When it comes to Kyoto, you think of herring soba. And when you think of herring soba, you think of Matsuba. However, you don't have to go all the way to Matsuba in Shijo to enjoy it, as you can get Matsuba herring soba inside the Shinkansen gates. It's actually a hidden gem! The famous herring soba features large, salty yet not overpowering sweetened herring. The light broth allows the flavors to seep out, making it incredibly delicious.

In the relatively empty Matsuba-san set menu at a bullet train station, the price of nearly 2,000 yen is unique to the bullet train station setting. The neighboring store at Shijo's Minamiza Theater mainly serves eel and herring soba. The herring simmered in soy sauce was delicious. The price may be unavoidable. You can buy the herring simmered in soy sauce to take away, so it would make a good souvenir. Thank you for the meal.

The Nishin Soba in the Shinkansen waiting area. Whenever I come to Kyoto, I make sure to stop by here. The soba, the herring, and the broth are all perfectly done. The thin noodles blend well with the aroma of the broth, and the sweetness and fragrance of the herring delicately placed under the soba are delicious.

Nishin Soba is famous for delicious soba noodles, but today I really wanted to try the duck soba. It was absolutely delicious. The duck meat was juicy and fantastic. The soba noodles were also amazing, with a warm broth that had a Kyoto-style flavor, not too strong but very elegant. The duck meat was served in both meatball and sliced form, and both were delicious. It was truly the best. Waiting for the bullet train was actually a fun time like this. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Thank you for the meal.

Located inside the train station, my order came quickly. It's recommended to go as soon as you arrive if you're worried about catching your train on time. Despite being at the far end of the station, it's clear that this is a popular spot. The cold soba with grated yam and fish is delicious.

"Nishin Soba Matsuba" inside Kyoto Station's Shinkansen ticket gate. I had a 2-day business trip in Osaka. On the second day, I had work in Hirakata. The work took longer than expected, and I missed lunch, so by the time I arrived at Kyoto Station, it was already past 3 pm. I had to decide whether to endure until Tokyo or have a late lunch. Without hesitation, I chose the latter! Kyoto Station surprisingly has few eateries inside the ticket gates considering the number of people passing through. Maybe it's the layout. So, I headed to this place inside the Shinkansen ticket gate. Although their specialty is "Nishin Soba," I found "Duck Seiro" on the menu, made with domestic duck meat. I ordered it without hesitation. Work was done, so it's a bit early, but "Cheers to a hard day's work." It was served in just 2-3 minutes, as expected from a store inside the ticket gate. They operate continuously, and the speed of service was impressive. The taste was also excellent, and the duck meat was delicious! I love duck after all. Thank you for the meal!"

At the end of my business trip in Kyoto, I like to finish off at "Matsuba" located inside the Shinkansen gate at Kyoto Station. Last time, I won with the famous "nishin soba" and bottled beer, but this time I tried ordering the "tara soba". It was a great choice! Personally, I prefer the "tara soba" over the "nishin soba". It had a generous amount of grated yam and matched perfectly with the Kyoto-style savory soba broth. It was a satisfying dish that really showcased the quality of Kyoto.

Located on the 2nd floor of Kyoto Station inside the Shinkansen concourse, I used it during the waiting time for the Shinkansen. I had the chilled herring soba for 1815 yen, while my companion had the curry soba for 1265 yen. The chilled herring soba consists of soba noodles topped with herring, grated yam, and egg yolk, with the dipping sauce served separately. The sauce has a strong dashi flavor typical of Kansai cuisine, and the soba noodles have a nice firm texture. The herring, sweet and savory, is served as a half fillet, giving it a slightly firm texture in the chilled dish, but it is delicious. I also tried the curry soba, which had a thick and spicy broth with a dashi flavor, different from Kanto-style curry soba, but still tasty.

First time at a soba restaurant. This place, "Okoshiyasu," made me feel like I had truly arrived in Kyoto with its welcoming atmosphere. While they are famous for their herring soba, I decided to order tempura. The tempura had a crispy batter and was delicious, paired with smooth and refreshing soba noodles and soba broth. It was a satisfying first meal in Kyoto.

A shop inside Kyoto Station's Shinkansen area. I wanted to satisfy my hunger, so I ordered the original herring soba as they claim to be the originator or the main shop. The herring soba here is served submerged in water. In the past, I've had it served on top, but here it is submerged under the soba. The soba itself doesn't have any particular characteristics. The herring has a firm and tight texture. It wasn't really to my liking.

I stopped by here last time and thought I definitely wanted to drink here, so I got off the Shinkansen to visit. The timing was good, as it wasn't too crowded and I was able to relax and feel a bit premium. Next time, I want to try the Yurine soba!

On this day, I took the afternoon off to prepare for my early morning plans in Tokyo the next day. Before boarding the Shinkansen, I decided to have lunch. I was planning to eat near Kyoto Station, but all the restaurants were crowded with tourists. It seems like Kyoto is returning to its former popularity, which must be a relief for restaurant owners. I remembered there was a shop inside the Shinkansen station, so I went there. This shop is famous for its "nishin soba," so I ordered that. The soba arrived in about 5 minutes, served in a small bowl. I had imagined the soba would be topped with herring, but it was actually the other way around. The soba was thin and chewy, with a good texture. The herring was half a fillet, simmered in a sweet and savory sauce. It was tender and flavorful, perfect for pairing with sake. I had expected the broth to be light, but it had absorbed the flavors of the herring, striking a nice balance. Although green onions were provided as a garnish, the dish was delicious even without them. This was my first time trying "nishin soba." I don't have a dislike for it, but I tend to stick to my favorite dishes when dining out, so I had never tried it before. From now on, I will challenge myself to try a variety of dishes.

