To use this site, please disable the ad blocking feature and reload the page.
This website uses cookies to collect information about your visit for purposes such as showing you personalized ads and content, and analyzing our website traffic. By clicking “Accept all,” you will allow the use of these cookies.
Users accessing this site from EEA countries and UK are unable to view this site without your consent. We apologize for any inconvenience caused.
The Yomiuri Shimbun Goto udon noodles cooked in the jigoku-daki (hell boiling) style
By Takayuki Kamiyama / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer
13:00 JST, January 12, 2025
SHINKAMIGOTO, Nagasaki — A town in Nagasaki Prefecture’s Goto Islands in autumn last year set up a new section devoted to the area’s specialty noodles, Goto udon.
The Goto udon ka (Goto udon section) was set up as part of Shinkamigoto’s municipal government to promote the noodles. It is pretty rare for a section of a municipal government to bear the name of a local specialty.
“We’d like to make our noodles a brand on par with Sanuki udon in Kagawa [Prefecture] and Inaniwa udon in Akita [Prefecture],” said an official of the section.
Thin, handmade noodles
In mid-November, a banner reading, “Udon no sato Shinkamigoto” (Shinkamigoto, an udon noodle town), flapped in the wind at Nagasaki Stadium City in Nagasaki, where all 91 students at the town’s Arikawa Junior High School were handing out packs of dried Goto udon noodles to visitors to the stadium.
“I hope more people will know that there’s such delicious food in Shinkamigoto,” said a 13-year-old student of the junior high school.
Town officials working in the Goto udon section organized the event. It was the first event where students promoted the noodles.
Goto udon noodles are thin and have a firm yet supple texture, a good contrast to Hakata udon noodles from Fukuoka Prefecture, which are thick and soft. Goto udon noodles are handmade with edible camellia oil, another specialty of the Goto Islands. The oil prevents the noodles from sticking to each other.
The most common way to enjoy Goto udon in Shinkamigoto is “jigoku-daki” (literally “hell boiling”), which involves taking the noodles directly from the hot pot. There are two standard types of sauce to dip the noodles in. Agodashi dried flying fish sauce has a refined taste, while raw egg with a bit of soy sauce is popular for its rich flavor.
Decline in producers
In recent years, there have been concerns about the future of Goto udon. The number of businesses handling Goto udon in Shinkamigoto has decreased due to the aging of udon noodle makers and the lack of successors. Seven years ago, there were 33 businesses producing or selling Goto udon. Now there are only 25.
Masuda Seimen, a noodle company that started its business about 50 years ago, has drawn attention by making colorful noodles with locally produced tomatoes, flying fish powder and other ingredients. However, the company cannot keep up with demand during the busiest times of the year, such as the Bon holiday in summer and the year-end and New Year holiday period, so it sometimes has to turn down orders.
“Some people in the industry are considering closing their businesses because they can’t maintain the production machinery or they don’t have heirs to carry on the business. There’s a need to continue making quality udon noodles with the whole town,” said Yoshinobu Masuda, 64, the third-generation president of Masuda Seimen.
Expanding udon production
The Yomiuri Shimbun Officials of the Goto udon section at the Shinkamigoto municipal government office in Nagasaki Prefecture show off the section’s nameboard.
In the midst of all this, the Goto udon section in the Shinkamigoto municipal government was established in October. The town looks to expand production of the noodles and strengthen support for businesses in the industry. The town will also encourage the transfer of operations between businesses and those who wish to take over. Also under consideration is the introduction of digital technologies to improve the efficiency of udon businesses and the establishment of a storage house that can be shared by the businesses to ensure a stable supply.
The section is also making efforts to promote sales of Goto udon outside the prefecture. Last year, the town participated for the first time in the Zenkoku Gotochi Udon Summit (Local Udon Summit), an event promoting udon noodles from across the country, which took place on Dec. 7 and 8 in Takamatsu, where Goto udon section officials from Shinkamigoto served Goto udon at a reasonable price to show its appeal.
The annual sales of Goto udon, based on the shipping values of 25 udon businesses in the town, was about ¥1.48 billion in fiscal 2023. The town has set goals to establish its udon brand and increase sales to ¥2 billion.
Ten town officials of the tourism and commerce section are working as members of the Goto udon section. The municipal government hopes the udon section will have its own staff in the future.
“I want to work so that young people will know about Goto udon and it will continue to survive,” said Satoshi Kondo, who serves as the head of both sections.
Examples in other prefectures
There are other examples of local government sections named after local specialties, such as the apple section in Hirosaki, Aomori Prefecture, and the Kinosaki onsen spa section in Toyooka, Hyogo Prefecture.
In April, the municipal government of Kitakata, Fukushima Prefecture, launched the Kitakata ramen and soba noodle sections. Twelve employees, who also serve in the tourism exchange section, are working to promote the foods in the Tokyo metropolitan area and to find successors for Kitakata ramen and local soba noodle businesses.
“I’m glad there’s another section devoted to noodles,” said Akihiko Uriu, who serves as the head of all three sections, about the Goto udon section. “Although our local governments are in different parts of Japan, I hope we can promote our noodles together someday.”
