About food in Japan

Exhibition: 47 different types of noodle across Japan

Following our last post about the nice Udon noodle restaurant in Kyoto,

today we bring an interesting exhibition related local "noodle".

It's already on the middle of the exhibition period but it remains a month till the end of the exhibition, 25th October 2015. It must be a good news for food lovers coming to Tokyo soon or next month October 2015.

Surely you know Ramen and may be head about Udon or Soba traditional Japanese noodle. They are commonly available across Japan but at the same time, many local versions of noodle exist across Japan.

This interesting exhibition has selected each one unique noodle from all 47 prefectures in Japan.

Some of them are known even out of the origin prefecture but others are not well known even among Japanese people. It will be an interesting opportunty to discover unique and various types of noodle meal from different prefectures.

 

 

 

 

Here is a couple of examples of the 47 products.

Goshiki Somen (5 colors thin wheat noodle) from Ehime prefecture in Shikoku region

Normal somen is in white like the one far-left. Others are colored with some specific ingredients such as matcha green tea powder, plum, egg or black wheat.

Daimon Somen from Toyama prefecture in Hokuriku region

It looks like a normal type?
The uniqueness of the noodle is "length" over 1 meter.
It is instructed that we have to break the dried noodle cluster into two pieces before we put it into boild water. Otherwise we could have a problem to take it as it is too long to eat.
It requires hands of two people to make such long Daimon Somen.
So traditionally the noodle is made by a married couple as their home business in the region.



If you would, these noodles are available for sale but unfortunately not always stocks are available.
Some are produced only for limited numbers and are popular among the exhibition visitors.


Exhibition name: 47 Men(麺、noodle) MARKET
Period: until 25th October 2015
Open hour: 11h00-19h30(last entrance time)
Venue: d47 Museum, 8th floow Hikarie Shibuya
Address: 2-21-1 Shibuya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
Enftrance: free
Website (Japanese): http://www.hikarie8.com/d47museum/2015/07/47-market-47-.shtml

Omen(おめん), an elegant Udon noodle restaurant, Kyoto

Omen(おめん), a udon noodle restaurant, has 3 units in central Kyoto.

I visited one of these in Shijo Pontocho（四条先斗町）. The restaurant is located in Pontocho area, where many restaurants attract local guests. It is also just at a stone's throw from Kamogawa river side.
As it is along the busy Shijo street,the location won't be so difficult to be found even for those visit Kyoto for the first time.

 

The restaurant's interior is like a typical traditional Udon restaurant in Japan but how Omen is different from such typical ones is that it has more ladies diners rather than gentlemen. We believe that makes the restaurant more elegant atmosphere than typical udon or soba noodle restaurants.

 

 
Why Omen is popular among local ladies? Another uniqueness of Omen is the ingredient of noodle. It is made from Japanese wheat only, no imported one used.
Japan hugely relies on imported flour because of the lower price.
The noodle is also no additive, no MSG used.
You might find its tender and natural taste of Omen's noodle.

On a day of mid-summer, I took their seasonal lunch set with a  few pieces of tempura Hamo (鱧)(a kind of pike conger). The white fish is summer icon local specialty of Kyoto.

 

By the way, where the restaurant's name comes from?
For us, it sounds like a "mask" in Japanese. But we found that it is a dialect word in a region of East Japan and the word represents "men(麺 noodle)" with respect.


All 3 units of Omen are located in areas where many tourists are likely to visit; Ginkakuji, Kiyomizu in addition to Shijo we visited.

Check also our other posts if you would like to know more about Udon noodle. (Click each title to access to these posts.)

If you do not know "udon" noodle, we recommend you check this post first.

 Udon (うどん), Japanese traditional wheat noodle

Recommendable restaurants in Tokyo to try udon noodle
Udon (うどん) - Tsurutontan, Roppongi (つるとんたん, 六本木)

Where to enjoy Udon in a casual way

Inaniwa Udon (稲庭うどん), Ginza Sato Yosuke(銀座　佐藤養助)

Ideal but reasonable Udon restaurant, Sangokuichi(三国一) - Shinjuku Tokyo

Shop name: Omen
Official website(Japanese only) : http://www.omen.co.jp/ 

<Shijo Pontocho>
Address: Shijo Dori, Ponotocho Nishi Iru, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto

<Ginkakuji Honten (main restaurant)>
Address: Ginkakuji, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto

<Kodaiji> near Kiyomizu Temple
Address: 358 XXXX, Kodaiji Dori Shimokawara Higashi Iru, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto