⭐️It seems that the shortage of staff is the cause, as most of the Hakone soba restaurants have shortened their operating hours. Unfortunately, they no longer offer breakfast and now open at 11:00 am, which is tough for those who enjoy morning soba. I visited one of the Hakone soba restaurants for lunch after a walk. I ordered the KDS, which I had previously tried at the Tama Center branch, for 720 yen. It offers good value for money, is quite filling, tasty, and highly recommended!

This is a standing soba shop in the Odakyu line, located in Chitose-Karasuyama, which is known as Keio's stronghold. Keio focuses on C&C, but their soba shops are lacking, so it feels like Odakyu is taking advantage of that. It is a street shop, not inside the station. I visited around 7 am on a weekday. I purchased a ticket for the morning soba TKG set for 460 yen. Morning soba includes both aburaage and tenkasu, which means both kitsune and tanuki are included. For an additional 100 yen, you can add TKG. The taste is unquestionable. You can even drink all the broth. I wish Keio would also open soba shops of this level. Thank you for the meal.

Located in Minami-Karasuyama, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, this standing soba shop with seating is part of the Odakyu Group. The Chitose-Karasuyama branch is a franchise store, conveniently located near Chitose-Karasuyama Station on the Keio Line. Inspired by a follower's post about boxed soba, I visited on a weekday morning around 9 am two weeks ago. It had been three and a half years since my last visit. I ordered the Tofu One-Block Soba for 550 yen, a limited-time summer special. The dish consisted of cold soba noodles topped with a block of tofu, tempura scraps, bonito flakes, green onions, ginger, and wasabi. Despite its simple appearance, the combination of tofu, tempura scraps, and broth made for a delicious meal. Although it may not look appealing, crushing the tofu and mixing it with the soba noodles was a delightful experience. It was a tasty dish that was worth trying at this soba shop. #Soba #Udon #BoxedSoba #Morning #LastMinutePost

When work drags on and it's already quite late for lunch, especially on a hot day, nothing beats a refreshing bowl of soba noodles! Standing in front of the ticket vending machine, the usual choices are seasonal specials, bamboo shoots, or tempura. Without hesitation, I choose the ginger tempura soba with squid tempura. I hand over my ticket and wait a bit, then receive my bowl when my number is called. This place is known for its strong wasabi, so I slurp up the soba, enjoy the tempura, and mix in some grated radish for different flavors. The wasabi really hits the spot. I finish my meal with a satisfying feeling of fullness. Thank you for the meal!

After a long time, I was planning to have breakfast at Matsuno-ya, but when I got out of the ticket gate, it was drizzling. Since I didn't have rain gear with me, I changed my plans and went to a nearby Hako Soba shop. It had been a while since I last had Hako Soba. When I pressed the button for "Morning Soba" (340 yen), I noticed that the big boss was there, slurping his soba with his back hunched. Oh, isn't this the usual "Fukasodaiji Monzen Soba" near the north exit? Oh, they are closed today. You seem to be doing well. Well, see you later. I received my meal when called. It's been a while since I had Hako Soba, the broth was refined and the noodles had a nice texture. Despite prices going up across the board, they have maintained their prices. Thank you for the delicious meal.

I always rely on the soba restaurant near the station. Even though it's not right at the station, I really like the perfect texture of the soba noodles and the balanced saltiness of the broth. It's a cold soba dish, but I love that it's topped with plenty of seaweed. Recently, they started opening at 11 am, so I wish they would go back to opening in the morning like they used to.

Hakone Soba ☆ Chitose Karasuyama Branch. Kakiage Soba ...... 440 yen. This is my third time at this shop. Oh? There's a different person in the kitchen again (laughs). I wonder if they're not fixed? The soba is just boiled, but the finish is not as good as I thought (cries). The kakiage is still crispy as usual. But it's a rare standing soba shop on the way home, so I'll take it (laughs).

Hakone Soba ☆ Chitose Karasuyama branch. Kakiage soba ...... 440 yen. This is my second time at this restaurant. I had breakfast soba last time and it was decent, but how will it be in the evening? It seems they have a new staff member who is very inefficient. Also, the soba noodles were pre-boiled, so they were very mushy. The kakiage was also surprisingly soggy, even though it was displayed in the showcase and heated. I will give them the benefit of the doubt and support them by giving a fair rating...

