The Beginners Guide to Soba in Japan

Soba is one of Japan’s best-loved noodle dishes and something you will see everywhere, from tiny train station restaurants to high-end traditional eateries, but it can be a bit confusing. Our guide will help you tell your kare from your kitsune.

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What Is Soba?

Soba (そば / 蕎麦) is a Japanese noodle made primarily from buckwheat flour.

The percentage of buckwheat used affects the flavour and texture of the noodles. Higher buckwheat content usually means a stronger nutty flavour and a firmer, slightly rougher texture.

It all sounds simple, right? So, why do you need a guide?

Because the whole top line of this menu is types of soba dishes! 12 are hot, 10 are cold.

You see, when you go to order soba, you don’t just get a plate of noodles. It can either be served hot in a broth or cold with a dipping sauce, and it may come with toppings or things on the side – and each variation has its own specific name.

I can read the words above, yet it still means nothing! What’s tororo? What’s mori? If you’re not familiar with the different names and what they mean, you might be a bit surprised when you end up with a bowl of soup while your friend is served chilled noodles with some seaweed on top!

Not understanding the dishes is the number one reason why I don’t naturally gravitate toward soba when I visit Japan, so on my last long trip, I made it a mission to eat more of it and learn more about the menu – and this guide is the result.

15 Common Types of Soba in Japan

Here are some of the most common dishes that you might see on a menu in a soba restaurant in Japan.

1. Zaru Soba

ざるそば

Cold soba noodles served on a bamboo tray called a zaru. They are eaten by dipping the noodles into a chilled sauce made of soy sauce, mirin, dashi and maybe a few other things. Zaru soba is usually topped with shredded nori seaweed.

2. Mori Soba

もりそば

Very similar to zaru soba but without the seaweed topping.

3. Kake Soba

かけそば

A simple hot soba dish served in warm broth made of bonito. It’s generally served plain, but, some soba shops might garnish the bowl with sliced spring onions and maybe a fish cake like the one below. You can also add your own seasonings, like chilli powder, from the table.

4. Kitsune Soba

きつねそば

Hot soba topped with sweet, simmered fried tofu (aburaage). “Kitsune” means fox, and the name comes from the idea that fried tofu is the favourite food of the foxes that guard shrines.

5. Tanuki Soba

たぬきそば

Usually, hot soba sprinkled with crunchy tempura batter bits called tenkasu. These soften in the soup and become a similar texture to when you dip bread into soup.

It’s not my favourite of the options as I don’t eat it fast enough and it all kind of dissolves.

6. Tempura Soba

天ぷらそば / てんぷらそば

Soba served with tempura, commonly shrimp tempura or seasonal vegetables, or a mix of both. The tempura may be placed on top or served separately to keep it crisp.

You can have this with cold, zaru soba – where it’s called tenzaru, or on top of a Kake Soba-style broth. If you choose the broth option and the tempura is added to the top, eat the tempura fast, or it will go soggy.

7. Tororo Soba

とろろそば

Soba topped with grated Japanese mountain yam (nagaimo or yamaimo). The yam becomes sticky and slippery when grated giving the dish a unique texture.

I admit this is one dish I have never tried, as I already find the taste of soba quite subtle, and this always sounds like it might tip it over the edge into blandness – one day I will try it and prove myself wrong though!

8. Tsukimi Soba

つきみそば

“Moon-viewing soba” is noodles topped with a raw or lightly cooked egg representing the full moon. Usually served hot.

The sight of this might freak out those of us who grew up thinking eating raw eggs was inadvisable, but eggs in Japan have very high food standards, and it’s quite common to eat them raw. I wouldn’t do it in any other country, but I have eaten raw eggs in Japan. Mixing them into things makes everything creamier.

9. Sansai Soba

さんさいそば

Soba topped with mountain vegetables and wild plants such as bamboo shoots, ferns, and mushrooms. Popular in rural and mountainous regions.

I tried this near Kanazu Waterfalls, as a way to pass the time when there was a long wait for the bus – not only did it give me a much-needed dose of vegetables, the restaurant I went to (一休茶屋) added lemon to the broth, and it was amazing.

10. Nishin Soba

にしんそば

A Kyoto specialty featuring soba topped with sweet simmered herring. The combination of fish and broth creates a rich, savoury flavour.

11. Curry Nanban Soba

かれーなんばんそば

Hot soba in a Japanese curry-flavoured broth, usually containing sliced meat and spring onions.

12. Chikuwa Soba

ちかわそば

Hot soba topped with a long fish cake, sometimes covered in tempura batter.

13. Niku Soba

肉そば

This is soba, normally in a broth, topped with meat.

Depending on where you are in Japan, the meat could be anything from thin slices of pork to duck, and I even had wild boar in the Iya Valley. This is normally a winter dish.

14. Wakame Soba

わかめそば

A very simple dish of hot soba in a broth with seaweed.

15. Kakiage Soba

かきあげそば

Broth-style soba topped with a fried cake of vegetables and shrimp

And There’s More!

These are the basics of soba that you’ll be likely to find in most soba spots, but you will see other options on menus. I have had kake soba topped with croquettes in Nagano.

In Shuzenji, the soba place I went to was famed for its tempura shrimp cake, which came served on the side.

When I tried soba at Jindai-ji temple in Tokyo (where at least 10 soba restaurants flank the temple), I really wanted to try Gomo soba – a dish where the noodles are dipped in sesame sauce, but it was a summer-only dish. However, a few days later, at Rin-ya, the soba restaurant at Ikspiari, near Tokyo Disney, they had walnut soba – noodles served with a sesame and walnut dipping sauce that was amazing.

So, while the above list covers the basics, it still might not cover every type of soba you’ll see on your travels.

Soba Eating Tips and Etiquette

Slurping Is Normal

In Japan, it is perfectly acceptable to slurp soba noodles. Slurping is believed to enhance the flavour and also helps cool hot noodles as you eat.

Dip Cold Soba Lightly

When eating cold soba like zaru soba, dip only the lower part of the noodles into the sauce rather than soaking the entire bundle. The dipping sauce is intentionally concentrated.

Try the Soba-Yu

At specialist soba restaurants, you may be served soba-yu after finishing cold soba. This is the hot water used to boil the noodles. Pour it into the leftover dipping sauce to create a light soup to drink.

Eat Quickly

Soba is best enjoyed fresh before the noodles soften or absorb too much broth. In Japan, soba is generally considered a meal to eat promptly rather than linger over.

Hot vs Cold

Cold soba tends to highlight the flavour and texture of the noodles themselves, while hot soba focuses more on the broth and toppings. Trying both styles is the best way to experience the variety of soba dishes in Japan.

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