I decided to support my husband's alma mater, Chuo University, by walking along the Tamagawa Josui for about an hour and a half from my home. Then, I visited a restaurant in Higashiyamato City. It was 1:00 PM and the dimly lit restaurant had no other customers. The elderly lady who greeted me said, "It's warm here by the stove," and led me to a table. She brought me tea and a hot towel, and we chatted about the cold winter. I ordered the Hitachi fresh hand-cut soba with sesame sauce, even though the lady advised against it. The soba arrived after a 10-minute wait, accompanied by soba water, pickles, and other side dishes. The soba had a slightly green color and a mild aroma. It was tasty but not exceptional. The sesame sauce was smooth and easy to eat, like cold noodles. I enjoyed the unique side dishes, such as the pickled turnips and cucumber, more than the soba itself. Despite the ordinary soba, the restaurant left a memorable impression with its unique atmosphere and delicious side dishes. I paid with cash, and when I didn't have exact change, the lady joked about giving me 3,900 million yen in return. I found the humor a bit awkward, but it added to the overall experience.

This is a nostalgic soba restaurant located about a 1-minute walk from Higashitamanoichi Station. I stopped by for lunch after visiting the dentist and had the udon and oyakodon set. The udon had a good chewiness, and the oyakodon was delicious with its sweet broth. The portions were generous, which was great. The staff were very friendly and provided service with a nostalgic Showa-era warmth and care. It's a rare find these days, so I hope this neighborhood diner continues to thrive for a long time to come.

Lunch on September 10, 2021 (Friday). I had work in the morning at Nakayama. For lunch, I got off at a station along the Seibu Line. This was my third round. I decided to continue trying different restaurants one station at a time. I wasn't sure if it would work out, and there was a chance that I might end up at a station with no open restaurants. Today, I got off at the next station after Tamagawa Josui in Higashiyamato City. In April, I had visited a soba restaurant a bit north of Ome Kaido, but today I tried a soba restaurant facing the intersection of Omebashi. Omebashi was a bridge that used to cross Noyamadome Aqueduct in the old days. Young people may not know this, but until 1979, the station in Higashiyamato City was called Omebashi Station. The sign at the entrance said they were operating in power-saving mode and had turned off the lights inside. When I walked in, the lady turned on some of the lights. It was 11:48 am, and there were no other customers. I was asked to sit by the window, so I did. The menu had a huge variety of dishes. The lady recommended the udon, but I assumed it was primarily a soba restaurant, so I ordered the Katsu Donburi Set (¥1300), which seemed like a combination of katsu don and mori soba. I thought it would come in a tiered box. The background music playing was instrumental nursery rhymes. After me, one more customer arrived, and then another. At the end of the menu, it said the restaurant was established in 1970. I waited for about 15 minutes before my food arrived. The salad and cold tofu were complimentary, as the lady mentioned. The soba on the right side of the Katsu Donburi was a bit chewy, and the broth was somewhat lacking in soba flavor. The sauce was sweet but okay. The katsu on the left side of the bowl was tough, bland, and disappointing. When I went to pay, the total was ¥1300. I handed over ¥2000, and the change I received was ¥700. The lady mentioned they don't charge consumption tax. I just hoped they were paying their taxes properly. Today's new COVID-19 cases were 1242 in Tokyo, 829 in Kanagawa, 556 in Saitama, 461 in Chiba, 1310 in Osaka, and 1031 in Aichi. The total nationwide was 8870.

After finishing work, I decided to try a new restaurant near Higashiyamato Station. I stumbled upon a soba restaurant and ordered the vegetable tempura soba set along with a bottle of beer. The tempura had eight different vegetables and the soba was cooked perfectly. The dipping sauce had a slight sweetness to it, which complemented the soba well. I also ordered a bottle of Tsuru Waka aged cold sake. The total bill came to 2080 yen, but I had 2100 yen on me, so I paid and received 20 yen in change. It was a pleasant surprise to find such a great soba restaurant in the neighborhood.

With the Tachikawa Lunch Passport in hand, I visited this restaurant in Higashiyamato City. As you head towards Higashiyamato City on Ome Kaido, you'll find a parking lot just before the intersection. The simmered pot udon, priced at 500 yen, was generously filled with noodles and vegetables, making me feel full. The broth had a gentle flavor that I believe anyone would enjoy. Both the wife and husband were friendly, and they even saw me off at the entrance. I would love to visit again if I'm in the area.

