Across Japan there are many different noodle dishes and sometimes it can be hard to tell your ramen from your udon. Here, we’ll be taking a closer look into the history and culture of soba or buckwheat noodles, as well as showing you where in Hachimantai you can get your fill.
In Hachimantai, where rice cultivation is made more difficult by the region’s cold winters, a variety of other seeds and grains such as soba have been part of the local food culture for centuries. Buckwheat is a flowering plant native to Asia and its seeds can be ground down to a grey-brown flour which is what is used to make noodles. When travelling around Hachimantai in autumn, you’ll see fields of white flowers in bloom – that’s soba!
How to eat it
With their subtle flavor and aroma, soba noodles can be served cold with a dipping sauce (usually called ‘zaru soba’) or hot in a broth with various toppings (‘kake soba’). ‘Ju-wari’ noodles are made with 100% soba flour, while 80% soba and 20% wheat flour blends are also common. It’s thought that soba noodles were first eaten in Japan around 400 years ago during the Edo period and are now an integral part of Japanese food culture. Many Japanese eat toshi-koshi or ‘year-crossing’ soba on New Years’ Eve because the long, slender shape of the noodles symbolizes longevity and is thought to bring health and prosperity for the New Year.
Soba - a superfood!
Buckwheat has long been regarded in Japan for its health benefits. It is higher in protein than most other grains, low in fat and high in vitamins, minerals and dietary fiber. It also contains a bioflavonoid called rutin which is known to reduce cholesterol and therefore reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke. So not only are soba noodles tasty but they’re also good for you!
Where to try it
As many families in Hachimantai make soba noodles from scratch, including growing the buckwheat and milling the flour themselves, there are very few specialty soba restaurants locally. However, if you want to slurp down some delicious soba noodles, we recommend Kitano Sobaya in Hachimantai’s Ashiro district.
This busy little restaurant serves hot and cold soba noodles accompanied by deliciously crisp tempura. The soba comes directly from Kitadate’s small factory around the corner and the specialty here is soba paired with local Appi maitake mushrooms. You’ll also find dried packs of noodles from Kitadate (北館製麺) and Hachimantai’s other local brand, Tsuchikawa (土川製麺), in supermarkets and souvenir stores across town, allowing you to take the taste of Hachimantai home with you.
''Hands-on' soba
If you want to try your hand at making soba noodles yourself there are te-uchi (handmade) soba noodle workshops available. The workshops are taught by local food masters and are a great way to totally immerse yourself in the local food culture. Of course, when you’re finished mixing, kneading and rolling, you get to taste the results for yourself!
Contact details for workshops can be found here (Japanese) or ask at your accommodation.
LOTS of soba
For something different, in nearby Morioka you can try wanko soba. This meal turned eating competition involves eating many, many, many bowls containing a single mouthful of soba while being egged on by the wait staff. How many can you eat?
Hot, cold, or by the mouthful – however you slurp down your soba – Hachimantai is one of the best places to try this quintessentially Japanese dish.
All information listed was confirmed at the time of publication. No responsibility is taken for changes made by third parties after this time.
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