Since I was a child, I have been coming to this restaurant for over 35 years. This place is like the gateway to the local soba shop for me. For New Year's Eve in Reiwa 4, I felt like eating their soba again after a long time and visited the shop. I ordered the Kashiwa soba for 600 yen (tax included) and the salmon onigiri for 170 yen (tax included). Kashiwa soba and salmon onigiri are a combination that I often order since I was a child. The soba is cooked soft and has a dark color. The broth is light with a hint of dashi flavor. The Kashiwa (chicken) pieces are big and have a traditional slightly dry texture. Other toppings include fish cake, spinach, and green onions. The onigiri is made fresh upon ordering, so it is warm. The salmon inside is overflowing. The rice in the onigiri is soft, and the seaweed is not crispy but moist.

One weekend, I visited a well-established soba restaurant in Higashi-Naeho 6-jo, Higashi-ku, which I had bookmarked for a while. The parking lot in front of the restaurant can accommodate about 4-5 cars. Inside the restaurant, there is a slightly spacious L-shaped counter, 3 tables, and a raised seating area at the back. The background music is playing a lunchtime TV show. From the menu, I chose the "A set (880 yen)" with "mori soba". The soba noodles are thicker and darker than they appear in the photos, with a strong flavor and chewy texture. The dipping sauce is slightly sweet with a light dashi flavor, but it might be slightly overpowered by the strong soba flavor. Next, the small tempura rice bowl had average toppings like bell pepper, eggplant, fish?, and large shrimp, served with soft rice and a generous portion. I finished the meal with a cup of soba broth. I thanked the restaurant owner and wished them good health. Thank you for the meal.

Today in April 2021, I visited a soba restaurant located along the new road. The interior of the restaurant has a traditional feel. After looking at the menu, I ordered the soba and tempura set from the lunch menu. It took about 10 minutes for the food to be served. The soba had a rustic black appearance, was medium thick, and had a weak chewiness. The condiments included green onions, wasabi, and grated radish. The dipping sauce was medium and slightly light. The tempura consisted of shrimp, smelt fish, eggplant, and green peppers. The smelt fish had a slight peculiar taste. The tempura was deep-fried with a thick batter that was fluffy and crispy, and the slightly spicy dipping sauce complemented it well. The rice was soft. The soba broth was medium-rich. Thank you for the meal!

This is a place in Higashi Ward, located at 6-2 Higashi Naebo, along the Sapporo Shin-Doikai Outer Ring Road. For the exact location, please check the map on Tabelog as usual. I finally managed to visit this restaurant this time after passing by it many times on Sapporo Shin-Doikai and missing it. I parked my car in the parking lot and entered the restaurant, sitting at a table for 2 facing the wall. The menu had relatively reasonable prices, and I ordered the "Tamago Toji Soba" from the warm menu. It took about 10 minutes to arrive, and it had various toppings in addition to the tamago toji. The soup had a light fish broth flavor with slightly sweet soy sauce. The soba noodles were on the softer side, and the toppings included firm scrambled eggs, kamaboko, boiled spinach, chopped seaweed, and diced green onions. It's not the trendy refined soba, but more like a nostalgic, traditional and reasonably priced soba shop.

While driving on the outer loop of the new road during lunchtime, I decided to stop at a convenient restaurant called "Sobadokoro Togakushi." The parking space in front of the restaurant can accommodate about 5 cars. As I entered the restaurant, I noticed it had a capacity of around 40-50 seats, including a counter, tables, and a raised seating area. I sat at the counter, and the lady brought me roasted green tea. The menu had a variety of options, and I ordered the "Cold Soba @600." The dish arrived in about 7 minutes, topped with tempura bits, pickled ginger, seaweed, and mountain vegetables. The soba had a slightly chewy texture, which was not my preference. The dipping sauce was light with a mild flavor, and the condiments included wasabi and green onions. Overall, it was an average meal. After finishing my meal, I learned more about the "Togakushi Soba" dish, which has a long history and unique characteristics.

