Today, I would like to talk about a specialty of Sendai: imoni. This literally means “cooked potato.” That is, imoni actually means to enjoy cooking somewhere outdoors, such as along a river, to promote friendship among a group of people. The main dish in Miyagi is a bowl of stewed pork, taros, scallions and konjak, which are cooked on a stove. People help themselves to it, and relax and chat with friends, family members, neighbors and so on.
This custom is widely seen in the Tohoku region, the northern part of the main island of Japan, and it is often considered to be one of the two most anticipated events: Hanami (cherry blossom viewing) in spring and Imonikai in autumn, every year.
The reason why it is carried out in autumn is that taros are perennially harvested in October, and the newly harvested taros are always the main ingredient for the dish.
On October 20th, students of engineering department voluntarily planned an imoni party alongside the Hirose River, and many international students participated in the event. In addition to imoni, various barbecue items—sausages, pork chops, vegetables and many others—were prepared there, and the participants truly felt full from the delicious feast.
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