At first, I casually thought I’d drop by since I’d be in Kansai anyway, but Sayo is actually pretty far from Osaka—almost close to Okayama!

From Kobe it’s a little over an hour by express train, or about two hours by local train. (By the way, there’s basically no public transport in Sayo, so driving is best.)

If it weren’t for my friend, I might never have come here (sorry, Sayo!). But here, I tried the local powerhouse dish: hormone yaki udon—thick udon and chunks of offal sizzling on a hotplate, eaten with a garlicky, citrusy dipping sauce. Unbelievably good!

Eating Sayo’s Famous Hormone Yaki Udon at “Fuji”

We went to Fuji, one of two places highly recommended by my friend Sagayan.

They even had a local hormone udon map on the wall, showing how the whole town promotes this specialty together, instead of competing against each other.

Hormone udon reminded me of Tsuyama in Okayama (which has appeared in the B-1 Grand Prix), but theirs uses thinner noodles closer to yakisoba, while Sayo uses much thicker udon.

Tsuyama and Sayo are quite close—just two towns apart across Mimasaka City—so this dish probably spread across the area.

The shop has counter and table seating. We arrived after the lunch rush, so the counter was empty, but tables were still lively.

My friends and I made it our mission to conquer hormone udon.

On the wall, a poster proudly explained their Sayo-style hormone udon: carefully selected Japanese beef offal, special noodles made just for this dish, local veggies, and high-quality soy sauce and miso for the sauce.

Here, you order hormone, meat, and noodles separately, which then come mixed together. They also have regular lunch menus if you’re not always up for heavy hormone.
Sagayan surprised me by ordering seven portions of noodles. Was he serious?

Living in Sayo basically requires a car, but since I wasn’t driving, I toasted with a beer. Sorry guys!

We were only meeting up with other guys that day, so we also got whole garlic cloves as snacks. That amazing aroma filled the air without being overpowering—dangerously good with drinks.

Hormone and Udon Sizzling on the Hotplate—It Doesn’t Get Better

Then our hormone yaki udon arrived, dumped from a flat steel pan that looked like a dustpan onto the hotplate. Just look at it—how could anyone resist?

The sizzling sound on the hotplate and the savory aroma of the sauce-coated hormone udon were irresistible.

They offered two sauces—sweet miso and soy—plus grated garlic and yuzu to mix in however we liked.

I just mixed everything together and adjusted to taste.

The noodles were thick, square-cut, soft and chewy—not super firm, but absolutely perfect for hormone udon.

Dipping them in sauce… wow! The garlic and sauce hit first, then the more you chew, the more the hormone’s umami and the veggies’ sweetness spread through your mouth. The noodles absorbed everything and made it even heartier. What an incredible dish!

At first, the huge pile seemed too much for three guys, but we kept digging in. Even Maechan, also trying it for the first time, couldn’t stop eating. It was that good.

The hormone wasn’t just one type—some pieces were chewy, others rich and fatty like what you’d find in motsunabe. Each bite was a new texture and flavor.

Later, when we were getting full, the noodles crisped on the hotplate, creating crunchy, fragrant bits that showed yet another side of this amazing dish.

I thought we’d over-ordered, but we practically polished it off. Sayo’s hormone udon truly blew me away.

Relaxing at the Countryside Cafe “Babisoa” Afterward

Stuffed from lunch, we drove about 15 minutes into the hills to Babisoa, a cafe in a traditional Japanese house.

Cafe Babisoa – Facebook Page

The cafe’s mascot dog, Gen, greeted us.

The owner moved here after working in esthetics in Tokyo. What a life change! She runs it in a space rented from the owner of the curry cafe “Doman” next door (Facebook). Love seeing local connections like that.

There aren’t many other shops around, so it’s become a precious gathering spot for local ladies.

Outside it’s just mountains and fields. And that’s the best part.

After feasting on hormone udon, relaxing at a peaceful cafe like this is the perfect end to the day.

Final Thoughts

I was reminded that there are still so many amazing local dishes in Japan I’ve never heard of.

If you’re ever nearby, definitely give this a try!