Tohoku 2016 東北の旅 - Yamagata Yatai-mura Hottonaru Yokocho 山形屋台村 ほっとなる横丁, Yumehana 夢はな

Visited 23.05.2016 (Mon)

Street food. Yatai 屋台 refers to an open air, street food stall in Japan. These food stalls sell a variety of food and typically operate from evening onward till midnight, catering to locals who crave for late night supper or simply just want to hang out for drinks. Each stall is usually not very big, and the seating arrangement is around an open concept kitchen. I first came across a yatai when I visited Fukuoka with my family in 2014, but we did not have the courage to experience dinning at a place with strong local flavour at that point of time. Since then, I have put it down as one of the items on my to-do list on future trips to Japan (and when I become more proficient in understanding and speaking Japanese).

Yamagata Marugoto kan Beni no Kura 山形まるごと館 紅の蔵

First. On the penultimate day of my trip in Tohoku region, I visited Zao Okama 蔵王御釜 in the day and came to Yamagata city to stay for the night. After a simple dinner at Matsuya 松屋 (to grab my favourite grilled pork rice bowl topped with green onions), I decided to explore the neighbourhood a bit more before ending the day. Passed by Yamagata Marugoto kan Beni no Kura 山形まるごと館 紅の蔵, a group of former storehouses owned by a safflower merchant which are now occupied by cafe, restaurant, souvenir shop and tourist information center. Found out that there is a yatai village from Rurubu's travel guide magazine and made my way there to take a look. Located in Nanoka-machi 七日町, Yamagata Yatai-mura Hottonaru Yokocho 山形屋台村 ほっとなる横丁 has a total of 12 food stalls. Within the yatai village, there is a narrow pathway and is decorated with red lanterns to create a retro atmosphere of the Showa period. When I was just about to leave the place after a brief exploration, the aroma of teppanyaki held me back. Maybe I should give it a try this time round?

Eat and socialise! Followed the scent of food and came to this teppanyaki izakaya named Yumehana 夢はな. Found an open air table and sat down to read its menu. Went light on my stomach since I just had my dinner a while ago; ordered a skewer of grilled pork and leek and their signature flame torched Yonezawa beef (米沢牛の大トロ炙り焼き). As the night was getting a bit chilly, the chef signaled me from his kitchen to grab a counter seat. Found a seat between two groups of diners - two men dressed in suits and the other group made up of three ladies. The friendly chef started chatting with me while he was preparing my food. After knowing that I was a tourist visiting from Singapore, he was even more eager, as a host, to make sure that I felt comfortable dinning in a yatai. He roped the two groups of diners into our conversation and a group chat was extended amicably. While I was savouring the food, I shared my traveling experiences over the last two weeks and they recommended local food that I should try before I leave on the following day, and so on and so forth and these exchanges were made in a mixture of Japanese and English. In fact, I enjoyed having these impromptu and candid discussions which I have not had for a long time and it made me felt like I was accepted by the locals, something that I am very thankful and appreciative for.



Lastly, a group photo as a momento of this special night.
Once again, thanks to Kudo-san 工藤さん for the excellent hospitality! ありがとうございました。

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Yamagata Yatai-mura Hottonaru Yokocho 山形屋台村 ほっとなる横丁
山形市七日町2-1-14

http://www.hotnaru-yokocho.jp/

Yumehana 夢はな
Operating hours: 1630 - 0000 hrs
https://www.facebook.com/yataimurayumehana/

How to get there?

(1) By bus.
From the bus terminal at Yamagata Station East Exit, board Bekochan bus べこちゃんバス heading for downtown area and alight at Nanoka-machi 七日町. About a minute walk from the bus stop.
Bus schedule: https://www.city.yamagata-yamagata.lg.jp/kakuka/kikaku/kikaku/sogo/pd0510085137.html