Shimotsukare
Shimotsukare is the most traditional of all the local dishes in Tochigi Prefecture. It is made by first taking the Japanese radish and carrots that are harvested in the fall and storing them during the winter in the ground. Then, around the beginning of February, the radish and carrots are coarsely grated by a tool made from bamboo called onioroshi. This is mixed with the leftover head from the New Year's salted salmon, along with lightly-roasted soybeans, sake cake, and soy sauce, and the whole thing is brought to a boil several times. Every region has slightly different recipes and names for this dish, and every household dish has its own special flavor.

Kanpyo Sushi
Kanpyo is used in many ways, from varieties of sushi to mixed vegetable dishes, plus other dishes eaten around the New Year season including onishime (vegetables and other ingredients boiled with soy sauce-based seasoning) and tamago-toji (a kind of egg soup made by mixing lightly-beaten egg in a dashi-based soup with chopped kanpyo).

Historically, residents of Tochigi have eaten sushi made with kanpyo during celebrations and other special occasions. The two most common of these dishes is rolled sushi and deep-fried tofu sushi. In the former, Kanpyo cooked in soy sauce is used as a filling in the rolled sushi. The deep-fried tofu is boiled in soy sauce mixed with sugar, the tofu then rolled with rice that has been mixed with sugar and vinegar, and the whole thing then tied with kanpyo.

Nikko Yuba
Nikko Yuba's history dates to 766 A.D., when it was considered an ideal source of nourishment for the Buddhist monks and followers of Shugen who first explored the cold Nikko Mountains. Both Nikko and Kyoto are famous for yuba, with the biggest difference being the extra thickness of the Nikko variety. Being a good low-calorie source of protein, and being high in calcium and iron, this famous product of Nikko has always been an important ingredient in Buddhist temple cuisine.

Mimi-udon
Mimi-udon has been made for years in Sano City's Senba-cho and is a rare, ear-shaped noodle made around the New Year season. The shape has been compared to the ear of the devil, and it is said that if you eat the dish during the New Year, the devil will not hear you and you will have a year free from sickness and trouble. Mimi-udon is made by taking a piece of udon dough cut into a credit-card size piece, forming an ear and filling it with meat, onions, carrots, Japanese radish and other vegetables. It is then lightly grilled in oil before it is boiled in a soy sauce-flavored soup.