I used the soba restaurant inside Kyoto Station Shinkansen ticket gate to have dinner while waiting for the Shinkansen. The specialty is the sweet herring soba, where the sweetness of the herring and the slightly thick soba broth match perfectly and taste delicious! The time until the soba is served also passes quickly, making it recommended even for those with little time before the next Shinkansen.

The final meal of my Kyoto trip is here. I don't like rushing on my way back, so I always come here. I always order the Duck Nanseiro. I'm looking for cold soba with a firm texture, but unfortunately, they don't have that here. The duck meat is fatty and sweet. I'm not a fan of the recommended Nishin Soba because I can't seem to get past the same impression.

I often stop by Matsuba's soba porridge set when I arrive early at Kyoto Station. The set includes delicious porridge and soba, allowing you to enjoy the atmosphere of Kyoto right in the station. It's recommended for busy business travelers using Kyoto Station. Thank you for the meal.

Before boarding the Shinkansen at Kyoto Station, I had dinner. It was during my high school summer when I first started working part-time at "Bunno-suke Chaya" inside Oimachi Hankyu Department Store. It's a Kyoto shop where the sweetness of "Bunno-suke" and the "Matuba" combine. I worked as a waitress there. This was my first encounter with Kyoto's food culture, which I had only experienced during my 3rd year middle school trip. I was completely captivated by dishes like chilled agar jelly with black syrup and herring soba, which were all new to me. This is how I came to love soba. Every time I visited Kyoto after that, I would have herring soba. I had the herring soba from Matuba for the first time in a while (1650 yen). The green onions were served separately. I slowly soaked the slightly firm herring in the broth, allowing its flavor and aroma to blend with the broth. The soba was on the softer side. It was a taste I hadn't experienced in a while. It was comforting.

I stopped by during a transfer at the Shinkansen station. The specialty is herring soba, but I ordered yuba tofu soba (1490 yen). The broth and ingredients are delicious rather than the soba itself! It's perfect for warming up in the cold winter. Thank you for the meal.

Travel meal. Before boarding the Shinkansen, I thought about having a drink somewhere, but the area around Kyoto Station was abnormally crowded and I had luggage, so I quickly escaped into the Shinkansen ticket gate. So, there's no choice but to go to Matsuba. As soon as I stood at the entrance, Hanaban-san guided me to a secluded table. I quickly looked at the menu. Well, I must have the herring soba and a beer. But beer and soba might be heavy on the stomach, so I found herring stick simmered in the side dishes. Herring stick simmered 935 yen, bottled beer 850 yen. I quenched my thirst with a bottle of beer and took a breather. The herring stick simmered was also served. The herring stick simmered was shiny and glossy. When I put my chopsticks in, the meat separated easily. I took a bite. So delicious! It goes perfectly with beer! It's sweet and savory, but not too salty. I never thought herring stick simmered could taste this good. Reflecting on how I've grown up, I leisurely enjoyed it with beer and felt satisfied. Thank you for the meal.

I finished my plans in Kyoto. I took the JR Nara Line and headed a bit south. It was my first time in this area, but I had a fulfilling time. Now, I just have to return to Tokyo. I decided to go back to Kyoto Station first. Both the local and Shinkansen trains were very crowded. I thought about having dinner around Kyoto Station, but I decided to grab an earlier Shinkansen and have dinner before leaving the station. I felt like having something warm, so I decided to have Nishin soba. Luckily, there was a vacant seat, and I was able to finish my meal before the Shinkansen departure time. The round-shaped soba had a unique texture, slightly chewy, and the aroma mixed well with the broth. I remembered it was called "new soba." The broth had just the right amount of umami and sweetness, seeping into the soba. When I added green onions, the flavor changed slightly. The thick nishin was easily crushed with chopsticks and eaten with the broth and soba. It felt like the soba supported the crumbling texture of the nishin. I thought there might be some sansho pepper, but it turned out to be shichimi. It had a black hue, and I felt there was a lot of sansho pepper. I added a bit of spiciness with shichimi and continued enjoying the soba. Since the nishin was quite large, I made sure to balance it with the soba to avoid it being overwhelming. In the end, I enjoyed the broth infused with the flavor of the nishin. I felt relaxed before boarding the Shinkansen.

There is a shop inside Kyoto Station's ticket gates. While you can eat Nagoya's kishimen for around 500 yen, you can't get Kyoto's nishin soba for 1000 yen. I realized once again how great the cost performance of kishimen is. The nishin soba here has a Kansai-specific light soy sauce base for the broth. The nishin has a slight sweetness and the meat is not very substantial. It tastes like the usual nishin soba. I always wonder if they could make the nishin in nishin soba a little more delicious...but I understand that this is the default, so I just enjoy it as it is. The location inside the station's ticket gates seems to be busy, as the shop was almost full. Thank you for the meal.