Local Food in Tokyo: Warm Up with Fuji Soba
Tokyo’s Kimura Here: Japan Enters the Year-End Holidays (December 28 – January 5)
In Japan, January 1st is the most important holiday of the year. Known as Oshogatsu, it’s a day to celebrate the start of a new year. The atmosphere across the city transforms, and even the products at supermarkets and convenience stores take on a festive, seasonal theme.
While the city is bustling with excitement, I’m staying calm and going about my usual routine. Today, as I was walking through the chilly streets, I got hungry and decided to warm up with a bowl of soba. Let me introduce you to Fuji Soba, a local Tokyo soba chain.
I’ve featured Fuji Soba on this blog a few times before, but it’s a spot I frequent in my daily life. It’s affordable, quick, and delicious—a truly wonderful place. Let me share this gem with you again!
Let me introduce “Fuji Soba” again. Do you remember my previous blog posts about it?
I’ve introduced “Fuji Soba” several times on this blog.
Be sure to check out the post where I featured soba topped with bright red tempura!
I’ve also featured limited-edition instant foods on this blog.
As you can see, I’ve introduced Fuji Soba several times on this blog. Soba shops are a regular part of the everyday diet for an average man in Tokyo—it’s nothing out of the ordinary.
Today, it was chilly, and I was feeling a bit hungry. In moments like this, the thought naturally comes to mind: “Let’s have a quick bowl of soba to warm up!”
When you want something light, wakame soba is just perfect!
In a previous blog post, I was really hungry and craving a hearty meal. At times like that, I recommend the katsudon set menu.
But today, I was in the mood for just a light bite. That’s when wakame soba becomes the perfect choice.
All you can see here is the wakame, but underneath it is the soba. This is a bowl of warm soba. The red powder is shichimi, a slightly spicy seasoning. It’s on the table, so you can sprinkle it on to suit your taste.
I also made sure to take a good picture of the soba! The hot broth really warms you up. The soba soup is “salty” (this is a uniquely Japanese taste, so I hope I’m able to convey it properly!).
As I was eating…
I didn’t plan to eat that much, but I ended up adding tempura. It’s beni-shoga tempura (pickled ginger tempura). And it’s delicious!
Wakame soba is about 500 yen, and you can add ginger tempura for just 150 yen. It’s affordable, delicious, and I’m fully satisfied!
It might be considered junk food overseas.
In Japan, there are various types of soba and tempura restaurants. Particularly for tempura, there are very high-end places as well. In Tokyo, you can find these upscale restaurants in areas like Ginza or Akasaka. However, Fuji Soba is the complete opposite of those types of establishments. The chairs and tables are small, the interior is simple, and the prices are low with quick service. Ordinary Japanese people likely visit places like Fuji Soba regularly.
I hope this blog can convey the everyday atmosphere of Japan to international travelers visiting Tokyo.
