Did you know that under the overpass in Yamagata City, there is a dumpling shop with over 120 years of history? This time, I will introduce the charm of the famous shop “Watanabe Dangoya,” which is counted as one of my family’s top four souvenir picks.

Especially their “Nuta (Zunda),” while there are many other places in Yamagata selling delicious dango, I still think their “Nuta” dango is number one in the Yamagata Zunda rankings (even though such a thing doesn’t really exist).

The Famous Shop Under the Overpass, “Watanabe Dangoya”

Founded in Meiji 36 (1903), the long-established shop “Watanabe Dangoya” is a renowned store located under the elevated Ou Main Line near the foot of Chitose Bridge, on the way from central Yamagata City to the Ochiai Sports Center.

Inside Watanabe Dangoya

Inside the store, there is a mother, who is presumably the owner, attending to the customers by herself, but it seems that there are also people working in the back. The store is just big enough for 4 to 5 people, so when it is crowded, it is considered polite for anyone not making a purchase to refrain from entering the shop (unless buying in bulk).

Watanabe Dangoya Parking

There is one parking space in front of the store (along the road) and three spaces under the overpass beside the store, but during busy periods like the equinoctial week, severe congestion from street parking can occur. It gets really crowded during spring cherry blossom viewing and around the equinoctial week, so to avoid disturbing the neighbors, if there is a traffic jam, it is safest to park at the riverside area of the Mamigasaki River nearby and walk from there. However, please note that in winter, it cannot be used as it becomes a snow dumping area.

There are basically four types of menus

The menu mainly features traditional dango, and it is very simple with four types: “soy sauce,” “nuta,” “sesame,” and “anko.” Depending on the season, there may also be kusamochi or yubeshi, but basically, the shop operates with the four types of dango.

The recommendation is the “zunda” dango

My personal recommendation! It’s ‘zunda,’ which is called ‘nuta’ in the Yamagata dialect. Recently, Sendai’s zunda shake has become famous, and it has become popular nationwide as a specialty of Sendai.

However, originally, it is said that when Date Masamune transferred his territory from Yonezawa to Sendai, it was passed down as a part of Yamagata’s food culture (there are various theories). In Yamagata, there are also regions that call it ‘jindan,’ not just ‘nuta,’ and since it also appears in company names and product names, even young people in Yamagata who don’t immediately recognize ‘nuta’ would likely associate ‘zunda’ if they hear ‘jindan.’

The ‘nuta’ from that Watanabe dango shop has a grainy texture and a solid sweetness, making it perfect as a tea snack.

There’s another reason I recommend ‘nuta.’ Although the photo this time shows only one stick, the more sticks of nuta you have, the more it clings to them, so I suggest buying three or more sticks of nuta.

Also, when the mother ‘slathers the nuta on’ (lol) right in front of you, it feels like the amount of nuta increases by about 20%, which is lucky.
(Here’s an explanation! At the shop, the dango is prepared with a certain amount of nuta already on it, but when that amount runs out, your mother will apply the nuta directly to the dango in front of you!)

The Supreme Pairing: ‘Nuta’ and ‘Soy Sauce’

The sweet and salty so-called “mitarashi dango” soy sauce has a light char on it, and it is also one of Watanabe Dango Shop’s top two, rivaling the “nuta”.
Also, a way of eating that I definitely want you to try is alternating one piece of “nuta” and one piece of “soy sauce” (laughs).

This endless loop of “sweet,” “salty,” “sweet,” “salty” is the ultimate marriage.
However, like me, if you have a regular stomach, eating two skewers at once could mean skipping a meal, so try it with that in mind.

Summary

Basically, customer service at Watanabe Dangoya is handled solely by the mother.
For large purchases, they also accept reservations by phone, so using that option will be smoother.

Also, it’s worth seeing the mother’s skill in wrapping the purchased dango in paper afterward.

Here is the store information for Watanabe Dangoya