Memo: I wish the heat could somehow be alleviated. I went to a nearby soba restaurant for lunch and ordered a small shrimp and squid tempura rice bowl with a side of soba for 1,100 yen. The person at the next table ordered a duck soba, but they said they couldn't serve it with duck meat due to the bird flu outbreak. The temperature is truly troublesome. The tuna from the nearby sea doesn't have much fat either.

It's been a while since I had the simmered fish at Kurayoshiya, and it was delicious. The classic bonito tataki, grilled with straw inside the restaurant, was also tasty with plenty of condiments. It would be nice if they could add a bit more garlic. The appetizers were cooked dishes (takimono), which was nice. The soba noodles were made from new buckwheat, firm and flavorful. In the past, they used to offer a full lineup of soba noodles at night, including steamed, country-style, ten-wheat, and tempura soba, but now the choices are limited, and you can't get duck or herring soba, which is a bit disappointing. However, it's understandable that you can only eat so much before the main course, like the mori set. The seasonal changes, like the use of sansho pepper or poppy seeds, are distinctive. There was a time when you had to order at least one drink with alcohol at night, but now you don't have to, so it's great for non-drinkers or those who can't drink due to other reasons. I walked in around 8 pm on a weekend, and it was busy with people coming in and out, a thriving restaurant. It's good that you can still get a table even if you come late, but the concern is that they might run out of ingredients later in the evening. They usually have a staff of three, including one part-timer, but on this day, there were only two people working, and it seemed tough for them. Thank you for the meal.

I had lunch at "Teuchi Soba Kurayoshike" near "Soba Kazuhito". It is a 2-minute walk from the Minami-guchi of Chitose Funabashi Station, facing a shopping street a little off from Joyama Street. The menu displayed outside had lunch service available, with options like "Sansei Mori" and "Gosei Mori". It was relatively empty around 12:30 pm on a weekday. The interior had a nostalgic Showa era atmosphere. The menu offered options like "Seiro-Nanban Soba" for 800 yen, "Awase Mori" for 900 yen, "Sansei Mori" for 1,150 yen, and "Gosei Mori" for 1,700 yen. I chose the "Seafood Sesame Pickled Bowl and Seiro Soba Set" from the set menu. The soba noodles were made from new soba harvested this summer, using "Kitawase" from Kanuma, Tochigi Prefecture. While waiting for the food, I read some interesting facts about soba on the wall. After about 6 minutes, the "Seafood Sesame Pickled Bowl" was served. It had a generous portion of tuna and bonito marinated in sesame miso paste. It was served with soba dipping sauce, soba cup, and condiments like wasabi, grated radish, and chopped green onions. I turned it into ochazuke by adding the provided dashi, which made it even more delicious. Then the Seiro Soba arrived, which had a unique texture and great flavor. It was served with a rich dipping sauce and hot soba water. Overall, it was a satisfying and enjoyable dining experience.

Today, I had lunch at a local soba restaurant. I ordered a set meal with squid and small shrimp tempura donburi and soba noodles. First, the donburi arrived. The freshly fried tempura was crispy and delicious, with a flavorful dipping sauce. Then, the soba noodles arrived. The portion was a bit small, but the authentic soba flavor was really tasty. The set meal for 1100 yen was quite good. The soba broth at the end was also delicious.

Memo: Due to the heat, I decided that going out is harmful to my body. For lunch, I had my usual kakiage donburi and soba at a nearby soba restaurant for 1,100 yen. I was the fourth group to enter right after the restaurant opened. In the afternoon, I decided to stay home and binge-watch Netflix while enjoying some drinks. The freshly fried kakiage donburi was delicious.

It's hot outside. I went straight home and stopped by my usual restaurant. When I peeked through the curtain, I saw the owner behind the register looking tired. And no guests. I greeted him and he opened his mouth. I ordered a bottled beer, which went down smoothly. I finished it quickly. The snacks were delicious, as shown in the photos. I forgot to order the soba noodles. It was a good meal. I'm full now.

The 100% buckwheat soba noodles are delicious. They have a great selection of sake and a variety of dishes. I always end up eating too much soba because it's so good, but today the fried horse mackerel was outstanding. The fish was fried separately from the bones, and even the bones were delicious to eat. Also, although the building is old, the interior of Kura Yoshiya is always clean, which is very nice. Thank you for the meal.

It's still early in the week. I was planning to go straight home, but when I peeked into the soba shop on my way back, I saw the owner sitting alone with no customers. Out of neighborhood courtesy, I decided to go in. "Good evening." I started with a bottle of beer and asked for the usual pickled cabbage. When I asked the owner for today's recommendation, he suggested the simmered head of sea bream, so I decided to give it a try. As I nibbled on the pickled cabbage, the sea bream arrived. It was huge for just 1,000 yen. I was surprised, but the owner explained that they couldn't get much fillet out of the sea bream for sashimi, so they served the head as well with a smile. It was indeed a great recommendation. I switched to a Shikuwasa sour and dug into the sea bream. The fatty part under the collar was so tender. I kept searching for more meat until there was none left. I finished with duck soba and the total came to 4,600 yen. Thank you for the delicious meal.

