10ºC Cooler! Nagashi-somen next to the Shrine of Love♪
*This is a picture of the temple’s Tanabata
festival celebrations,
not the fortunes!
Hello, staff member Kuwahara here!
Ahh, that famously muggy Kyoto “summer” has well and truly arrived...! Being located in a basin and surrounded by mountains means that the city’s heat is unable to escape, making the temperature rise even higher. How are you all coping with this enduringly hot and humid weather?
Although I’ve been living in Kyoto for nine years now, I’m a little embarrassed to admit that I’ve never had the chance to try out one particular summer tradition that is sure to cool you down: nagashi-somen! Well, the other day when I looked at the weather forecast and saw weekend temperatures of around 35ºC, I knew it was time to finally try it out.
Luckily for me, there just so happens to be a place right here in Kyoto where you can enjoy somen next to a river that pulses out a steady stream of negative ions, known to be beneficial to one’s health. While I was already excited just to try my first batch of nagashi-somen, I simply couldn’t wait to visit after hearing about what a refreshing and serene place it was. I jumped on the train and made my way to the north of Kyoto city.
(For information on other ways people enjoy meals by the river, check out our September 8, 2014 blog post!)
The somen restaurant was called Hirobun, an inn known for its cuisine. In the Kibune area to the north of Kyoto lies the Kibune River. Here, you can enjoy nagashi-somen on an open-air deck perched above the river. I felt cooler the very moment I set eyes on the luxurious setting of the restaurant!
The restaurant is open from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Armed with the knowledge that it was a popular choice known to be crowded, I planned to arrive one hour before the restaurant opened...
...However, I arrived to find a line of customers already waiting patiently outside! “But it’s only just gone ten!” I said, amazed. The restaurant reception didn’t open until eleven, so I had to wait an hour just to make my reservation (they only accept reservations in person, on the day!) Finally, I was given a fan with my number: 47. Despite having come so early, almost 50 people had beaten me to the punch. And when I glanced at the line extending behind me, I couldn’t even see the end...! At number 47, I could expect to be served around noon, but when would the people behind me get their somen?
Along with my numbered fan, I had also received instructions for eating the nagashi-somen, as well as a few notes of caution. If pink-colored somen came flowing down the chute, this meant that your time was up. There were also helpful tips advising me to rinse the noodles thoroughly in the water before dipping them in the sauce.
One sentence stood out: “Please do not get angry, no matter how long you are made to wait.” Obviously, the inn had dealt with a difficult customer or two in the past...!
While I waited, I visited the nearby Kibune Shrine and walked upstream, enjoying the river’s plentiful negative ions and refreshing my mind and body.
Kibune Shrine is known as a sacred place for luck in one’s marriage. The god of water, Takaokami-no-kami, is enshrined there. From records in the Kojiki and the Nihon Shoki, we know that Kibune Shrine is a shrine of ancient and honorable origin.
It is popular for its “water fortune-telling,” where a person’s fortune is revealed by gently laying the paper in a small pool of sacred water. If you’re interested in shrines for luck in love or in Japanese fortune-telling in general, it’s not to be missed!
After waiting for about an hour, finally, it was my turn. I walked down a narrow staircase near the reception desk where I found a beautiful open-air deck covered in tatami mats. Customers first had to wait on the tatami mat at the back of the room. Once my number was called, I moved to the seat in front, and then waited a little longer. Then, at long last, I was shown to my seat. Because the waiting area was above the river, it was refreshingly cool! Water tumbled down the waterfall in front of me, a breeze whispered gently as it whipped playfully around me, and above glittering beads of sunlight filtered through the verdant leaves of the bamboo and maple trees. Surrounded by this beautiful nature, I closed my eyes and felt the stress of daily life melt away.
The restaurant is set up so that there are two groups on the left and two on the right, and everyone sits in a row.
Next to me was a family with two young children. The father looked just as excited as his kids, and I couldn’t help but smile as I watched the fun they were having! There were two chutes for the somen, and I was to use the chute behind—the family next to me used the chute in front. Each group had its own chute, thus ensuring that no fights broke out over the somen!
A voice announced: “Once the pink somen arrives, time’s up. Bon appetite!” And with that, the somen began flowing rhythmically down the chute.
I barely recall what happened next. The somen came flowing down faster than I could eat them, and my friend and I called out to each other frantically as we tried to catch them with our chopsticks. If you can’t grab the somen as they flow past you, they won’t come back. This was the first time in my life that I’d had to eat my somen in such a rush. I looked around to try and tell whoever was sending the noodles out to tell them to hold on for just a second, but I couldn’t see anyone from where I was sitting. They must have been hiding somewhere.
I’d say it was about ten minutes later that the pink somen came flowing down. I learned that the pink coloring was from the plum that had been included in the noodle dough, and plum flavored somen was another first for me. I slurped up the slightly salty somen, the perfect end to a wonderful experience. I then stuffed myself with warabi mochi for dessert. I’d had a blast, but it was over.
If you like to eat at your own pace, I’d recommend eating somen at home. But if you’d like to enjoy somen in a somewhat unusual way while surrounded by nature, I highly recommend visiting Kibune. A word of caution, though: try to arrive at around 9:30 a.m. if you can!
★ Website ★
http://hirobun.co.jp/menu/