Soba (Japanese Brown Noodles)

Soba are brown noodles made from buckwheat flour.This noodles can be eaten in either hot or cold broth,dipping in a special sauce with thinly sliced  green onions and grated ginger or wasabi horseradish.
Soba are  produced in the cold latitudes in the mountains with poor quality soil.
Last November,I saw the beautiful flowers of Soba for the first time in Yamanashi
prefecture(山梨県）,where I stayed and studied for 3 weeks to get the qualification to be an instructor of Macrobiotics.
The flowers were marvellous!I had only seen them in pictures in books before.
During the break at the lodging,I learnt how to make Soba in the class which belongs to a popular Soba restaurant there.
Now I realise that making Udon noodles is  simpler  than the Soba noodles .
I strongly recommend to you that when you travel to Japan,Kanto district,and if you want to eat noodles,you must eat Soba and Udon in  the Kansai district.

Soba noodles

 At Soba class

Our Soba were so nice!!!

Flowers of Soba, The mountains behind are Yatsugakake(八ヶ岳）

This place also produces Millets(黍　Kibi)