A Cultural History of Noodle Slurping

The author, a soba enthusiast, demonstrates the proper way to eat Japanese buckwheat noodles.

Chef-owner Horii Yoshinori of the famed Sarashina Horii soba shop, established in 1789.

The main attraction at Sarashina Horii is the shop’s famous Sarashina soba (¥930). The thin, pale noodles, made from highly polished buckwheat, are fine-grained and fragrant—and ideally suited for slurping.

After slicing a batch of noodles, the soba maker carefully gathers them into a neat bundle.

Sarashina Horii’s English-language pamphlet illustrates the finer points of soba eating.

Sarshina Horii displays its offerings in a food sample case and also provides an English menu.