Rurika Koike, 18, is a one-of-a-kind champion. She won the all-Japan high school tournament this summer for excellence in the art of making soba.
In the annual championship, 154 students from 32 schools from northern to southwestern Japan don caps and white aprons to test their noodle-making skills over exactly 40 minutes. They use a blend of buckwheat and wheat flour to formulate the final product.
Examiners keep close tabs on the way competitors mix the buckwheat powder with water, and how they knead, stretch and cut the dough into noodles. They also monitor the preparatory steps, ensuring the teens wash their hands and lay out their kitchen utensils while maintaining a clean working space.