This month's final TGS unvisited store report. Opposite the railway tracks from Hako Soba is Huka (Daitera) Soba. I thought it was a brand affiliated with Odakyu, so why is it on the Keio side? And it's not a franchise store, but a directly operated store. Well, it's right in front of the station, but it's not really on the station premises, so I guess it doesn't matter haha. When you think of Hako Soba, the curry-flavored croquette soba is the standout, but the regular dipping broth is also hard to resist. However, on this day, there was a special menu, Shungiku & Maiko Tempura Soba for 500 yen. Speaking of Hako Soba, this is the first time I've tried a topping other than croquette soba. Whoever came up with the idea to make croquettes curry-flavored and turned it into the iconic menu item deserves praise. However, for the regular menu items, they are not particularly distinctive. The refined broth, soba, and tempura are a bit too sweet for my taste. I think it would go better with kitsune (sweet tofu) soba. With three distinct TGS stores like this, each with its own characteristics, it's wonderful to be able to choose based on your mood in Chitose-Karasuyama. Speaking of characteristics, Huka Soba on the (railway) opposite side also has curry-flavored croquettes. Is there some kind of fate at play?

In the morning, I went to the Meiji Hakone Soba Chitose Karasuyama store. Meiji Hakone Soba is operated by Odakyu Restaurant System, which is part of the Odakyu Electric Railway Group, and has several stores outside the Odakyu Line area. This particular store is a group store within the direct management stores, along with Yotsuya store, Tamachi Shibaura store, and Chitose Karasuyama store, where you can get a special service coupon. On this day, they were distributing free coupons, so I got one for free. Inside the store, I looked at the ticket vending machine on the left and didn't see any specific menu items unique to this store. Oh, they sell canned beer here. I won't be able to use up all the coupons, but well, I'll use as many as I can. I ordered "warm soba" at the counter and waited for my order at an available seat. The store has a counter with 7 seats facing the wall, and 5 tables for 2 people each, totaling 22 seats. There were a few customers already, which was unexpected but nice to see. Soon, my order arrived - kake soba for 310 yen, with a coupon for kakiage tempura. The kakiage coupon at Meiji Hakone Soba comes in a full-size portion. The slightly sweet soba sauce is delicious and brings a nostalgic feeling to those living along the Odakyu Line. Wakame seaweed is served as a standard topping, and it seems like they have increased the amount of green onions since it became an extra charge. Only Meiji Hakone Soba calls their tempura "kakiage tempura," which includes the meaning of tempura. The tempura is fried in-store and served fresh, which has improved the taste, although there may be variations between stores. But as long as it's delicious like this, there's no problem at all. I enjoyed my meal, thank you.

I revisited the restaurant because my persistent cold symptoms were starting to improve, so I decided to finish them off with a calorie monster katsudon! They offer a "mini katsudon" (370 yen) here, but I wanted something hearty, so I went with the regular size "katsudon" (600 yen). I handed my meal ticket to the counter and was called in about 5 minutes. The dish came with chopped seaweed on top. It also came with pickles and miso soup. The pork cutlet was of standard thickness and piping hot since it was freshly made. The sauce was on the savory side with a hint of soy sauce, and not too sweet. Personally, I prefer it a bit sweeter. Since I was still recovering from being sick, I found it a bit challenging to finish the whole meal. I don't think I'll be able to collect five service tickets within the given period, but I'll definitely come back again.

Hakone Soba ☆ Chitose Karasuyama Branch. It is located right near Chitose Karasuyama Station. Today, the restaurant is closed. Normally, I would go hiking, but I have a busy schedule starting tomorrow, so I want to relax today. The schedule is as follows: - Day 12: 24-hour shift - Day 13: Camp - Day 14: Camp to work for a 24-hour shift - Day 15: Off I'm a bit worried about my food log activities, but I'll try my best. The taste of the soba was decent, made carefully by a young person. Unfortunately, the coupon for croquettes is no longer available at this restaurant. The green onions, seaweed, and tempura were well-balanced, and the croquette was curry-flavored. The noodles were pre-cooked, and there was no soba broth available. Overall, it was an average restaurant experience.

