‘Soba is medicine’, says the signboard. The restaurant feels soba is so crammed with nutrients that they tout it as yakuzen, ‘medicinal cooking’, and hope that it brings good health. When ground with its husk, buckwheat acquires a dark brown cast and mysterious flavour. Don’t pass up the “Atsumori-soba”, soba boiled fresh and served hot from the pot. Soba water is poured under the bamboo steamer to keep the noodles warm. Hot dipping sauce with lashings of chopped Kujo green onion, egg and wasabi is a distinctive touch.