Ibaraki Prefecture Agricultural Experiment Station developed a buckwheat variety in Hitachi-Ota City, Akatsuchō, which has the most superior traits among the local varieties in Ibaraki Prefecture. Today, after enjoying some 100% buckwheat noodles at the first restaurant, Matsubacha, we decided to go for a second round at Ikkyu-an since there was still plenty of time. Even on a holiday, there was no line after 1 pm. Here, we only eat buckwheat noodles, so we confidently ordered the large serving. The aroma has a hint of sweetness and a subtle earthy scent, enhancing the fresh buckwheat flavor. It's quite good. They charge extra for wasabi here, 150 yen, which slightly lowers the value for money, but if you're in the camp that believes fresh buckwheat doesn't need condiments, then it's totally fine. Some even prefer it with just salt. The broth has a strong umami flavor, so you only need a little bit to dip your noodles in. Pouring the buckwheat tea really brings out the aroma. With no buckwheat cultivation in Sengakuji currently, it's hard to pinpoint its identity, but having restaurants that focus on buckwheat noodles is something to be happy about.

I visited the restaurant today, August 24th, around 1:30 pm on a weekday. The restaurant was about 80% full. I ordered the "100% buckwheat soba" (1,400 yen) and also the "real wasabi" (150 yen) just like last time. The soba noodles, despite being 100% buckwheat, were not dry and had a nice texture, complemented well by the slightly spicy dipping sauce. The real wasabi, when applied directly to the steamed soba noodles and combined with the chopped green onions and grated daikon radish soaked in the dipping sauce, created a refreshing and summery flavor that cleared the sinuses and helped forget about the lingering summer heat. This restaurant doesn't serve tempura, so when very hungry, it might feel a bit lacking, but for me today, the portion was just right. Thank you for the meal.

Shin-daishi Soba -> Jindai Botanical Park (Rose) Shin-daishi Soba restaurant, Ikkyuan・Shin-daishi Soba (80% buckwheat noodles) ¥880・100% buckwheat noodles with hot water ¥1200・Fresh wasabi ¥150. First of all, at Ikkyuan, the wasabi is sold separately. At first, I was hesitant, but I got used to it. My companion had the 80% buckwheat noodles, and I was curious about the 100% buckwheat noodles with hot water that I had been interested in for a while. The atmosphere with the bamboo container is nice. When you think of buckwheat noodles with hot water, do you get a certain image? (It's easy for the buckwheat noodles to get stuck under the bamboo sections on the left and right) Shin-daishi Soba is always reliable. From Shin-daishi to Jindai Botanical Park (entrance near Shin-daishi), we enjoyed the roses in bloom at this time of year.

I visited Jindaiji during Golden Week. I was surprised by how crowded it was. I lined up at Ichikyuan 30 minutes before opening and was the fourth group in line. By opening time, there was a long line extending. I thought we might have to share a table, but each group got their own. I ordered the Jyuuwari soba for 1,100 yen, the Ichikyu kurumi-dare soba for 1,550 yen, mitarashi soba dango for 140 yen, sesame-dare soba dango for 140 yen, and Jindaiji beer for 650 yen. I was able to order the limited 20 servings of Ichikyu soba. It was made with only the center part of the soba grain, so it was less in quantity compared to the Jyuuwari soba. It had a white color and an elegant taste. I imagined the kurumi-dare to be thick, but it was actually light. I tried the Jyuuwari and Ichikyu with both men-tsuyu and kurumi-dare, and each combination was delicious. The soba dango was fluffy and easy to eat. Thank you for the meal.

Soba at Fukasodera Temple! A famous restaurant, Ikkyuan. I chose the 100% buckwheat soba. It was a refined soba. I also had Fukasodera beer and sake while enjoying the soba. I also tried soba dumplings, which were delicious and fragrant. The staff at the restaurant seemed a bit indifferent, maybe because they were busy. But overall, it was a great meal!

At the second stop of the Shindai-ji Soba tour, we visited Ikyu-an. They offer three types of soba: 28%, 90%, and 100%. The 90% soba is limited to 20 servings, but unfortunately, it was sold out today. We opted for the 28% soba, which had a firm texture and a refined soba aroma. It was delicious from start to finish, and even the soba-yu (soba water) at the end was tasty. Thank you for the delicious soba experience.