Located in Minami Karasuyama, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo. This is a standing soba shop managed by the Odakyu Group, with seating available. The nearest station is Chitose-Karasuyama Station on the Keio Line. Today's order was the mini sakura shrimp and dream rockfish tempura soba for 500 yen. The tempura is served quickly, with the shrimp and rockfish tempura being cold but the broth being hot. The soba noodles are chewy, and overall the dish is well put together. It was a satisfying meal. Time to head out for the next stop! #Foodie #TempuraSoba #Udon #HakoneSoba #FoodReview

Today's visit is the 46th stop on the Hako-soba quest, at Chitose-Karasuyama Station on the Keio Line. Although there is a famous noodle shop called Shindaiji Monzen Soba in Chitose-Karasuyama, today we are focusing on Hako-soba. Surprisingly, there are quite a few crowded eateries open in the morning on a Saturday. I ordered the classic Tempura Egg Soba. The broth is a bit lukewarm. I can't quite appreciate lukewarm broth on a cold winter morning. Other than that, the taste was as good as always. Thank you for the meal.

Located near Chitose Karasuyama Station, there is a standing soba noodle chain restaurant in the back streets known for its "Hako Soba" dish. Customers purchase meal tickets from a vending machine, then hand them over at the counter for their food to be served. The distance from the entrance to the pick-up counter is surprisingly far. The Kake Soba (300 yen including tax) served here always comes in a generous portion. The tray it is served on is very slippery, making it a bit difficult to handle. The broth is not very sweet, with a noticeable spiciness. The soba noodles are on the softer side and have absorbed the broth well. Overall, it's a pretty average experience.

I walked to a traditional bento shop near Japan Women's College of Physical Education, but it was closed. I returned to the station and walked for an hour, feeling hungry. For some reason, I wanted curry soba. I bought a 440 yen meal ticket and waited for a while to get my curry soba. The taste was just right, delicious. Be careful not to drink all the broth too quickly!

I visited this restaurant for the first time on a Tuesday evening. I purchased a meal ticket at the vending machine for the "Mini Shrimp & Tempura Rice Bowl Set" (570 yen). I chose warm soba noodles. It only took 2-3 minutes for my order to be ready, which was impressive. The taste was satisfactory. I don't have much to complain about. The speed of service is a charm. I received a free topping coupon on top of the already reasonable prices. I will definitely come back when I want a quick and satisfying meal.

★2018・6 Revisit Recently, I have been seriously troubled by something. It's not about not being able to stand up or not getting hard, it's not about something trivial like that. It's about not being able to go to a second bar after drinking, or rather, not wanting to drink anymore even if my stomach is full (laughs). That's why I don't feel like ordering ramen as a last dish. Why is that? My health is fine, and even after a medical check-up, there are no issues with my stomach or intestines. After thinking about it carefully, I realized that it's because I eat too much for lunch, then sit at my desk without moving until the evening, so my food doesn't digest at all, I don't get hungry, the alcohol doesn't taste good, I don't want to drink, I want to go home, I want to sleep... That's the reason (laughs). But tonight, I thought about having some soba noodles for my last meal, so I went to Fukasodaiji Soba, but it was surprisingly empty and closed before 7:30. So, I ended up going to Hakone Soba after a long time and had croquette soba, which was delicious. There are three TGS restaurants in this small town, it's amazing, it's no joke (laughs) (^^;;

★2018・9 Revisit After witnessing the devastation caused by Typhoon 21 hitting the major city of Osaka, I once again realized the threat of nature. It sends chills down my spine to think that the same thing could happen in Tokyo. Seeing a big city go through such a disaster reminded me of the world of Radon and Mothra that I saw in movies when I was in elementary school... It was no laughing matter. As I casually enjoyed my standing soba noodles for breakfast, I felt truly grateful for my happiness and sincerely offer my condolences to those affected by the typhoon.

★2018・7 revisit. Today, I decided to eat soba on my way home after staying longer than usual at the first place. Since Fukasudera soba is probably already closed, I opted for Hakone soba instead. I usually don't order cold soba, but with tonight being 40 degrees, I went for the cold kitsune soba. Despite seeking relief from the heat, seeing the sweaty old man in the back kitchen took away from the coolness. I wonder if he's okay with heatstroke? I'm not sure if that's the reason, but it was disappointing that the soba wasn't very cold. By the way, the female owner of Fukasoba once said, "What's tougher than frying tempura is boiling soba or udon noodles." Even TGS is a matter of life and death (laughs in surprise).