Kyouyuuan (Tochigi Prefecture)

Kyouyuuan serves refined soba that places particular emphasis on the bite, mouthfeel, and smooth finish of Edomae-style soba. The restaurant stands beside Ashikaga Orihime Shrine, halfway up Mount Orihime overlooking the historic city of Ashikaga. Owner Tadaaki Nemoto is a soba artisan renowned for his mastery of noodles made exclusively with sarashina flour. Many devoted customers travel long distances just to taste Kyouyuuan’s soba.

One of the restaurant’s popular offerings is its seasonal kawari soba, which reflects Japan’s four seasons. Seasonal ingredients are worked into white sarashina flour, giving the noodles distinctive colors and an artistic appearance. Their visual appeal conveys just how delicious they are from the moment they are served. The dipping sauce takes the flavor of the soba to another level. Its refined aroma and dashi flavor bring out the sweetness of the sarashina flour and the savory qualities of the seasonal ingredients. From the first bite, this dish reveals the soba artisan’s exceptional skill and meticulous craftsmanship.

In addition to the seasonal kawari soba, the Pure Sarashina Soba with Chilled Broth and Grated Yam is also recommended. An originally developed rolling pin is used to roll the exceptionally thin noodles to less than 1 mm before they are served with a chilled broth rich in bonito dashi. Its distinctive flavor is rarely found elsewhere, making it one of the restaurant’s signature dishes.

After business hours, Kyouyuuan also holds Edomae-style soba-making classes, attracting many participants from far away who have been captivated by the restaurant’s soba. The owner also works to promote sarashina soba by giving talks about its appeal at events such as the Sarashina no Sato Soba Festival.

Kyouyuuan is located halfway up the hill at Ashikaga Orihime Shrine, overlooking central Ashikaga. Be sure to try its freshly made Edomae-style soba, known for its smooth texture, while taking in the spectacular view.