The Special Jyuwari Soba In Bungo-Takada Town, Kyushu

How many of you have tried the Japanese udon, ramen, chanpon, somen, harusame or soba? I like them all, but my favourite is soba. I wonder why I like soba so much. Maybe because because soba is the closest to Wabisabi food. I searched for information to learn about soba. I found a lot of information on soba on the internet and read each one.

As I browsed through, I found an article about the travelling soba expert visiting the Bungo-Takada town in Kyushu, Japan.
The expert opened a training class to teach people how to make Oishii (tasty) soba. The Bungo-Takada soba trainees have been working hard to learn their master’s skills and knowledge.

The street around the Etsu soba resturant

The street around the Etsu soba shop

The buckwheat production union in Bungo-Takada has been putting a lot of effort to increase the number of soba enthusiasts. They opened a “buckwheat dojo (training centre)” to attract people. I hope to experience traditional Jyuwari (100%) soba making in Bungo-Takada.

Soba Guru Takahashi-san

Soba expert Takahashi-san

Soba School by Takahashi-san

Soba School by Guru Takahashi-san

I started planning my visit to the Bungo-Takada town. Bungo-Takada is located in the north eastern corner of Kyushu, where nature and heritage are still alive. The town is full of beautiful nature that has been inherited for over a thousand years. With the rich culture, the history of Rokugo Manzan, the traditional houses and local events, you can relive the good old days.
http://www.showanomachi.com/en/bungotakada/

ETSU Soba Restaurant
ETSU creates traditional but difficult Jyuwari (100%) soba, which is made of pure buckwheat.

Etsu Shop sign

Etsu Shop-signboard

Mori-saba at Etsu

Mori-saba at Etsu

For your information:

Name of Soba Restaurant : Etsu
Address : 374-1 Tamatsu, Bungo-Takada, Oita, Japan
Open Hours : 11:00~15:00, 17:00~20:00   Closed on Tuesday

Access to Bungo-takada
http://www.showanomachi.com/en/access/

Attractions in Bungotakada
http://www.showanomachi.com/en/bungotakada/

Flight to Oita Airport
Tokyo (Haneda) – Oita (ANA, JAL, SNA), 1h 30m (14 flights/day)
Tokyo (Narita) – Oita (Jetstar), 2h (2 flights/day)
Osaka (Itami) – Oita (ANA, JAL), 1h (7 flights/day)

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JR train
Shin-Osaka – Usa (transfer at Kokura from Shinkansen bullet train), about 3h 45m
Hakata – Usa (Nippo Honsen), about 1h 35m
Kokura – Usa (Nippo Honsen), about 50m
Hiroshima – Usa, about 1h 40m

Bus
North Lier Airport bus (Oita Airport – Bungo-Takada City), about 45m (4 times/day)
http://www.showanomachi.com/en/access/


Photograph and text by meguru hayata