Pairon

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

Researched and written by Hinato

jajamenPaironMoriokachiitantansince 1953

Iwate · Morioka

39.7023°N, 141.1522°E

Pairon is the kind of Iwate food stop that locals recommend before any restaurant with a sign in English.

Jajamen is one of the three noodle dishes Morioka is known for and it is the strangest. Flat warm noodles arrive with a mound of miso-based meat paste, cucumber and spring onion on top and no soup at all; you mix it, add garlic, vinegar and chilli oil to taste, and eat. Then, when the noodles are gone, you crack a raw egg into the bowl, hand it back, and it returns as a soup called chiitantan — the same bowl, boiling noodle water, more miso, egg.

Pairon started as a stall in 1953, opened by Takashina Kansho, who had eaten a dish like it in Manchuria. The shop has been serving essentially one thing for over sixty years. The main branch is by Morioka Castle park and is open from nine in the morning.

Eating essentials

Price range

¥500–800 per bowl | Chiitantan a small extra charge

Best season

Year-round

Hours

9:00 AM – 9:00 PM Monday to Saturday | 11:30 AM – 4:00 PM Sundays

Closed: No regular rest day | Closed over Obon and the New Year

How long to allow

30–45 minutes

How to reach it

Access notes

Uchimaru 5-15, Morioka, near the castle park. About a short walk from JR Morioka Station or a short bus ride. No regular rest day, with closures over Obon and the New Year. Ask for chiitantan after finishing the noodles — a raw egg goes into the bowl and it is returned as soup.

Insider tips

**Ask for chiitantan.** Crack the egg into your bowl, add a little of the meat paste, and hand it over. It costs a small extra charge and skipping it means not having had the dish. **Mix it thoroughly before eating.** The paste sits on top and the noodles underneath are plain. Garlic, vinegar and chilli oil are on the table for you to adjust. **Open from nine in the morning.** Which for a noodle shop is unusual, and makes this a possible breakfast in a city where little else is open early. **Sundays close at four.** And the hours are much shorter than the rest of the week. **Order the small size first.** Portions are generous and the flavour is heavy. You can always order a second.

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