As we enter the cold, wintry month of December what better way to celebrate and stay warm than to enjoy this traditional warm dish that is popular in Miyagi? Hatto are thick cuts of dough that are added to soup filled with vegetables and savory ingredients. Hatto can also be boiled in hot water and coated with sweet ingredients like azuki beans, zunda or junen. Japan’s #1 Hatto Festival will be held in Tome on December 1.

This festival boasts over 30 different types of hatto, ranging from savory classics like as hatto in a soy sauce broth with abura-fu (another speciality of Tome) and seafood hatto, to sweet variations like azuki hatto. There will be stage events including a ‘hatto dance’, yosakoi dancing and high school band performances. You will also have the chance to buy local products at market stalls set up for the festival.

The Japan's #1 Hatto Festival is canceled in 2022 as the city is unable to take all possible measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.