Practice JLPTMeaning
芋煮 (いもに[?], Imo-ni) is Imo-ni — a Japanese food (soups and stews).
What is Imo-ni?
Imoni is a type of taro and meat soup eaten traditionally in the autumn in the Tōhoku region of Japan. Yamagata Prefecture in particular is famous for its imoni , but other prefectures in the region also have their own different varieties. Imoni is eaten like any soup, primarily during the late summer and early autumn, but is most famous as an outdoor food. In the autumn, groups of people preparing imoni around a fire near a river is considered a sign of the season, and convenience stores maintain a stock of firewood and other supplies just for the occasion. In Yamagata Prefecture in particular, and its neighbours in general, imoni get-togethers are an important autumn tradition. Tourists flock to Yamagata for the Autumn Imoni Festival ( Aki no Imonikai ) where they join local residents on the banks of the Mamigasaki River on the first Sunday in September, to eat imoni from a gigantic iron kettle, which uses a building crane to add ingredients and stir the pot. Many schools and work organisations in northern Japan arrange imonikai for their students or employees. Through September and October it is common to see groups of imonikai revellers on the banks of rivers, even near major highways.