Nakasa Soba

Located in Gero, this soba shop is not only loved by the locals of the city but also people from all across Japan and the world. Nakasa Soba is undoubtedly a few levels up from the rest. Mr. Nakabayashi, the mastermind behind Nakasa Soba, dedicates a great amount of time and effort into perfecting the soba craft that earned him the Michelin star. Every component in creating the perfect soba bowl is prepared with excruciating detail. The buckwheat noodles aren’t machine cut, nor are they simply made. During the autumn harvest, the shop is closed so that Mr. Nakabayashi will have the time to drive to the fields of the Japanese Alps and gather the ingredients needed to make the noodles. Everything from milling to cutting is personally done by him. On top of that, the buckwheat goes through a process called sun drying, which adds on to the unique flavors of Nakasa Soba. The broth is meticulously prepared, as well. The soup stock is made using Kagawa soy sauce and then mashing in maple for a period of time, which gives the broth a lovely fragrance. Along with the dipping sauce made of high-grade bonito dashi and tamari shoyu from Shodoshima, a bowl of soba from Nakasa Soba is nothing short of a masterpiece.