Fujiya Honten

Little knownBarely documented in English. This is the kind of place the site exists for.

Researched and written by Hinato

himokawa udonKiryuwide noodleslocal foodsince 1887

Gunma · Kiryu

36.4191°N, 139.3446°E

The line outside Fujiya Honten, if there is one, is usually a better sign than a review score.

Himokawa udon is Kiryu's noodle and it is unlike any other udon in Japan: rolled out to a width measured in centimetres rather than millimetres, so thin that it is closer to a sheet than a strand, and served cold on a bamboo tray with dipping broth. The width is not a novelty — it changes how the noodle behaves, sliding rather than being chewed, and it needs a firm dipping sauce to stand up to the surface area.

It handles both of Kiryu's specialities, so the standard local order is a tray of himokawa with a small sauce katsudon alongside. It sits inside the nationally designated preservation district, which means the walk to it is through the weaving-era streets rather than past them.

Before you eat

Serving hours

11:30 AM – 2:30 PM and 5:30 PM – 8:30 PM

Closed: Closed Mondays and the fourth Tuesday of the month

What it costs

Himokawa udon from ¥1,000 | Seiro udon ¥550 | Sauce katsudon and himokawa set ¥1,050

Best time to go

Year-round | Cold himokawa is at its best in summer

Time to allow

45–60 minutes

Access route

Getting there in detail

Kiryu, at the Honcho 1-chome crossing. Closed Mondays and the fourth Tuesday of the month. Himokawa udon from around ¥1,000; seiro udon ¥550; sauce katsudon and himokawa set ¥1,050. Phone.

Beyond the guidebook

**Order it cold.** Himokawa is served both hot in broth and cold on a tray with dipping sauce. Cold is the version that demonstrates the noodle — hot broth softens the sheets and they lose the slippery quality that makes the dish distinctive. **The set is the local order.** A tray of himokawa with a small sauce katsudon (around ¥1,050) covers both Kiryu specialities in one meal and is what the shop is set up to do. Ordering the two separately costs more and is more food than most people finish. **Put your name down early.** The shop is small, popular, and does not take long lunch bookings. Locals often write their name on the list outside before browsing the street and come back when a table frees up. **Closing days are Monday plus one Tuesday.** The fourth Tuesday of the month is also closed, which is easy to miss when planning around a Monday. **Walk the district from the door.** Honcho 1-chome sits inside Kiryu Shinmachi's preservation area, so the sawtooth-roofed mills, the Yurinkan storehouses and the merchant frontages all start within a couple of minutes of the shop.

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