Today, I took a day off. My eyes are watery and my nose is runny due to hay fever. So, I had lunch at a local soba restaurant. The wind was strong and it was drizzling. I ordered my usual tempura rice bowl and soba set, and casually checked the menu only to find that the prices had gone up. It's the current situation, right? The rice bowl arrived first, and then the soba with a time gap. Out of habit, I stared at the bowl first. Yes, the tempura rice bowl still maintains its quality. Good. The shrimp and squid were cooked just right, nice and firm. Delicious. Next was the soba. It was clear that the portion had decreased. It can't be helped, right? Thank you for the meal today as well. I will come back again.

I stopped by a local izakaya for a quick drink. I started with a bottled beer. The appetizer was tempura made with Mehirari rice, served with salt. I also had the classic pickled cabbage and tamagoyaki. I planned to leave early tonight to watch a baseball game. For my final dish, I couldn't decide and ended up ordering the five-color mori. However, the owner informed me that they were out of the five-color dish, so I agreed to have double portions of soba noodles instead. The special soba noodles were made with sakura and yuzu, and I enjoyed them with salt. The sakura ingredient seems to be quite expensive. The total bill for tonight came to 4,050 yen. Thank you for the delicious meal.

The appetizers at Kurayoshi family's place are always satisfying, especially when they are cooked well. Today's appetizer was particularly delicious. The first mountain vegetable tempura of the season was cooked perfectly and very tasty. Since it's offered at a low price in small portions, it's best to order enough for everyone. The classic soba miso soup was also delicious. While other soba shops may offer a grilled miso option, the soba miso here, mixed with soba grains and green onions, is especially tasty. I ordered the shime soba with 100% soba noodles. The soba noodles were so delicious that I started with a little salt and then switched to the dipping sauce. The dipping sauce had a rich bonito flavor that I really enjoyed. I was drinking sake with my soba, so maybe that's why. When looking at the menu, I noticed that they now offer warm soba noodles in the evening, which I think was not available for a while. I might try ordering something warm like tempura soba or duck nanban occasionally. I was able to walk in around 7:30 PM, but by the time I left around 9 PM, the restaurant was full. It seems like the surrounding restaurants are also bustling with customers as the weather warms up. Thank you for the meal.

On New Year's Eve, I visited a nearby restaurant for countdown soba just 2 minutes after it opened. It was already full at this time, but I managed to order the seiro or large shrimp tempura which had a 40-minute wait time. I chose the seiro. It really felt like New Year's Eve. The tempura had a light and fragrant sesame oil flavor with shrimp, eggplant, shishito pepper, and pumpkin. Thank you for the meal. Have a great New Year! ((ヾ(❛ᴗ❛๑ )⸝⸃⸃Ω➳✩⡱

This day, the appetizer was a warm dish similar to Japanese-style mapo tofu, with tofu topped with a spicy miso sauce flavored with ginger. It was very delicious. Among the dishes before the soba, the sashimi of kawahagi (thread-sail filefish) and the grilled shirako (milt) with kelp were particularly delicious. The soba was made with autumn's new 100% buckwheat flour. It was fragrant and delicious whether eaten with salt or with dashi broth. Thank you for the meal.

I actually went to another soba restaurant, but it was full inside and there was about a 30-minute wait, so I came to this place. I had to go somewhere after, so I couldn't wait. I ordered a set lunch, with oyakodon as the main dish and soba as a side. It's a casual restaurant that seems easy to walk into.

Celebrating recovery from a popular illness. Today, I will have a light meal at a local soba noodle shop. A bottle of beer costs 650 yen, while a sour drink is 450 yen. Here, it is customary to first order soba noodles and then add additional items at the end. First, soba miso for 360 yen and pickled white cabbage for 360 yen arrived. I sip on my beer. When there is 3cm left, corn tempura for 680 yen and large shrimp and vegetable tempura for 880 yen arrive. The corn tempura is quite generous in portion. I am given salt to dip it in. The shrimp tempura costs 880 yen. I add a sour drink. I finish with a serving of soba noodles for a total of 4470 yen. Thank you for the meal.

