Made from buckwheat, ‘soba’ noodles are one of the most popular dishes in Japan and nowhere more so than in Matsumoto. While in the city you will come across lots of soba restaurants with many promoting their hand-made soba, made on the premises and often in-front of diners.

Watching this you might be tempted to try your own hand at kneading and cutting your own noodles. Located only a couple of minutes walk from Matsumoto Castle, Soba Takagai offers soba-making workshops 7-days a week. Workshops take around 1 hour and can be booked at 10:30 or 15:30, followed by sitting down to enjoy your freshly made soba*. The booking office is open from 08:00 to 18:00. Bookings can be made using the phone number and email listed above.

*Instructors can speak basic English or if you prefer, an English or French-speaking guide can be provided to accompany you throughout the experience for an additional JPY5000.