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 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 expert 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-signboard

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