A summer tradition in Toyama! Oiwa Somen (Somen noodles) that draws a long line!

  • Toyama
  • Eating
Oiwa Nisshakuji Temple, located in Kamiichi-cho, Nakashinagawa-gun, Toyama Prefecture, is said to have been built in 725. Around Hyakudanzaka, the temple's gate town, there are many restaurants and ryokan (Japanese-style inns), each of which serves somen noodles, tokoroten (tokoro-ten), anmitsu (sweet bean jelly), kuzukiri (arrowroot paste), etc., made with delicious Toyama water. The most popular among them is "Soumen! Soumen" is so famous that it is often referred to as "Oiwayama Nisshakuji Temple.
Introduced here this time is "Drive-in Kinryu" located at the entrance of Mt. Rumor has it that a Michelin inspector once visited this restaurant, but the owner himself refused to have it listed, saying, "I don't want the restaurant to be even more crowded than it already is.
The line for the restaurant started even before it opened!
The restaurant is spacious, with plenty of space between seats!
Since the restaurant is expected to be especially crowded during the summer, we headed there early! I arrived about 40 minutes before the store opened and managed to get to the front of the line just in time... but even before the store opened, the line extended behind me one after another, and in no time at all, it became a huge line. When the restaurant finally opened and we went inside, we found that there were quite a few seats available inside. There is also counter seating, so even a single person can feel at ease. All customers eat quickly and stay for a short time, so the turnover is quick.
If somen noodles alone are not enough for you, you can also get a set of kelp rice balls!
The somen noodles come out as soon as you order, and you will first be surprised at how beautiful they look, with each noodle neatly aligned and topped only with green onions and ginger, which is a nice simplicity...! The noodles are made from a special type of noodle called Ise no Daikene, which has been aged for three years. The noodles are made from a special type of noodle called "Ise no Dai Hine," which has been aged for three years. The soup stock is a blend of several carefully selected natural ingredients such as kombu (kelp), bonito, and shiitake mushrooms. It has a perfect balance of neither thick nor thin, and has a mild flavor without any peculiarities. Personally, I really liked the dashi broth and enjoyed it so much that I drank it all up!
You can watch the somen being boiled very skillfully through the glass!
There is parking for about 15 cars, but if the lot is full, there is another parking lot a short distance away. (Even then, there are many cars that park on the street.) On this day, there were not only cars with Toyama license plates in the parking lot, but also cars with Kansai, Tokai, and Shikoku license plates. You can tell that many people from outside of the prefecture come all the way here to enjoy the somen noodles.
Before or after eating the somen, be sure to pay a visit to Oiwasan Nisshakuji Temple and take a sightseeing tour of the area. One hundred and thirty meters down the side of the Six Waterfalls is a ravine called "Sengankei," where numerous tasteful rocks are naturally arranged, and the greenery of trees and moss and the sound of the waterfalls will soothe you. It is cool even in summer, and the temperature is said to be 5°C lower than that of Nisseki-ji Temple, and if you go near the waterfall, you will be bathed in a natural mist! All of these spots are recommended in summer.
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