Hand-cut noodles and hand-stretched noodles—do you know the difference?
Hand-cut noodles are made by kneading wheat flour, flattening the dough, and cutting it into noodle shapes with a knife. Hand-stretched noodles, on the other hand, are made by repeatedly stretching the dough from its original ball shape, without using a knife.
This stretches the fibers (gluten), creating a smooth texture.
Kamogata, Asakuchi City, Okayama Prefecture, has been a major production area for hand-stretched noodles since the Edo period.
In the past, the sight of noodles drying outdoors—a practice called kadoboshi—could be seen all around the area.
As mechanization has advanced, kadoboshi has become a rare sight, but it is still practiced at Kawada Kenichi Noodle Factory.
I visited Kawada Kenichi Noodle Factory, where traditional methods are still used, and tried making hand-stretched noodles.
The information presented was current when this article was published in May 2021. Please note that it may differ from current information.
Hand-stretched noodles in Kamogata
Kamogata, the town of hand-stretched noodles
Kamogata, Asakuchi City, in southwestern Okayama Prefecture, is a town known for its hand-stretched noodles.
The “Kamogata Town Hand-Stretched Noodle Festival” is held every year at the end of June, although it was canceled in 2020 and 2021 to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Local noodle makers set up stalls, and the festival draws large crowds.
Within Kamogata, the Kosakahigashi district in particular has been a major production area for hand-stretched noodles for centuries, dating back to the Edo period.
Wheat was grown as a second crop after rice, so making hand-stretched noodles became an established sideline during the winter farming off-season.
Another factor was the presence of Sugitani River, which was ideal for powering the waterwheels used to grind wheat flour.
It is said that once, as many as 40 waterwheels lined the river.
The area’s climate, with low humidity and many sunny days, is ideal for making hand-stretched noodles.
The process of stretching noodles outdoors and drying them in the sun is called kadoboshi.
Kadoboshi became a winter tradition, and it could be seen throughout Kosakahigashi.
It was a lively noodle-making town, bustling with noodle makers from Banshu (southwestern Hyogo Prefecture), who brought the hand-stretching technique, as well as craftsmen who made the wooden boxes needed for shipping.
As of April 2021, 13 businesses belonged to the Kamogata Town Hand-Stretched Somen Producers Association.
Each one carefully selects and blends different types of wheat flour to make its own distinctive noodles.
Noodle-making has become increasingly mechanized, and the entire process is now often carried out indoors.
Among the few noodle factories that still practice kadoboshi outdoors is Kawada Kenichi Noodle Factory.
Kawada Kenichi Noodle Factory
Kawada Kenichi Noodle Factory is a small noodle factory tucked away on a quiet side street with little traffic.
The great-grandfather of Kawada Hiroshi, the fourth-generation owner, started making hand-stretched noodles as a family business in 1873.
Kawada has run the noodle factory for 27 years. Before that, he worked at a steelworks, maintaining machinery.
For Kawada, making hand-stretched noodles was work he had been familiar with since childhood. He also helped out during elementary and middle school.
As of April 2021, he makes hand-stretched noodles every day with a staff of seven. Some of them are seasoned veterans who have worked there for nearly 70 years!
“We’ve been able to continue using traditional methods thanks to the favorable natural environment and the fact that we operate on a small scale,” Kawada says.
Fans from all over Japan order these hand-stretched noodles, which have a rich wheat flavor and a smooth texture.
How hand-stretched noodles are made
At Kawada Kenichi Noodle Factory, noodle-making begins at 2 a.m.
The weather is often sunny in the morning in this area, so kadoboshi must be finished by around noon.
In the stillness of the night, they check the day’s temperature and humidity, then determine how much water and salt to add to the wheat flour.
The temperature and humidity often differ from the forecast, making it very difficult to get the proportions right.
They use well water—groundwater from the mountains around Mt. Yosho. It is water provided by nature.
The wheat flour, water, and salt are kneaded by machine into a large ball of dough. Then, through six stages, machines repeatedly stretch the dough from a ball into noodles.
It starts out as thick as a rope.
The process continues while they check how well the dough has rested, until it is about as thick as udon.
Repeated stretching and resting gives the noodles their elasticity.
Once the noodles are about 0.5 centimeters thick, they are finally ready for kadoboshi.
Before machines were introduced, everything was done by hand, which took much more time and effort.
Here is a summary of the steps involved in making hand-stretched noodles.
| Step | Description |
|---|---|
| 1. Nakadate | Mix water and salt based on the temperature, humidity, and weather forecast |
| 2. Kneading | Knead wheat flour, water, and salt by machine, then let the dough rest |
| 3. Itagi | Use a machine to flatten and stretch the dough into a sheet about 11 centimeters wide and 4 centimeters thick, narrow it into a round shape about 6 centimeters in diameter, and let it rest |
| 4. Abura-gaeshi | Use a machine to narrow the dough to about 4 centimeters in diameter, coat it with cooking oil, and let it rest |
| 5. Hosome | Use a machine to narrow the dough to about 2 centimeters in diameter and let it rest |
| 6. Konashi | Use a machine to narrow the dough to about 1 centimeter in diameter and let it rest |
| 7. Kakeba | Use a machine to wind the noodles, now about 0.5 centimeters in diameter, in a figure-eight around two rods |
| 8. Nebitsu | Place the dough in a nebitsu (wooden box) and let it rest for about an hour and a half |
| 9. Kobiki | Remove the dough from the nebitsu and use a machine to stretch it to about 60 centimeters |
| 10. Nebitsu | Let it rest again in the nebitsu for about an hour and a half |
| 11. Kadoboshi | Stretch the noodles outdoors to about 2 meters, gradually thinning them as they are exposed to the sun |
| 12. Drying | Move the noodles indoors and dry them for about a day |
| 13. Kowari | Cut the noodles to 19 centimeters on a cutting board |
| 14. Taba | Tie them into 50-gram bundles and pack them in boxes |
As you can see, there are many steps.
