Interview with Hiroko Eto, the second-generation owner
Bitchu Soba Yabu is located along the Kurashiki River in the Bikan Historical Area, a tourist destination.
We spoke with Hiroko Eto, the second-generation owner and manager.
The soba restaurant began as a soy sauce wholesaler
Could you tell us how the restaurant got started?
Eto (honorifics omitted)
Originally, my grandparents ran a soy sauce wholesale business here.
When they decided to go into business, they thought of making broth using the soy sauce they handled, and decided to open a soba restaurant.
Soba and udon have been on the menu since the restaurant first opened.
Around Kurashiki, people have traditionally eaten udon more often than soba.
I heard from the first-generation owner that they decided to serve both, because families might find it difficult to come in if we only served soba, and it would be better to have udon as well.
Apparently, they thought, “Since this is udon country, let’s make the less common soba our specialty.”
Soba is our main offering, so “soba” is in the restaurant’s name.
Do you still wholesale soy sauce?
Eto
My uncle started a liquor store and took over the soy sauce wholesale business.
But the soy sauce maker we did business with went out of business, so we no longer wholesale it.
My grandfather’s older brother probably started the soy sauce wholesale business, but I don’t know exactly when.
It was long before the days when three-wheeled trucks were on the roads and people worked wearing kimono.
These days, local soy sauce is best, so we use soy sauce from Otsuki Soy Sauce Brewery, near Ikurado Cave in Niimi City.
Menu items from the restaurant’s founding
Which menu items have been served since the restaurant first opened?
Eto
Almost all of our menu items have been here since the beginning. We’ve only added mekabu and grated yam soba, grated yam and mountain vegetables, and oboro grated yam soba along the way.
We also have dishes that combine items that were already on the menu.
Has the broth changed since the restaurant first opened?
Eto
I’m the second generation to run the soba restaurant. The third generation is my eldest son, who works here with me.
The basic method and ingredients have stayed the same since the time of my father, the first-generation owner. We have changed the proportions of the ingredients.
Popular menu items depend on the temperature
Eto
The dishes that sell well vary from day to day.
Today (it was warm enough to make you sweat a little on the day of the interview), we served mostly tempura zaru soba.
Strangely enough, people order the same dish.
In midsummer, plain zaru soba sells well instead of tempura zaru soba. Inaka soba topped with grated daikon is popular, too.
So sometimes we get a whole row of identical orders.
Depending on the season, there are times when we don’t know whether more cold or hot dishes will sell.
Cold broth (for zaru soba) tastes better after it has rested a little, so we can’t serve it immediately after making it.
Hot broth (for kake soba), on the other hand, tastes best freshly made. You can taste the bonito flavor.
As time passes, the flavor gradually fades.
That’s why we serve it the same day it’s made, and sometimes we can’t offer hot dishes later in the afternoon.
Popular with foreign visitors, too
Since this is a tourist destination, did foreign visitors come here before the COVID-19 pandemic?
Eto
Yes, they did.
Visitors from Asia seem to be familiar with udon, and they often eat it.
Visitors from Europe and North America often order tempura soba or udon.
Some foreign visitors even try mekabu.
But mekabu is slimy, and it may not suit foreign visitors who aren’t familiar with it, right?
Before they order, we serve them a spoonful of mekabu to try.
If they try it and still want to eat it, instead of serving the mekabu on top of the noodles as we usually do, we serve it on a separate plate for foreign visitors, so they can add as much as they like.
Looking ahead
Is there anything you’d like to do in the future?
Eto
I’d like to renovate the kitchen to make our work more efficient.
We’ve renovated three times since becoming a soba restaurant.
I’d like to change the dining area and kitchen. They’re gradually becoming less practical.
My parents renovated the kitchen, so the sinks are at the height of the old standard.
People today are taller than people were in the past, aren’t they?
So the sinks are too low now, and my back hurts if I wash dishes for a long time.
I’d like the work surfaces to be higher.
The kitchen is long and narrow now, so it would be nice if we could move around in a smooth, circular flow.
I’d like to renovate before I retire and hand the restaurant over to the third generation.
I’m also looking forward to my grandchildren helping out someday.
They can start with washing dishes.
Once they’ve grown tall enough to reach the sink, they’ll be able to wash dishes.
I started out washing dishes, too. The third-generation owner did the same.
My dream is to work alongside my grandchildren.
From the Writer
In Kurashiki, udon country, soba restaurants are in the minority.
Bitchu Soba Yabu chose to specialize in soba precisely because there are so few soba restaurants, and it is located in the tourist destination of the Bikan Historical Area.
Visitors come from all over Japan, including places outside udon country, and groups may include both soba and udon fans.
“I want to eat the noodles I like!”
At times like that, a restaurant serving both soba and udon is a welcome find.
Especially when soba and udon fans are looking for somewhere to eat, why not try Yabu?
Bitchu Soba Yabu details
| Name | Bitchu Soba Yabu |
|---|---|
| Address | 5-30 Honmachi, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture |
| Contact | 086-422-1386 |
| Parking | None |
| Business hours | 10:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.; 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. (Sundays and public holidays) |
| Closed | Irregular holidays |
| Payment methods |
|
| Reservations | Accepted Reservations unavailable during busy periods |
| Seating | 48 seats Number of tables: 13 ※The number of seats has been reduced from normal to prevent the spread of COVID-19 |
| Restroom | Western-style toilet |
| Website | Official Instagram |
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