Hōtō are Kawaguchi-ko's local noodles, hand-cut and served in a thick miso stew with pumpkin, sweet potato and other vegetables. It's a hearty meal best sampled at this chain with five branches around town. This is the most architecturally interesting one, an igloo-like building in which you can also sample basashi – horsemeat sashimi (¥1080).
There's also a convenient branch directly opposite Kawaguchi-ko Station.