I visited the "Soba Tengoku Village" in Yubari City today, a place I have been wanting to go for a long time. The owner of this place is the founder of the well-known "Soba Tengoku Matsunoya" in Kitahiroshima and Ebetsu. Currently, he has retired from those places and his son has taken over. The owner of this place opened a soba shop called "I ♡ Soba" in Yubari City after closing his previous shop due to illness, and he started operating in the old Minamishimizusawa Station building in April 2020. As soon as you step inside the shop, you feel like you have traveled back to the Showa era. The atmosphere is reminiscent of the movie "The Yellow Handkerchief of Happiness," with yellow handkerchiefs hanging from the ceiling and record jackets from the mid-Showa period displayed on the walls. If you're in Yubari, you have to try the curry soba, so I ordered the "Buta Curry Minami Soba (large size)" for 680 yen. Unfortunately, they were out of rice, which I usually like with curry soba. The soup was light and not thick, with a clear curry flavor. The soba here is made from 100% buckwheat flour, similar to the renowned "Takeroen Higashigura Main Store" in Kushiro, and it has a unique texture that I really enjoyed. The meal was delicious, and I will definitely be back for more. The price for the large size was the same as the regular size, which was a pleasant surprise.

Today, we visited a restaurant in Yubari at my wife's request. After buying the items we were looking for, we decided to have lunch at a place of my choice. It's a restaurant located in the old train station building - Soba Tengoku Yubari branch. According to my wife's information, the store in Kitahiroshima was handed over to the son for a new generation, and the original owner started this branch in Yubari. The interior of the restaurant is decorated with a happy yellow handkerchief-like theme, giving it a retro vibe. It's quite nostalgic, with photos of the Yubari Railway displayed, adding to the charm. We checked the menu and both decided to go for warm soba. I chose the tempura soba, while my wife went for her usual kamonanban. The soba arrived about 10 minutes after ordering, and it looked really good. The noodles were not the usual green color... this could be interesting. Let's dig in! The tempura soba had thick, rustic noodles that seemed to be hand-cut. The texture was quite firm, which I personally enjoyed. The broth had a gentle flavor that complemented the soba well. The tempura, soaked in the broth, was also delicious. The shrimp tempura added a nice crunch and flavor. I ordered a large serving, so the portion was satisfying. I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the soba. I also tried a bit of my wife's duck soba, and it had a rich, flavorful taste. The kamonanban soba had the same rustic, hand-cut noodles. This visit changed my impression of Soba Tengoku. The branch in Kitahiroshima gave me the impression of machine-made soba without much handmade feel, but this branch was different. While personal preferences may vary, this restaurant had a warm and welcoming atmosphere, from the store layout to the owner's hospitality. I hope they continue to thrive in Yubari. It was delicious! Thank you for the meal!

I visited here for the first time to have lunch nearby. I was surprised by the variety of the menu and had a hard time deciding, but I ended up ordering the "Soba Tengoku" which comes with both dipping and soup soba, as well as tempura. It was a generous portion and I left feeling very satisfied.

I had some business in Yubari and was driving on the national highway when I decided to stop by Soba Tengoku in Kitahiroshima after a long time, but it was still closed so I continued on to Yubari. I was surprised to see another Soba Tengoku in Ebetsu, I didn't know there were others. I entered the small shop and thought, "Is this a different place?" It turns out this shop is run by the founder. Since I was already on my way to Yubari, I decided to try their curry soba. Unlike the typical Yubari curry soba, this one was more watery, but still delicious. I had imagined Soba Tengoku to be a place with green soba, but it turned out to be just regular soba.

Opposite the coal mine. Passed by several times but it was closed... Could it be that they have a fixed day off on Fridays until 2pm? Feeling hungry, I wandered around for an hour before spotting this place that was open. Without hesitation, I went in. Huh?! The exterior gave off a retro vibe, and inside, it felt like a school. The floor was concrete, the ceiling had yellow handkerchief-like flags, and the background music was a retro accordion tune? There was even a raised seating area, although I'm not sure if you can actually sit there. The interior was filled with nostalgic items like a gramophone, a TV with channel dials, a pink payphone... it was so interesting. The atmosphere inside the restaurant really captured the essence of Yubari and would surely delight tourists. The menu was extensive, with plenty of set meal options. Feeling a bit sleepy, I opted for a modest cold tororo soba. Finally, it arrived! It was served in a bukkake style with plenty of tororo and soba broth. The wasabi provided was mountain wasabi. I liked the shape of the noodles too. And surprisingly, it was delicious. Maybe because I didn't have high expectations? I felt like I hit the jackpot. Later, I learned some interesting facts about the restaurant. Turns out, it's a famous establishment in Yubari!! The restroom was surprisingly clean with soap available. They even had a super spicy curry dish called "Nanban." I definitely want to visit this place again!! Thank you for the meal♪

Today, at my wife's request, we visited Yubari. We picked up a female friend from Yubari and went to a place called Shikanotani Station where a small event was being held, which she wanted to visit. After that, we decided to have lunch at the following restaurant: Soba Tengoku Yubari Branch [2nd visit]. Our local friend from Yubari had never been there before, but it was our second visit. The impression was not bad, so the choice of the restaurant was fine. We arrived at lunchtime and there were only two customers seated, so we were able to enter smoothly. Our friend used to commute through this station, so she was reminiscing and getting nostalgic. Now, what should we eat? I decided to order the curry nan-soba in a large portion. My wife ordered the shrimp tempura soba, and our friend ordered the cold tororo soba. After placing our order, a couple more customers arrived, but it didn't get too crowded, almost full. Our soba was served in about 10 minutes - they all looked delicious. Let's dig in! I slurped the curry nan-soba...yes, it's definitely authentic hand-made soba. Soba Tengoku is known for its green soba, but they serve hand-made soba here. The previous owner used to run this place and they still use a skilled soba artisan. The robust countryside soba was truly delicious! The curry flavor was very gentle, maybe a bit more punchy would be nice. But if you want to bring out the flavor of the soba, this level of spiciness might be just right. The large portion was satisfying, and the soba was very enjoyable! My wife and our friend both said "delicious" while eating, so I guess everyone was satisfied. Sometimes we tend to overlook local restaurants, but trying them out can lead to finding hidden gems. Well, I usually try out new restaurants when they open anyway (laughs). Thank you for the delicious soba today! It was a great meal.