Hokuto, Yamanashi, Japan｜Yamayoshi

The tl;dr is that all the food is great for the price, but the fried stuff is where it's at. We were in the area for three nights and ate here twice because the karaage were that delicious. The set meals come with a simple salad, rice, tofu, pickles, and soup. Lots of sides to fill you up and provide a variety of textures. The tonkatsu comes with a house tomato sauce, which was different from the standard stuff but paired really well. The sweet and savory notes were still there. Ramens are okay but the volume makes them a good value. Shout-out to the "kuro shogun" for being a black pepper flavor bomb with enough bean sprouts to make the whole thing a slurry at the beginning. Not as smooth or as balanced as Toyama-style ramen, but a solid meal. The karaage seem to be among the most popular items here, and for good reason. Big chunks of thigh meat, crispy exterior, and still quite juicy inside despite their size. 500 yen for an appetizer plate is a bargain in my eyes. I will be dreaming of these until I have an excuse to come back to Hokuto City.

It’s definitely a store I want to go to again 😃 Everything was delicious 😀 The ramen at the end was very delicious with a light salt flavor 💁🏻‍♂️

I visited in August 2021 during the coronavirus pandemic. The owner of the inn recommended it, and it was within walking distance from Kobuchizawa Station, so I walked there from the station. There is a large parking lot, and there were many customers by car. Immediately after the store opened at 5:30 pm, several groups of customers arrived. Enter the store after having your temperature taken and disinfected. There are screens throughout the store. I was also interested in the Tonosama Ramen, Himesama Ramen, and Red Shogun on the signboard, but I wanted to drink, so I ordered a la carte. The sign outside said fried chicken, gyoza, and grilled squid, so I had the gyoza and grilled squid. The gyoza are large and filling. The grilled squid had a unique sauce with green onions and plenty of mayo, so you could try different flavors. Personally, I found the fried tofu with mushroom sauce to be exquisite. I'm curious about the other menu items as they look delicious. The restrooms have also been renovated, and I'm glad that they're clean, bright, and spacious. Payment could be made using PayPay. It's delicious, there's a lot of food, and it's also a good value for money, so if you come to Tamakobuchizawa, you'll definitely want to stop by. It was a feast.