Manila Bulletin
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June 18, 2026
Japan is truly a tourist’s haven that offers a compelling array of scenic spots, historical artifacts and culinary treats. This is what our family reaffirmed after an eventful sojourn to Osaka through our latest sojourn to the Land of the Rising Sun.
I am pleased to share with readers some highlights of our most recent visit.
After a breezy hour-long drive from central Osaka, we reached Kibune in northern Kyoto that is famous for its nagashi-somen, flowing or floating noodles favored by local and foreign tourists. Our family went to Hirobun restaurant, and joined hundreds of eager patrons in waiting for our turn — even if it took more than an hour of squatting on a bamboo platform set over the rushing mountain river.
Indeed, it was a unique interactive summer experience where you catch chilled thin white wheat noodles, flowing down a bamboo flume using chopsticks. Set over the rushing mountain river on kawadoko or raised platforms. Among locals, it is a refreshing seasonal tradition to beat the summer heat.
When it was our turn, we sat in front of a split bamboo slide through which ice-cold mountain water flows, then waited for the chef to drop small, bite-sized bundles of noodles from the top of the chute. You must act quickly to catch them with your chopsticks, then dip them into a chilled savory broth (tsuyu) and eat them.
This story is from the June 18, 2026 edition of Manila Bulletin.
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