Soba noodle making experience in downtown Matsumoto
Food Culture / Soba


Nagano Prefecture is surrounded by mountains and has a high altitude. The low temperatures and water temperatures,
and the many slopes make it impossible to create rice fields, make it a place that is not particularly suitable for growing rice.
However, buckwheat is resistant to the cold and can grow even in poor soil, so it can be cultivated in the mountains and on
barren land, and it has become an important food in Nagano Prefecture.
At first, buckwheat seeds were boiled and eaten as porridge, ground into flour and kneaded with hot water to make dumplings called sobagaki,
or kneaded and baked to make oyaki.
At some point, it became common to eat it as noodles, and there are famous soba restaurants all over the country, some of which are said
to have been brought there by the lord of Matsumoto Castle when he was traveling,
and it is also said that the old post town of Motoyama-juku in Shiojiri City may be the birthplace of the culture of eating soba as noodles.



Matsumoto Castle, National Treasure of Japan
Matsumoto Castle was built by Ishikawa Kazumasa around 1594, and although it has undergone major repairs, it still retains the original materials
and appearance of the castle, and is designated as a national treasure. Matsumoto has had 23 generations of feudal lords over six families,
including the Ishikawa, Toda, Ogasawara, Matsudaira, Hotta, and Mizuno families, and the Toda family returned to Matsumoto once more,
ushering in the Meiji era. Many feudal lords brought with them the culture of other feudal domains when they were transferred, and also took
the culture of Matsumoto with them. For example, it is said that Izumo soba in Shimane Prefecture originated from the soba noodles that were brought
over when Matsudaira Naomasa, a cousin of Tokugawa Iemitsu, was transferred from Matsumoto to Shimane.


Currently, the Ninomaru area of ​​Matsumoto Castle has been turned into a park, where a soba festival is held every year. Stalls are set up from Nagano
Prefecture and other prefectures, and there are delicious foods other than soba, making it an indispensable part of Matsumoto's major events.




Experience making Soba
Making soba is simple work, but there is unique process, and it is harder to work immediately than appearance.
Therefore we will watch video of short commentary before actually beginning. We concentrate on making soba itself more clearly and can enjoy
explanation of lecturer if we see a series of flows. After all, highlight of making soba is place to cut soba.
What we continue cutting with constant thinness exactly is difficult, but is place wanting to taste slowly and carefully by all means and to enjoy as it is place fun most.


Lecturer always supports during experience. There are none very much at opportunity to see how to handle technique and tool of expert lecturer of making soba close.
In addition, we can enjoy experience in peace even if we make a mistake, and there is place hard to please as we enter follow immediately.


True meal of side that we hit by oneself
If making soba is over, we move to restaurant, and let's wait for boiling deagario. There is difference in taste between each and can eat part,
fruit which became big partially which I cut well deliciously both. It is favorite phrase of lecturer that there is not delicious thing as side that we hit by oneself.

As side menu, you can order tempura, bandit ware of Matsumoto tradition (on the day tell guide). In addition, called "cast side" peculiar to this district can
switch to hot soba. It is said that we were accompanied by this name from place where "we cast" side to hot juice at cold time and ate.


The plan details

Meeting place Please gather at Matsumoto Station at 9:00 a.m.

Tour type: Group tour (in private when we wish to experience, please see this)

Allergies: Please let dieting or allergy know at the time of reservation.



Please be careful:
There are stairs which the Matsumoto inside of a castle is steep, and are small. Please be careful enough.
About vegetarian or Vee cancer menu, please refer at the time of reservation.
Making soba is small amount, and side (around 500 g) before 2-3 is completed in one experience as it is difficult to perform. I would like understanding.
Making soba included in this tour becomes simplest. In private when wish to experience, enjoy with master of side! Look at page of making soba + wasabi experience.



About tour trip:
Matsumoto Castle visit (around 90 minutes)
Making soba experience (around 60 minutes)
True meal (around 30 minutes)
The above is time of indication. The end time may be mixed up by the situation.


Cancellation policy: In the case of cancellation of the day before, we accept 100% of amounts of money on conduct day.
Please inform of change and cancellation of schedule early.