It’s not hard to miss the humble wooden gateway that marks the entrance to Dashin Soan. Overshadowed by the massive ginkgo trees of the temple grounds opposite, it is set back unobtrusively from the street, flanked by bamboo and shrubs.
Just a 10-minute walk from the bustling, souk-like streets around Shimokitazawa Station, you have arrived in the quiet, residential neighborhood of Daizawa. Pass through this simple, classic portal with its moss-flecked roof and long, lemon-yellow noren curtain, and you’ll find yourself in a garden courtyard, an oasis of green and calm. Now it’s time for noodles.
Dashin Soan’s specialty is soba. Since it opened some 15 years ago, connoisseurs have been making their way here from across the city, drawn as much by the setting as the reputation of the te-uchi (hand-kneaded, rolled and cut) buckwheat noodles.