The “No. 1 Imoni Club in Japan” sets a record of being the “No. 1 in the world”

When it comes to Imoni-kai in Yamagata City, it is Japan's No. 1 Imoni-kai Festival that is held every September. Approximately 30,000 servings of imoni are cooked all at once using a giant iron pot measuring 6.5 meters in diameter and weighing 4 tons, a mobile crane-equipped backhoe, and the scale of the event is so large that the tools used are also extremely large. Each piece of heavy machinery is disassembled and cleaned, and edible oil is used instead of lubricating oil to maintain hygiene. In 2018, it also set a Guinness World Record for the most soup served in 8 hours (12,695 servings). By the way, the iron pot used is named ''Nabetaro,'' and the current one is the third generation. It is also noteworthy that the diameter of the first generation Nabe Taro was 5.6 meters, the second generation 6 meters, and the third generation 6.5 meters, increasing in size with each successive generation.

In recent years, the number of restaurants that are serving Yamagata imoni not only at imoni parties but also as a ''local food of Yamagata'' has increased. The soup has the sweetness of beef tallow and the sticky texture of taro, which is in season, combine to create a delicious dish that will have you looking forward to the next bite. Please try it once.