JAPN Udon and Soba Noodle Guide: Thick, Thin and Everything Between
Udon and Soba Noodle Guide: Thick, Thin and Everything Between
Udon Varieties
Sanuki udon from Kagawa Prefecture sets the gold standard: thick, chewy noodles with a firm bite served in a clear dashi broth or cold with dipping sauce. Kagawa has more udon shops per capita than any other prefecture, with bowls starting at 200 yen at self-service shops where you watch noodles being cut and boiled. Inaniwa udon from Akita is thin, flat, and silky smooth, air-dried using a centuries-old hand-stretching technique. Kishimen from Nagoya uses flat, wide ribbons in a bonito-heavy broth.
Kitsune udon tops the noodles with a large sheet of sweet soy-simmered fried tofu. Tanuki udon adds crispy tenpura batter bits. Nabeyaki udon arrives in a clay pot with tempura, egg, and vegetables simmered together. Curry udon combines Japanese curry sauce with noodles in a bowl that inevitably splashes on your clothes (wear dark colors). Yaki udon stir-fries thick noodles with vegetables and pork in soy sauce on a teppan griddle.
Soba Culture
Soba buckwheat noodles hold a more refined position in Japanese food culture than udon, with dedicated sobaya restaurants treating the craft with near-ceremonial respect. Juwari soba uses 100 percent buckwheat flour without wheat, producing a fragile, intensely flavored noodle. Ni-hachi soba uses 80 percent buckwheat and 20 percent wheat for better binding. Cold zaru soba served on a bamboo mat with a dipping sauce of soy, mirin, and dashi is the purest way to taste soba quality. Slurping the noodles after dipping just the bottom third preserves the buckwheat flavor.
Kanda Matsuya in Tokyo, operating since 1884, serves hand-cut soba in a traditional setting for 800 to 1,200 yen. Soba-making experiences in Matsumoto, Togakushi near Nagano, and rural Yamanashi let visitors mix, roll, and cut their own noodles under instruction for 2,000 to 3,000 yen. Toshikoshi soba, eaten on New Year’s Eve, symbolizes longevity with its long noodle strands, and soba shops extend their hours to serve the tradition.
Regional Styles and Etiquette
Sanuki udon from Kagawa Prefecture in Shikoku defines the gold standard: thick, chewy noodles with an elastic bite served in a light dashi broth. Kagawa’s self-serve udon shops charge 200 to 400 yen and let you choose noodle temperature and toppings from a counter. Inaniwa udon from Akita features thin, flat, hand-stretched noodles with a smooth texture closer to somen. Kishimen from Nagoya uses flat, wide noodles in a dark soy-dashi broth. For soba, the Togakushi area near Nagano serves bocchin soba in small portions on circular bamboo trays, a mountain style dating to Togakushi Shrine’s temple cuisine. Izumo soba in Shimane uses the whole buckwheat grain including the hull for a darker color and stronger flavor. Eating soba hot (kake soba) or cold (zaru soba) with a dipping sauce are equally valid, though purists argue that cold dipping best showcases the noodle’s aroma and texture. Slurping is expected and aerates the noodles.
Soba allergies affect a significant minority of Japanese, and buckwheat is one of the seven mandatory allergens listed on food labels. Restaurants that serve both udon and soba often use the same boiling water, making cross-contamination a concern for severe buckwheat allergy sufferers. The annual tradition of eating toshikoshi soba (year-crossing noodles) on New Year’s Eve symbolizes cutting ties with the old year’s misfortunes, as soba noodles break more easily than other types. Virtually every household and restaurant in Japan serves soba on December 31.
Related Guides
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