It had been a few months since I last visited Kura Yoshikichiya due to it always being fully booked. I always thought they only played Eikichi Yazawa, but today they also played Tsuyoshi Nagabuchi. They used to have a unique system where you could drink sake at a good price, but it seems to have been discontinued. However, the variety of sake is still very rich. The menu has been revamped, and it seems that the evening soba options have been removed. The appetizer today was tofu mixed with canned tuna and vegetables in dashi broth, which was a nice change for the summer. The grilled conger eel before the soba was delicious. There were no vegetable dishes like eggplant, and there were no grilled or simmered fish, perhaps due to the season. In the summer, I usually order corn tempura, but today it was a bit disappointing as the knife work before frying seemed rushed. The soba was the new 100% buckwheat soba served in a steamer, which had a fragrant and delicious taste, typical of Tochigi soba. In the Chitose Funabashi station area, I believe Kura Yoshikichiya serves the best soba. They used to offer various special soba dishes with citrus flavors like yuzu and sansho pepper, but now you can only choose two or three types, unlike before. It seems the steamer and special soba options have also disappeared. The prices were already on the higher side, but it seems they have increased a bit more, and the soba appetizers have changed slightly. It used to be a place where you could enjoy the meticulous work of the owner with sake and end with delicious soba, but now that the unique sake system is gone, and some menu items have changed, it feels like they are exploring new business strategies. It's a bit disappointing that you can no longer choose warm soba in the evening, as they used to be known for their soba. It seems like they are trying to find their way, so things might change again when I visit next. Regardless, I hope they continue to thrive. Thank you for the meal.

Lunch visit. My go-to soba restaurant. When I'm disappointed by a soba restaurant I try while out, I always come back here. Today's set meal was a small shrimp and squid tempura donburi with a side of soba for 900 yen. The soba is hand-made with 80% buckwheat flour from Fukui prefecture. It has a clear taste, is refreshingly cold, and has a great texture. I truly support their efforts to provide such quality at this price.

I wanted to eat here again today because it was delicious before. Today, I felt like eating country-style soba. It was thick and chewy, with a great aroma of buckwheat when you chewed it. The seafood sesame rice bowl was also delicious, especially when eaten as ochazuke.

Y~chan and the newly joined, wonderfully honest girl, which is the most ideal duo for me in this shop right now. The late Newface/another Yu~ greeted the manager and Y~chan with a polite "Happy New Year, please take care of me this year", and for some reason, she came close to me and said the same thing to me, "Happy New Year, please take care of me this year." At that point, I was completely knocked out! In my bag, there were leftover pocket envelopes from yesterday's game with Y~chan. When I thought about it, I couldn't help but wonder what I was doing... I was painfully aware of my other self's cold eyes, but I couldn't stop myself from creating another New Year's gift... Greeting properly is really important, isn't it? Maybe I couldn't do it because I was feeling lonely during the New Year break. Yu~ kept interrupting my creative activities and kept talking to me, so I couldn't focus anymore and closed my computer (laughs). "Did you go somewhere during the New Year break?" "I mostly watched movies..." "What did you watch?" "...Wonder Woman..." (I was too embarrassed to say "Zombie", and "Spider's Web" wouldn't be understood, but most of all, I wanted to imply that I am an adventurer of love). Surprisingly, she continued the conversation about the movie and said, "I watched Leon, it was good!" When I asked if it was her first time watching it, she said yes. She still didn't realize that Natalie Portman, who was a child actress at the time, is now a super beautiful actress. And when she said, "I want to have a hairstyle like Mathilda," I finally remembered that Y~chan also likes Mathilda and cut her hair into a black bob! Across generations, Mathilda's popularity is surprisingly high! (Senri Funabashi) The wind was quite strong and cold. This is the third or fourth time I've visited a station with a Chiba-like name in Tokyo. I thought it would be fine to arrive around 1:30 pm in a town of this size, but the first soba restaurant I found had a subtle situation with the bill or waiting to enter, so I turned on my heel and went to "Kurayoshiya," the second soba restaurant. "To enjoy the aroma of coarse ground soba, put a small amount of salt on it or put it in your mouth without anything and chew it well about thirty to forty times to spread the aroma and sweetness of soba." Such a rough yellow paper with such knowledge is not the only reason for this cheap impression that lacks the calmness of a soba restaurant, despite the thick single boards on the counter and table tops. I have a feeling that it is not all of the reasons, but I decide to stop trying to figure out its true identity for now. It's okay, but in Adachi-ku, I was taught from a young age that soba is something you swallow in one breath without chewing. But I don't like that, so I chew as much as I want before swallowing, but still, I don't want to do it thirty times. "Small pillar and small shrimp tempura bowl and seiro soba" @990 yen. It took quite a long time, and during that time, customers started to accumulate. The tempura bowl was served first. It was more like a batter-focused, thick finish, more like okonomiyaki than tempura. I think it would be great if it had Maruchan's "Green Tanuki" in it, but I'm not sure about it as a tempura bowl... It would surely go well if it was sunk in the warm soba broth. Handmade soba came down. If you look at the menu, all the soba dishes are ===========

If you dare to get off midway and visit the Kurayoshi family until you reach your destination, you will find the "Saba Negi Seiro" dish. The owner may be angry, but you can tell them that the duck in the duck Seiro has turned into canned mackerel. However, there are three pieces of mackerel! There is enough mackerel for a whole can. Upon closer inspection, the soba is from the Katsuyama region in Fukui. Ah, so that's why it's mackerel. I would like to get off midway again at Kurayoshi family in the evening. #Kurayoshi family #Soba #Saba Negi Seiro #Chitose Bridge