Hi there!
So if you’re looking for some Japanese food to try when you’re in Japan, you may give a taste to soba.
These are among the popular types of noodles to eat in Japan.
The normal way to eat these noodles is to dip it a sauce called “tsuyu.” This is somewhat of a salty sauce.
Soba can be prepared hot or cold.
When thinking about “soba” usually it can be thought of as the hot soba. In summer, cold soba can become more popular, and this is called “zaru-soba.”
While you can find soba across Japan, including in Tokyo and Kyoto, it is somewhat of a specialty in the Nagano region. Nagano is an easy bus ride from Tokyo, and you can get a train there too, including with your JR pass. You might plan to stay at least a night or 2. There are hostels in Nagano city.
Where to eat soba
And how much does it cost?
Restaurants
You can commonly find soba at restaurants in Japan.
This includes regular sit-down restaurants that serve all kinds of food…
And it also includes vending machine restaurants!
And you also might find a noodle shop with soba right at the train station too.
There are also specialty shops that make soba their main focus.
At restaurants, soba might be 600 to 800 yen (US$6-8).
For a little extra cost, you also might be able to find a soba meal set that comes with another type of Japanese food.
For example, soba with tempura.
Tempura is fried food, and it’s common to get a soba meal with fried shrimp.
Convenience stores and grocery stores
You can also commonly find soba at convenience stores and grocery stores ready-to-eat for maybe around 300 to 400 yen (US$3-4).
It’s a packaged cheap meal idea – ready to eat!
See more on the cost of food in Japan.
Making soba on your own
If you’ll be staying at a hostel in Japan, or another type of accommodation with access to a kitchen, it’s also possible to buy just the uncooked noodles at a store (they come in bundles), and then prepare them in a kitchen.
This is a pretty easy meal to prepare, but you also want to make sure you buy the tsuyu sauce to flavor it with. If you buy tsuyu at the store (also typically available at convenience stores) then you’ll want to water it down.
🗾
Soba prepared right in front of you
Places where you can see soba being prepared aren’t as common as being able to see other Japanese street food made in front of you like okonomiyaki, takoyaki, and taiyaki.
In Nagano, you might be able to find a restaurant facing the street to watch soba being made!
HAPPY EATING SOBA NOODLES IN JAPAN!
