🥟 Gyoza Street 餃子通り

I'm such a sucker for a themed area, especially if all the surrounding decorations are on theme. Utsunomiya in Tochigi is famous as a gyoza town not too far from Tokyo (the city has consistently ranked first or second in Japan's household gyoza survey for decades), and is a great place to stop by on your way to or from Nikkō.

Gyoza Street 餃子通り in central Utsunomiya specifically is a short stretch of Miyajimachō-dōri, which is home to some Utsunomiya gyoza icons like みんみん (Minmin, founded 1958 and the oldest surviving gyoza specialist in Utsunomiya), 正嗣 (Masashi), とんきっき (Tonkikki), 香蘭 (Kōran), and 悟空 (Goku, known for its ジャンボ餃子 at 2.4x standard size).

The street is decorated with gyoza-shaped street lamps, gyoza bus stop signs, and various gyoza monuments!!

📍 Miyajimachō-dōri, Utsunomiya-shi, Tochigi（二荒山神社下バス停すぐ / JR宇都宮駅より市内循環バス「きぶな号」で約15分）
🕐 Varies by shop — most open from 11:00, closed Tuesdays