 to ¥1,500 at rustic farmhouse taverns throughout Shibukawa, Ikaho Onsen, and Takasaki.