A national competition to see how many bowls of Iwate's specialty "Wanko Soba" you can eat within a time limit was held in Hanamaki City, Iwate Prefecture for the first time in four years, in the same format as before the coronavirus pandemic.
Hanamaki City's ``Wanko Soba All Japan Tournament'' was held in the same format as before the coronavirus pandemic, with masks not being required for the first time in four years, and 180 contestants from all over the country gathered at the venue, Hanamaki City Cultural Hall. Ta.
The competition is divided into an elementary school division, a group division, and an individual division.The elementary school students and group division compete to see how many bowls of soba they can eat within a three-minute time limit, and the individual division has a five-minute time limit.
The contestants energetically brought their bowls of soba to their mouths one after another as the host yelled, "Hakkeyoi, Hajime."
This year, vocal support returned for the first time in four years, and the venue was filled with excitement as contestants' families and friends cheered them on.
A 5th grade elementary school student who participated said, ``It was very delicious.I practiced eating soba at home, but the soba was thicker than I expected and it was painful.''
A male parent who watched the heated battle at the venue said, ``I think the children ate well.They were able to cheer loudly, and I think they will become even more energetic from now on.''