The atmosphere of the Showa era remains intact. Stacks of manga books like Ginga: Nagareboshi Gin, H2, and Ranma 1/2 line the counter. On the TV next to it, Matsudaira Choshichiro is showing off his splendid swordsmanship. The entrance may feel a bit chilly, but the warmth from the kerosene stove at your feet helps to alleviate that. Truly a place that has been around for a while... This is the taste of the local soba shop. The Egg and Rice Bowl Soba costs ¥580. I feel reassured watching a young man enjoying his hearty lunch. The appearance of a restaurant is an important factor in choosing a place to eat. In recent years, there are many trendy and delicious soba shops scattered around. Some say that they hesitate to enter due to the aged exterior walls. However, I hope they continue to exist... I want them to continue to exist. It seems that this place is run by a couple, and their warm and gentle demeanor is heartwarming. The warm soba they serve has a gentle flavor, with a kombu broth that stands out. The broth is not too thick, not too sweet, and not too spicy. The fluffy egg topping beautifully covers the soba. I mix the seaweed and green onions together and slurp up the soba. It has a nostalgic, homey flavor. Since the tempura soba seems to be popular, it might be good to pair it with a tempura bowl. Thank you for the meal.

Togakushi soba... There seem to be various definitions, but let's not worry about that and just enjoy it!! (laughs) I ordered the soba and tempura bowl set for 880 yen. The elderly couple running the place, so I didn't mind waiting. The soba noodles were dark and rustic, but soft. The dipping sauce had a subtle flavor of dried fish. The tempura batter was soft, and the sauce, although dark, was not too strong. It was sweet. Thank you for the meal! Keep up the good work!

[Background and Purpose] I wanted to refresh my palate after having disappointing soba the day before, so I decided to try a soba restaurant that had caught my eye. [Order] I ordered the "Gomoku Soba" for 750 yen. [Eating Experience] The soba had a traditional soy sauce flavor that was quite strong. The soba itself was delicious, but what stood out the most was the intense umami flavor of the shiitake mushrooms! It was worth eating just for that. [Additional Thoughts] I came back another day to try the "Shiitake Soba" and it was amazing - filled with an overwhelming umami flavor from the shiitake mushrooms. If you love shiitake mushrooms, this dish is a must-try!

Since I was a child, this shop has been around. As a child, I felt a mysterious ninja vibe from this shop and found it intimidating, but the time has finally come to enter. Upon entering the shop, it was quite crowded due to lunchtime. An elderly couple seemed to be running the shop. The shop owner gives off a vibe like a supporting character in a drama, haha. I ordered a mini tendon and soba set for 880 yen. It seems that there are various definitions of Togakushi soba. It meets some criteria like being grated and served with grated daikon, but it's not served in a woven basket or in a small portion, so what kind of soba is this? The soba noodles are quite thick and have a rustic feel to them, which is quite nice. However, I didn't like the dipping sauce at all. It was too sweet and too thin, and the portion was too small. Since it's thin, you should serve more noodles, right? As for the tendon, there's nothing particularly noteworthy about it. It's not the crispy type of tempura. Overall, both the rice and soba noodles were on the softer side. It gives off a feeling of time standing still in the Showa era, which is quite nice. It may be the secret to their longevity that they continue to operate as a decent, unremarkable shop that caters to an older clientele, but younger people may find it lacking.

I felt like eating cold zaru soba, so I visited a traditional soba restaurant in Togakushi. The soba had a nostalgic taste that was somehow comforting.

I went to a soba restaurant to eat "curry soba," but it was temporarily closed for exterior wall construction. Another soba restaurant nearby was also closed, even though it was not their regular holiday. Unlucky. I ended up at this restaurant. The menu did not have "curry soba," but it was listed as "curry udon." When I asked if they could make curry soba, they said they could, so I ordered it. The curry soba was 800 yen. I felt like I got a good deal with a half-boiled egg on top. The generous amount of onions and the balance of curry roux looked delicious. The thick roux had a mild spiciness, which I like. The traditional thickness of the sauce was irresistible. Pork belly came out from inside, which I prefer over chicken. The soba noodles were thick and rustic. They held up well against the hot curry. By the time I finished the soba, the curry had turned into a perfect soup consistency, so I finished it all. I finally found curry soba that I liked after a long time.

This is a soba restaurant located in Higashi-ku, Sapporo, along Sapporo Shinmichi. I visited this restaurant for the first time as I was intrigued by its impressive appearance when passing by in my car. I learned that they serve Togakushi soba, which is a type of soba from Togakushi, Nagano. It is made using stone-ground soba flour and served in a round bamboo sieve. I ordered a beer and plum grated soba for my visit. The soba was thick and black, topped with seaweed. The draining was on the sweeter side with a mild flavor, but had a nice chewy texture. The dipping sauce was refreshing and slightly sweet. When mixing it with the grated radish, I found that the sauce was a bit lacking in quantity. It may not have all the exact characteristics of Togakushi soba, but it was still delicious.

