Yasukuni soba
Posted by ampontan on Saturday, March 1, 2008
SOME PEOPLE VISIT the Yasukuni Shinto shrine in Tokyo’s Chiyoda Ward to pay their respects to the Japanese war dead. Others make a point to see the Yushukan war memorial museum next to the shrine itself. And then there are those who go there for a bowl of soba.
On the shrine grounds is a gift shop that has a section where visitors can buy food and drinks. One of the menu items is the Yasukuni soba, which is so popular that nearby businesspeople, office workers, and taxi drivers are known to make a special trip for lunch.
The noodles in the Yasukuni soba contain mugwort, known as yomogi in Japanese, which has been traditionally used as a seasoning, food, and herbal medicine in China, Korea, and Japan. Other ingredients in the soup include egg that has been cooked and cut into strings, wild vegetables, shiitake mushrooms, pork, kamaboko (a sort of steamed fish paste), wakame (seaweed), and spring onions. Eating a bowl of soba with all those ingredients is somewhat like ordering pizza with everything.
A bowl of the shrine’s soba costs 800 yen ($US 7.65), which seems to be a fair price. If diners prefer, they can substitute the thicker udon noodles made with regular flour for the thinner soba noodles made with buckwheat flour.
If this is a gimmick, it’s been a rather successful one. The shop has been selling the dish for about 35 years, and during cherry blossom or festival seasons, they serve from 500 to 600 bowls per day. Visitors can also order yakisoba (fried soba noodles), curried rice, or other foods, but the company operating the shop says that most people pick the soba.
If you’re in the neighborhood and want to try some, the shop is open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. No reservations or necktie necessary!
James said
The restaurant also sells “kaigun curry,” a recreation of pre-1945 curry rice. It tastes considerably weaker than the curry popular in Japan today, but I still liked it.
Ken said
Bill,
I think you can distinguish the difference of soup color between Eastern Japan cuisine and Western Japan cuisine.
How about the difference of seasoning, one is salty and the other is complex ‘Umami’ flavored?
I think it in my heart similar to the difference between Chinese cuisine in East-coast and West-coast in the US though I prefer the latter.
Anyway, I recommend white Udon in Western Japan seasoned soup though I do not mind Soba in dark colored soup.
ampontan said
Ken: I don’t know much about east Japan food because I’ve really never been there much. I went straight to Kyushu after two days in Tokyo and stayed here.
I saw the Itami Juzo movie Tanpopo in the theater and was surprised that ramen in Tokyo was dark. Here it’s almost milky. If you want the Tokyo style ramen, you have to say shoyu ramen when you order.
My wife makes both light and dark udon, but usually soba with darker soup, which I like.
Ken said
“I went straight to Kyushu after two days in Tokyo and stayed here.”
I think it unexpectedly lucky for you to be able to train sensitiveness in Japanese seasoning.
Western Japanese broth is the mix of dried mushrooms, bonito, sardins, tangle, etc and to guess what is used is called gourmet.
Eastern Japanese seasoning is simpler and so easier to guess like the culture originated from Samurai society while Western Japanese culture is originated from the peerage and so roundabout.
There is a funny tale that a Dosanko, typical eastern people, asked something to a Kansai-jin, western people.
The latter responsed, “I will think about it.” so that the former went back with anticipation.
There was no informing the result, no matter how long the former waited for it so that he made a phonecall.
Then the latter answered, “‘I will think about it.’ means ‘I will not undertake it’ here.”.
ampontan said
Ken: I thought the use of 考えておく for “I’m not going to do that” was a nationwide thing. It isn’t?
Also, sometimes the best translation for それはむずかしいですね is “That’s impossible”.
Two Cents said
Ken,
I believe Dosanko is a term for the people of Hokkaido. That’s where the name of their soccer team, Consadole Sapporo is derived from. (Dosanko read backwards.)
As for the broth base for traditional food, this is my take.
Kanto area (Tokyo) = basically bonito, soysacue is dark and stronger. Saltier than Kansai area.
Kansai (Osaka & Kyoto) = dried kelp, and for some dishes bonito is added. Dried mushrooms are used for zen-style cooking. Soysauce is lighter but contains more salt. Delicate taste is preferred.
Kyushu area = dried kelp and dried sardines. Soysauce is dark and sweet. Sweeter and stronger taste preferred.
Durf said
I think the noodles there might be popular among taxi drivers since that stretch of road is easy to park on and unmetered (if memory serves; it’s been a while since I walked around over there).
Also, sometimes the best translation for それはむずかしいですね is “That’s impossible”.
Dave Barry’s Does Japan book, actually a rather entertaining read, teaches that “That is difficult” actually means “That is completely impossible.” The full list of his translations is available on this page.
Ken said
Bill,
“I thought the use of 考えておく for “I’m not going to do that” was a nationwide thing. It isn’t?”
You know Japan well and it is natural to think it so in Kyuhshuh of Western Japan but No, it isn’t.
You may anticipate there is any room to consider it and he/she informs you of the result of consideration in most of Eastern Japan.
Two Cents,
You also know Japan well, don’t you?
Dosanko is originally derived from Dosanko-ba that means the horse born in Hokkaido so that the people of Hokkaido are not much pleased to be called so unlike Hagakure in Saga of Bill.
Dosanko is straight-forward, the most east-Japanese I think, like Yankees compared to Brits because Hokkaido was frontier that people with various dialects immigrated except Ainu people.
You are almost right about the broth base but more ’secret tastes’ are consealed a little by a little luxuriously in Kansai cuisine.
So, if you guess when treated to a dinner for example, “Mushroom is added on kelp base, isn’t it?”, you will be admired.
As production place, Hokkaido is famous on kelp, Kouchi of Western Japan is famous on bonito and Kyuhshuh is famous on mushroom.
Aki said
The “Do” of do-san-ko (道産子) is the “do” of Hokkai-do (北海道). So dosanko is used only for people born in Hokkaido.
Bender said
I think Ken was only trying to say that Hokkaidoans are typical Eastners, not that Eastners are called “Dosanko”. Hokkaido culture is derived basically from Tohoku/Hokuriku culture, but there are some Western elements as well (for example, they call chicken “kashiwa” and fried chicken “zangi” – these are western Japanese). So I’d say if you want to find hard-core native Eastern Japaense culture, go north, but don’t cross the Tsugaru strait.
Aki said
Bender, I got it. Thanks.
Ken, Sorry for reiterating what you know in my previous comment.
Ken said
Aki & Bender,
Sorry for having confused you, couple.
“Hokkaido culture is derived basically from Tohoku/Hokuriku culture, but there are some Western elements as well. So I’d say if you want to find hard-core native Eastern Japaense culture, go north, but don’t cross the Tsugaru strait.”
On academic sense, Tokyo is the center of Eastern Japan culture but I am talking about the way of thinking.
Stereotype of Tohoku people are introversive farmers formed by the environment through hundreds years.
Stereotypical Edokko (original Tokyo boy) was open-handed but the temper is dilluted by various immigrants in Tokoy and seen in Dodanko than in Tohoku people.