Eating soba noodles- the original Japanese fast food.

There are 3 basic noodle varieties available all year long in Japan: soba, udon or ramen. Also there's a fourth- somen noodles-- thin strands eaten cold with ice in the summer only.

Soba are noodles made with buckwheat, slightly healthier than the enriched flour in the other noodles offerings.

There is generally a soba shop in every neighborhood, near any station and often in the middle of train platforms.
Two types are offered: hot or cold. Hot soba usually involves a choice of toppings (seaweed or fried tofu or tempura shrimp/veggies) and for cold soba one gets a cup of soy-based sauce on the side for dipping the noodles into before eating. Just make sure you add the available leeks (negi) , dried seaweed (nori) and some wasabi to the sauce to get maximum flavor out of the soba eating experience.
Still is and probably will always be one of the most convenient, reasonably priced and healthy culinary experiences available in Japan