The interior of the shop had a dim lighting setting for energy-saving purposes, but since it was a cold day, they guided me to a seat near the heater. The soba noodles were thin and had a refreshing taste, easy to slurp. The broth was rich and paired well with the meat juices, and the green onions were cooked perfectly. They mentioned that the soba was sourced from a nearby farm that day and even gave me an orange as a bonus. The staff was friendly, engaging in conversation when needed but also letting me enjoy my meal at my own pace. Overall, it was a comfortable and enjoyable experience.

"Tenseiro Soba =========== "

11/25 Sunny. Every year after mandarin orange picking in Musashimurayama, we used to go to a day trip hot spring, but this time it was under renovation. The mandarin orchard was also off-season earlier than usual, and this year we found the first orchard just in time. Another opportunity for a new encounter. From the orchard, we returned to Higashiyamato City Station where we took the bus. The hot spring was a bit further along this route. We decided to get off at the station, have a drink at noon, and then head to the hot spring. The Korean restaurant we first aimed for was apparently only open at night. We moved to a soba restaurant near the station, on the opposite side of the railway tracks from the bus stop. The menu seemed to have a lot of hot pot udon-related dishes. The staff recommended a dish that seemed good. We ordered that and then considered whether to order the mini kama-age shirasu-don that we were interested in from our research. It seemed that they had regular-sized kama-age shirasu soba, but not the mini version. Hmm, should we think about it more slowly? Ordered: - Nabe udon - Soba - Shochu (soba liquor served in a sake bottle) The soba liquor came with soba-yu (hot water used to rinse the soba bowl). The nabe udon had egg in it. It seemed a bit different from regular hot pot dishes, maybe in terms of the ingredients? The taste of the broth was similar though. The udon seemed more Tokyo-like rather than Musashino-like. Considering additional orders, there were quite a few single dishes that could be ordered. It was a soba restaurant where you could snack and drink from noon. I was interested in the tofu hot pot, but since the nabe udon already had tofu, I gave up on that. Additional order: - Bincho-grilled tuna The tuna was seared. Was it intentional? However, even in an area far from the sea in Tokyo, I unconsciously ordered seafood. There were probably many other things to order besides seafood. Let's try melting the tuna for a different taste.

Near the Higashi-Yamato station, there is a soba restaurant called "Asanoya Soba-ten" located at the intersection on the first floor of a building. There is a parking lot in front of the restaurant. The interior of the restaurant is small. The owners, an older couple, are very friendly, creating a cozy atmosphere. I ordered the "Nikomi Nabe Udon" this time. It came with homemade pickles. It was quite delicious! The Nikomi Nabe Udon was hot and filled with vegetables like cabbage. It reminded me of the countryside. Thank you for the meal!

Located a 1-minute walk from Higashiyamato City Station on the Seibu Hagiyama Line. The restaurant is on the 1st floor of a building at the corner of Aobashi intersection facing Aobadai Road, with a parking lot available. Although it is close to the station, the restaurant may not be very noticeable as it is on the first floor of the building. Inside, there are table seats and counter seats available, with magazines and manga books creating a Showa-era atmosphere. The restaurant is run by an elderly couple. The menu offers a variety of options, including lunch set menus with mini bowls served with soba or udon. The lunch sets range from ¥750 to ¥850. I decided to try the recommended Kamayude Mini Shirasu Don with soba for ¥750. The lunch set arrived on a tray in about 10 minutes, including salad, pickles, soba, shirasu don, and a small side dish, all for ¥750, which was quite reasonable. The Kamayude Mini Shirasu Don was topped with plenty of shirasu and quail egg, with the yellow color of the egg adding a nice touch. The sprinkled chopped seaweed and the saltiness of the shirasu combined perfectly, making the rice very enjoyable. I was pleased with the generous amount of shirasu in the donburi compared to what I've had in Kamakura. Of course, being a soba restaurant, the soba was also delicious, and I finished the meal by drinking the soba broth. This cozy restaurant with a homely atmosphere makes me want to come back and try other lunch sets. Thank you for the meal.