Every time I passed by this soba restaurant on Sapporo Shinmichi, I couldn't help but be curious. However, for some reason, I never felt like going in. But on this day, when I felt a bit hungry, I decided not to miss this opportunity and made a U-turn. The restaurant uses the names of the three major soba varieties in Japan (Wanko soba from Iwate, Izumo soba from Shimane, and Togakushi soba from Nagano) in its name, so I imagined it must be a typical local soba restaurant run by someone from Togakushi or with experience there. The interior of the restaurant, with a counter, raised seating area, and tables in a typical town-style soba restaurant, was relatively tidy. I ordered the "mori soba" for 500 yen, which was made from finely ground black buckwheat. The noodles had a loose texture and were slightly overcooked, lacking a distinctive flavor but still offering a satisfying chewiness. The dipping sauce was on the sweeter side with a slightly smooth texture, and the condiments were good. The soba broth was a clear kettle broth. While the soba had some elements reminiscent of Togakushi style, such as the country-style noodles and grated daikon radish (usually served with spicy radish), it didn't fully embody all the characteristics. Overall, it was a simple and affordable soba restaurant that has been serving customers for over 30 years. I would like to ask about the history of the restaurant someday. It seems like a convenient place for locals to drop by, especially with its reasonable prices and set menu options. I have great respect for this soba restaurant that has stood the test of time.

Here is a restaurant that has been in business for a long time. I have seen it many times but never entered until today when I visited Sapporo with my parents. The restaurant is located along Shin-dori and while there are many ramen shops, there are not many soba restaurants. Inside, there is a counter like a sushi restaurant, tables, and a raised counter with manga books lined up. The soba noodles are thick, country-style soba. The broth is on the sweeter side. The Gomoku soba comes with a rare boiled egg, wakame seaweed that stands out too much, mountain vegetables, and chicken. My father said it was like a mountain vegetable soba. The small tendon and mori soba were good, although the rice in the tendon was softer than what my mother makes at home. The tempura batter was a bit thick. The mori soba had a weak soba flavor and a rough texture. When we paid, my father asked the male owner how long they had been in business, and he said 32 years. I realized that they had been working hard here since I was in elementary school. The interior of the restaurant is old-fashioned and there are many noticeable details, but they have been persevering for 32 years. Even though the location is not ideal, they have regular customers who support them. Every time I pass by this road on my way back to Chitose, I will cheer for them silently, thinking "they are still going strong!"

I decided to go to a restaurant but found out it had no parking. I didn't understand why, but it was closed. So, I decided to stop by a place along the new road with parking called Sukisuki. I had tempura and zaru soba. The soba came with 2 shrimp, 2 white fish, shiitake mushrooms, eggplant, and green peppers, all for 1100 yen. The dipping sauce was light with little sweetness, but the soy sauce aroma lingered. The soba was probably machine-made, but correct me if I'm wrong. It seems like this place is popular for lunch among people working nearby. It's convenient and affordable, but I feel like if they had something more unique, they could attract even more customers. It was a satisfying meal.

Along Sapporo Shindo, near the soba restaurant Cats Eye, there is a place called Togakushi that has caught my attention for some reason. Despite its unassuming appearance, I've been curious about it for a while. I happened to pass by during lunchtime the other day and decided to go in, even though I was alone. Inside, the owner was watching TV at the counter. It's not the kind of chic place you'd expect, but there's a certain charm to its laid-back atmosphere. I ordered the kake soba and wondered what makes the Togakushi soba special. The anticipation was building up. The soba turned out to be quite ordinary. So, what exactly is Togakushi soba? Could it be the owner's last name? After serving the soba, the owner went back to watching TV at the counter. It's strange, but somehow endearing.

After thinking about visiting for over 30 years, I finally had the chance to go today. I ordered the zaru soba, which was delicious with a slightly thick and chewy texture, and a strong soba aroma. It's the type of soba I really enjoy. The location is convenient, so I'm sure there are many repeat customers. I plan to stop by occasionally as well. Thank you for the meal.

I entered without knowing what "normal Togakushi soba" was. The taste is normal soba, but the texture of the noodles is slightly rough, so those who seek a smooth texture may find it a bit different.