The cherry blossoms are in full bloom at Jindaiji Temple, making it a great season to visit. Yushuitei has long lines, so we opted for Hitokyu-an near the entrance path. They offer three types of soba noodles: 80%, Hitokyu (19), and Jutsubari. The cold soba options do not come with tempura, leaning more towards vegetarian dishes. I chose the Jutsubari with grated yam, while my partner went for the Hitokyu with walnut dipping sauce. The soba noodles had a great texture, aroma, and flavorful broth. My personal favorite was the Hitokyu soba, which resembled Shirokoshi noodles with a delicate and slender texture. If you prefer a larger portion, go for the extra serving. This place is recommended for those who love pure soba noodles. They only accept cash payments, so be mindful if you prefer cashless transactions. After our meal, we enjoyed some delicious soy sauce dumplings at another shop, thinking that sometimes, food is better than flowers as we smiled contently under the cherry blossoms.

I went to see cherry blossoms at Jindaiji Temple and before that, I had Jindaiji soba. There are many soba restaurants around Jindaiji Temple and they are all pretty good. So, this time I chose a restaurant based on the atmosphere. The soba menu had three main options: 100% buckwheat soba, 80% buckwheat soba, and a special 90% buckwheat soba limited to 30 servings a day. Since it was past noon, the special soba was sold out, so I went for the 100% buckwheat soba (large) for 1,100 yen plus 220 yen for extra noodles. Wasabi was not included and had to be ordered for 150 yen, which felt a bit pricey for just a small amount on the side. As for the soba itself, it was delicious. The cold noodles had a smooth texture and went down easily, but the fragrance was slightly weak for a 100% buckwheat soba. The large serving came with two plates stacked on top of each other, so you get the same amount of noodles on the bottom plate as well, which was a nice surprise for the extra 220 yen. The soba was tasty, but next time I will try a different restaurant for a new experience.

- Menu: - Jyuwari Kurumi-dare Soba (100% buckwheat soba with walnut sauce) - 1,600 yen - Jyuwari Soba (100% buckwheat soba) - 1,100 yen (extra large serving for 220 yen more) - Real wasabi - 150 yen - Review: - This soba restaurant is located along the approach to Shidaibuzi Temple. By lunchtime, all the buckwheat dumplings with "mitarashi" or "sesame sauce" are already sold out due to their popularity. - The jyuwari soba had a subtle flavor, allowing the walnut sauce to shine through. The portion size was just right, making it perfect for eating on the go. - The real wasabi is an additional charge, but it's worth ordering as it's made from locally sourced wasabi from Shizuoka. - Soba prices have been increasing lately, but this place offers reasonable prices, making it a great option for a casual meal. Overall, highly recommended!

Last time, I took home some freshly made soba noodles and they were delicious. This time, I visited the restaurant on a Saturday afternoon. They open at 11 am, but I arrived at 10:30 am and there was no line yet. Thanks to my mother-in-law waiting in line, my wife and I strolled around Fukasakuji Temple and returned at 10:50 am to find a line formed. Thanks to my mother-in-law, we were the first ones in the restaurant, where we ordered the 100% buckwheat soba noodles and the 80% buckwheat soba noodles, both served warm. The 100% buckwheat soba noodles were delicious, but personally, I thought the 80% buckwheat soba noodles were even better. Next time, I'll try the 20% buckwheat soba noodles.

I ordered the 100% buckwheat soba noodles. Due to the price increase, the wasabi was an additional charge (150 yen), but I decided to add it without hesitation. I was told that it is recommended to dip the soba noodles directly into the wasabi before eating, and the scent of the wasabi was very rich and delightful. It didn't sting my nose, and I was able to enjoy the aroma in my mouth. The soba noodles had a strong texture, almost not feeling like 100% buckwheat. It was delicious. After leaving the restaurant, I saw them grilling rice cakes outside, so I ordered a grilled rice cake with sweet soy sauce. The sweet soy sauce wasn't too sweet, and the rice cake was moist and soft, with a crispy and fragrant outer layer. It was very delicious.

We went to Ikyuan as the second stop for soba in Fukasozan. When you come to Fukasozan, you want to try a few soba places. So, we came to the second place. I ordered the Ikyuan soba [90% soba] for 1050 yen with fresh wasabi for 150 yen. This Ikyuan restaurant focuses solely on soba, so there are no tempura options, only toppings like grated yam. The portion of the soba is not large, but you can fully enjoy the aroma and texture of the soba. From the soba soup to the last bite, you can savor the soba. It was very delicious soba today as well. Thank you for the meal.