In particular, before kadoboshi, the noodles are repeatedly stretched and rested to give them their firm texture.
The entire process, including drying, takes about 30 hours.
I got to try “kadoboshi,” the final step in shaping the noodles.
Experience making hand-stretched noodles: “kadoboshi”
About the “kadoboshi” experience
At Kawada Kenichi Noodle Factory, kadoboshi usually takes place from 10 to 11:30 a.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Visitors can try making hand-stretched noodles during that time.
The experience costs 2,000 yen per person (tax included) and includes 1 kilogram of somen (20 bundles) to take home.
However, only three people can be accepted per day.
Make a reservation at least one week in advance. If the weather makes kadoboshi impossible, you will be notified by the day before.
Kadoboshi, where the aroma of wheat fills the air
Kawada Kenichi Noodle Factory makes somen, hiyamugi, and udon.
I visited on a day when they were making somen, the thinnest noodles.
At kadoboshi, noodles about 60 centimeters long are stretched to about 2 meters.
To stretch the noodles, they use a tool called a hata.
A rod wrapped with noodles is inserted into a hole and secured.
Rather than stretching them all at once, they gradually lengthened the noodles, changing the hole they inserted the rod into.
As they stretched the noodles, they worked two bamboo chopsticks to separate the strands that had stuck together.
There were eight of us working that day, including me.
We divided up the tasks and worked as a team: one person inserted the rod wrapped with noodles into a hole in the hata, another worked the bamboo chopsticks, and another collected the noodles once they had been stretched to about 1.5 meters.
If it takes too long, the noodles will dry out too much, so care is needed. We had to work efficiently.
The noodles, stretched to about 1.5 meters, are hung like noren (traditional shop curtains) and left to mature once. Then they are pulled out to about 2 meters in one go, completing the shaping process.
Enka music played in the background. Under the sun, the white, thread-like noodles stretched out gracefully. A light aroma of wheat wafted all around us.
I was amazed that simply kneading flour, salt, and water could make the dough stretch so much and smell so good.
“The sun turns them white, and the aroma goes straight into the noodles,” Kawada said.
Time to give it a try!
For the first 15 minutes or so, I watched and was shown how it was done. After that, I was in charge of using bamboo chopsticks to separate the noodles that had stuck together.
The staff worked rhythmically and made it look easy, but when I tried it myself, I found it difficult.
First, it was hard to slide the bamboo chopsticks between the noodles.
As I practiced and learned the knack, I gradually got the hang of it.
Also, spreading my hands apart to separate the noodles took more strength than I expected. I could feel their strong elasticity.
I was worried the noodles might break, but not a single one did. That’s how elastic they are.
I learned that making hand-stretched noodles requires highly skilled technique.
It was fun working in sync with the staff as a team to stretch the noodles.
At the end, they praised me, saying, “You’ve gotten good at it!”
After stretching the noodles to 2 meters, I also tried the final step of running chopsticks through them. You gently pass the bamboo chopsticks through and separate any noodles that are stuck together.
The finished noodles are taken outside, and they adjust their position by checking the shadows so that the sunlight falls evenly on them.
I was able to see all kinds of techniques up close.
Kadoboshi cannot be done outdoors on rainy or humid days. At Kawada Kenichi Noodle Factory, they carry out the entire process indoors when it rains.
They also say that from April to May, the balance of temperature and humidity makes the noodles prone to drying out, making the process difficult. In July and August, high humidity is the challenge instead.
I heard the words “Hand-stretched noodles are living things” several times.
Depending on the amount of water in the mixture, the noodles that have stuck together may suddenly separate, or they may stretch too far down. They say that because the work is done by hand, you can really feel how the noodles are turning out.
Kawada, who decides the proportions, said, “When I hear everyone say that today was difficult or easy, I think about how I should have adjusted the proportions. It’s the same thing every day, and there’s no end to making noodles.”
From the Writer
Making hand-stretched noodles outdoors, surrounded by the aroma of wheat.
The process itself was difficult and required some skill, but seeing the noodles bounce so cheerfully lifted my spirits too.
I also learned how the dough is stretched again and again from its dumpling-like state, without using a knife, until it becomes thin somen. I was amazed to learn that the somen we enjoy so casually in summer is made so carefully, with so much time and effort.
I’ll never forget the staff cheerfully working together to the accompaniment of enka music, or the words, “Hand-stretched noodles are living things.”
Why not try making these precious, traditionally hand-stretched noodles?
- Photography: Toshiyuki Sasaki
Kawada Kenichi Noodle Factory Information
| Name | Kawada Kenichi Noodle Factory |
|---|---|
| Address | 750 Kosakahigashi, Kamogata-cho, Asakuchi City, Okayama Prefecture |
| Contact | 0865-44-4161 |
| Parking | Available 2 cars |
| Business hours | Reservation hours (business hours): 8:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m. Kadoboshi hours: 10:00–11:30 a.m. |
| Closed | Saturday, Sunday, and irregular days Hand-stretched noodle-making experiences are available on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. |
| Fee (tax included) | 2,000 yen (tax included) Includes 1 kilogram of somen (20 bundles) |
| Payment methods |
|
| Reservations | Available Up to 3 people per day. Reserve at least one week in advance. If weather conditions make kadoboshi drying impossible, you will be notified by the day before. |
| Restroom | Western-style toilet |
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