3 days ago
Old soba restaurant on Japanese train station platform serves noodles with a side of nostalgia
If you've never tried ekisoba, now's the time to get on board with the trend.
In recent years, 'ekiben' (train station boxed meals), have become well-known with visitors from overseas, but have you heard of 'ekisoba'?
Like ekiben, ekisoba is sold at train stations, but instead of being sold to-go at kiosks, they're usually served at small eateries, with counters where diners can stand and eat their meals before continuing on their journeys. They've long been a feature at Japanese train stations, so on a recent trip out of Tokyo we got to thinking: where is the oldest ekisoba stand in Japan?
According to our research, the oldest one is said to be 'Saito Shogetsudo' at Ichinoseki Station in Iwate Prefecture, which was founded in 1897, or Meiji 30 according to the imperial calendar. Sadly, that soba stand is no longer in business, so another search reveals that the oldest one currently in operation is 'Nichieiken' at Kanagawa's Higashi-Kanagawa Station, founded in 1918, or Taisho 7.
If we're being picky, 'Kawamuraya' at Sakuragicho Station was founded in 1900 (Meiji 33), making it 125 years old, but as it's a soba restaurant located outside the station entrance, rather than a small ekisoba stand inside the station, Kanagawa's Nichieiken remains the oldest. Well, at least we thought that was the case until we caught wind of another store called Tochuken at Numazu Station in Shizuoka which, according to its signboard, was founded in 1891 (Meiji 24).
▼ 桃中軒 (Tochuken) has been serving soba for 134 years.
Standing on a platform at the station, this ekisoba establishment exudes a dignified presence, and a quick check on the official website confirms that it really was founded in 1891. However, the business started out as a bento shop and only began serving ekisoba in 1968, which is likely why this eatery has gone under everyone's radar.
This unique history however, is what gives the shop its unusual features, which you don't often find at other ekisoba places.
▼ First of all, the setup itself looks like a remodelled bento shop, with windows at the counter.
There is a familiar feature, in the form of the ticket machine, where we found that the cheapest item on the menu was 'Kake Soba' or 'Hot Soba', priced at 380 yen (US$2.66), and the most expensive was 'Kakiage Soba with Egg', for 660 yen.
We ordered the 'Kakiage Soba' (590 yen) with a side of inarizushi (80 yen) and after handing over our tickets, we spotted another unique feature in the kitchen.
Kakiage is a type of Japanese tempura fritter made up of small ingredients such as vegetables (like onions, carrots, and burdock) and seafood (like shrimp or squid). While most restaurants simply heat the kakiage separately and serve it on the noodles before serving to ensure it stays crunchy, this restaurant heats the tempura directly in the pot with the broth, allowing it to become soft and gooey.
When you pick the fritter up with your chopsticks, it bends softly, so although it's soaked through, it doesn't fall apart, showing the strength of the batter.
▼ Biting into it, the soup bursts out on the tongue, delighting the taste buds with bagfuls of flavour.
The soy sauce-based broth is surprisingly sweet — so much so that it was on par with the sweetness of the inarizushi alongside it.
▼ The noodles were thick, with a chewy texture
It was definitely on the sweet side, but still hearty and satisfying. The standout feature, though, was how well the broth paired with the kakiage, and the melty texture of the fritter totally won us over.
If you're keen to try a taste of history, the store has quite limited business hours, open only from 8:00 a.m.-9:45 a.m. and 10:45 a.m.-2:00 p.m., so you'll want to keep that in mind when visiting.
Tochuken also has stands at the West Exit of Gotemba Station (open until 4 p.m.) and on the platforms at Mishima Station (open until 7 p.m.)
▼ Tochuken at Mishima Station on the conventional line
▼ Tochuken on the Shinkansen platform at Mishima Station
For us, there was something charming about the Tochuken stand at Numazu Station, as it really felt like a unique branch that preserves the atmosphere of a bygone era.
If you've never tried ekisoba before, this is a great way to get on board with the local food trend. Once you've tried it, you may just find yourself hooked on the charm of eating noodles on a train station platform, and there are even more to discover, like this one, which is known as the best in Japan.
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