On weekends, there is often a long line at this place, so I've been curious about it for a while. I arrived around 12:30 and waited in line for about 15 minutes before being seated at a spacious table on the second floor. From the window, you can enjoy a beautiful view of the autumn leaves. The interior of the restaurant is spacious and has a calming atmosphere. They offer different types of soba, such as 80%, 90%, and 100% buckwheat. I ordered the 100% buckwheat noodles with walnut sauce and the 100% buckwheat noodles with grated yam. I got the large size, so I had two tiers of soba noodles. The normal size is a bit small, so the large size was just right. The walnut sauce coated the soba noodles nicely and was delicious. The grated yam was rich and went well with the soba. The only condiment provided was green onions, as wasabi was available for an additional charge due to high prices. The homemade soba dumplings seemed popular, as many people were ordering them. I would like to try them next time.

I visited the restaurant after enjoying a chrysanthemum exhibition at the Shindo Botanical Garden on a regular Thursday afternoon. Intrigued by the sign that read "Yuzu Kiri," I waited for about 10 minutes before entering and taking a seat. I found out that wasabi was not included and had to order it separately from the menu. Instead, I ordered pickled herring without wasabi as a side dish. The combination of fragrant yuzu kiri soba and pickled herring was a nice pairing.

I wanted to try some soba, so I decided to enter this shop. Even though I really wanted tempura that day, they didn't have it on the menu. So, I ended up trying soba noodles and soba dumplings instead. It turned out to be a great choice. The soba dumplings were very delicious. I would like to try their soba noodles next time.

After a long time, I visited the temple of Jindaiji... After paying my respects, I took a break at "Ikkyu-an" and had only dumplings because it was right after eating. I had one soba dumpling with sweet soy sauce and one with sesame sauce for ¥280 each. It was a long weekend, but for some reason I started feeling unwell around this area... Maybe it's because of my bad habits... Visiting hours: 14:20-14:45. Recommended rating: ★★★★

I have already been here 5-6 times. This restaurant reminds me of my natural love for soba noodles. My first soba experience in Jindaiji was also here. I always end up coming back after trying other soba restaurants. The walnut sauce was a first for me, but I really liked the rich flavor. I always make sure to order the sesame dumplings.

After a long time off on a weekday! The wind is a bit strong, but the weather is beautiful! I rode my road bike to Jindaiji! Speaking of Jindaiji, they have soba noodles, kuzumochi, soba manju, mitarashi dango... Is there anything else? Anyway, I decided to take a break and have some soba at Jindaiji! Since I haven't been to any of the soba shops here before, I searched on Tabelog for a new place to try. I found this place called "Isshokuan" near Jindaiji. The atmosphere with the water wheel in front of the shop is lovely! They offer various types of soba, all hand-made, with options of 100% buckwheat cold soba or a mix of buckwheat and wheat soba, both cold and hot. I ordered the 100% buckwheat soba and a warm 80% soba with tamago-dare topping. Both can be upgraded to a large portion for an additional 220 yen. The soba was delicious, with a strong aroma and texture. The warm soba with tamago-dare was especially tasty, enhancing the flavor of the soba. I have tried soba at various places in Jindaiji before, and this place did not disappoint. I am satisfied with the soba I had this time! But my Jindaiji soba tour continues!

When visiting Jindai-ji Temple, I chose to have soba noodles for my meal. I picked this restaurant because it had a water wheel outside and a nice pond across the street. There was a wait of about 30 minutes with around 10 people in line. I ordered the 100% buckwheat soba noodles for 1030 yen. The soba noodles had a firm texture, not too rustic, with a subtle aroma. The broth was quite rich in flavor. The soba noodles were good, but the soba broth had a nice fragrance and paired particularly well with the strong broth.

The famous soba noodles at Jindaiji Temple. The 100% soba noodles are only available as new soba, priced at ¥1,360. They are delicious. They have a slightly green color, which is characteristic of new soba. The cold soba tea is also delicious. The broth is tasty. The soba soup is also delicious. The grated yam topping is average. Perhaps because it is 100% soba, it was cut a little shorter. If it weren't for the new soba, I think I would have preferred the 90% One Kyu soba or the 80% soba.