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Cold soba, somen, and udon

Cold soba (buckwheat flour noodles), somen (thin wheat flour noodles), and udon (thick wheat flour noodles) are staple summer menus in Japan.

Most often eaten as fast food, these noodles can be found everywhere from soba stands near the train station, where business men crowd around even for breakfast, to convenience store shelves at every street corner.

You can also find 100 yen sanukiudon fast food shops, which recently became popular serving firm udon originally from the south western region of Japan.

Depending on the region or restaurant, there is a variety to how these noodles are prepared and served, but they are usually served with the standard cold soy based broth, raw egg, deep fried tempura, or grated yam. During the past few years, soba, somen, and udon evolved into salads with toppings such as tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplant, natto (fermented soy beans), okra, kimchi, shabu shabu sliced meats, and ground sesame seed sauce. Other creations are chasoba (green tea soba) and extreme novelties like cold strawberry dessert somen.

As for cultural activities, one can learn how to make soba from scratch or eat nagashisomen (flowing noodles), where patrons sit along a long bamboo chute or around an O-shaped turntable eating somen as it flows down or around in cold water.