Koushu Houtou KOSAKU Kawaguchiko

Koshu Houtou Kosaku Kawaguchiko is a popular “houtou” specialty restaurant chain with locations across Yamanashi (and some in Nagano). “Koshu houtou” is a local miso-based noodle dish made with hearty local vegetables such as pumpkin, taro and potatoes, carrots, burdock, and shiitake. It is also known as a preventive “anti-cancer” food. Because it is said that Takeda Shingen ate it even during wartime, the dish became deeply rooted across the Koshu region and remains a beloved local specialty. Kosaku’s noodles are a secret house-made recipe refined through trial and error and preserved for over 40 years. The broth is miso-based, bringing out the sweetness of vegetables; the rich soup clings to the thick, firm noodles and is excellent. Their signature menu item is “Kabocha Houtou,” whose gentle pumpkin sweetness is comforting. Other options include “Spicy Kalbi Houtou,” seasonal “Oyster Houtou,” and even houtou with bear or boar meat. Access: about 7 minutes (3.5 km) from Fuji Five Lakes Road “Kawaguchiko IC.”