We all know that that when you go to Japan, there are certain things you must try – sushi, ramen, okonomiyaki…those are typical go-to foods that are quite correctly experiences to be had. And then there are the lesser known dishes…some of which are an entire adventure in themselves! While on Kyushu Hideaways this past October, the gang got to try two uniquely Japanese dining experiences – hotspring steamed lunch and nagashi somen!
Kyushu is the most southwestern island of Japan’s main islands and consists of eight prefectures. On Kyushu Hideaways 2017, we visited Kagoshima, Miyazaki, and Oita Prefectures. The island is south enough to have a subtropical climate, with plenty of beautiful green scenery, mountains, and rain.
Noodles float down the bamboo shoots!
Nagashi Somen
A popular summer pastime in Japan is to eat somen, a very thin, refreshing noodle, by running the noodles in cold water down a bamboo shoot and catching them with chopsticks. This practice is called “nagashi-somen”, with “nagashi” meaning “running/flowing”. While visiting Takachiho Falls in Miyazaki, we stopped at a nagashi somen restaurant for lunch. The restaurant consisted of two long, sloped tables with two cut-open bamboo shoots running down the center of each.
Nagashi Somen Set Meal
The noodles are quite thin and can be hard to see in the water, so catching them is quite the challenge, but lots of fun! The noodles came in mouthfuls – we would catch them, then dip them in a delicious ginger-soy sauce broth. When a round of noodles was about to go down the shoot, the shopkeeper would shout “Nagashimasu!” to let us know they were coming. To complement the noodles, the meal came with an assortment of healthy side dishes and tea. If your table doesn’t have the most proficient chopstick skills, or if everyone is not paying attention, you’ll end up with a lot of extra noodles in your basket at the end of the meal. But not to worry, you can still pass those around and finish them off!
Steamed Lunch
Our other food adventure took place in Beppu, the famous hot spring town of Oita Prefecture. Tourists from all over Japan and the world come here to marvel at the various hot spring “Hells”, and to enjoy the various baths that the town has to offer. One of our favorite experiences in Beppu was the steamed lunch.
Cooking in our steam ovens!
The steamed lunch shop was not so much a restaurant as it was a community kitchen. You would purchase the raw ingredient sets there, or bring your own groceries from home to cook in the hot spring vents. Many of us were excited to cook the food ourselves, which we loaded into various baskets and lowered into natural steam ovens. The cooks were given timers so that our food would be done perfectly well.
While I had my doubts at first, the food turned out delicious. The eggs were cooked to perfection, and the meats and vegetables were tender and tasty. Soy sauce and ponzu were provided as dipping sauces and was just enough to give the food that extra flavor. But perhaps what made the meal that much more special was the fact that we had cooked it ourselves, with the simple help of mother nature.
If you’re ever in Kyushu, I would definitely recommend trying some of these unique culinary experiences. While you’re at it, soak up the beautiful scenery and enjoy a relaxing hot spring bath!