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Never has a gastronomic experience been so fun and challenging. If you are a noodle lover and want to cool off after this heat wave, you should travel to a town in Kyoto (Japan) to try Nagashi-sōmen, a Japanese tradition that consists of eating the noodles by catching them as they flow down a water slide made of bamboo. It sounds fancy, but Hirobun restaurant is the only restaurant in Japan that serves Nagashi-sōmen with great success. Of course, to enjoy them, you’ll have to wait 3 to 4 hours in line and pray that it doesn’t rain or has rained recently.
Due to the refreshing context, these water noodles are a seasonal dish that can be enjoyed from May to September. Hirobun is a restaurant located in the small mountain village of Kibune.
But what exactly does Nagashi-sōmen mean? Sōmen are a type of Japanese noodles made from wheat flour, very thin and usually served cold. On the other hand, the term nagashi means “to flow”, referring to the way the noodles are eaten. Red sōmen, which are plum-flavored noodles, are also served for dessert.
In addition, the area of the restaurant where this tradition takes place is outdoors and is fully integrated into nature, in the middle of the Kibune River. In fact, as reported on the restaurant’s website, when there are heavy rains and the river rises, they must cancel this type of activity, due to the risk it may entail.
The price of the Nagashi-sōmen is around 10-11 €, they only accept cash and, as we mentioned at the beginning, you usually have to wait in line for 3 or 4 hours. But, judging by the pictures, it will be worth the experience.