Some of the most enjoyable, satisfying and memorable meals I have had in Japan involve soba (buckwheat). I can still smell the broth of a hot bowl of kake soba I had the winter after the Olympics in Nagano.

The best Soba is the one you make yourself.

In Iwate Prefecture, the Wanko soba, served in mouthful portions to be eaten one at a time, has always been a challenge well worth meeting. My personal record is 17 bowls in a sitting. You can taste a wide range of soba and soba products, but the most satisfying are the noodles you have made and eaten with friends, right at home.