Just last week, I discovered the best soba noodles of my life in the most unexpected place—a small restaurant, just a five-minute walk from Nakagami Station. I was on a business trip, heading to a meeting at the Akishima City water purification facility, which, for those unfamiliar, is on the outskirts of Tokyo, west of Shinjuku. It’s about a 45-minute trip on the Chuo Line, but being someone from Yokohama, Akishima felt like uncharted territory.
With only 30 minutes before our meeting, my boss and I were desperate for a good meal. A quick search on the train hadn’t yielded any promising results, and we were about to settle for McDonald’s when a local grandma overheard us mentioning soba. She pointed us down the road, insisting there was a famous soba place nearby. Since it was on the way to the purification center, we decided to give it a shot.
After passing several closed restaurants, we finally spotted a restaurant with a wooden sign. The menu prices, mostly hovering around 1,000 yen, seemed relatively steep for a typical lunch in Japan, but trusting the local’s recommendation, we went in.
What followed was a revelation. The soba was the best I’d ever tasted—perfectly chewy yet slightly al dente, with the earthy flavor of fresh buckwheat shining through. The noodles were made in-house, which explained the slightly higher prices.
If you ever find yourself near Nakagami Station, make sure to visit Takahashi (previously named Murata) for a soba experience like no other.
Though Nakagami might feel like the middle of nowhere, it’s actually only two stops from Tachikawa, a vibrant part of Tokyo worth visiting. While you’re there, check out Showa Kinen Park, a massive green space that was once an army base. Trust me, the extra train ride to Nakagami is well worth it!
Takahashi: https://shorturl.at/8xkbx
Google Maps: https://maps.app.goo.gl/ummodQLQpKPgKbEm9