To get here the fastest/cheapest way by train, enter your starting location into the
or download a free Japan Travel mobile app to your phone (I use Navitime Japan Travel)
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Kamakura Station area
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Hase Station area
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Kitakamakura Station area
Within walking distance from Kitakamakura Station (also on the Enoden Line) are the Divorce Temple, the Hydrangea Temple, and Chaya Kado, a restaurant that serves nagashi sōmen, the cold summertime noodles you have to snag with your chopticks as they float by down the chute in the middle of the table.
How to eat nagashi somen:
This summertime delicacy is something you can only have in Japan. Sōmen noodles are very white and thin, always served refreshingly cold with a savory dipping sauce, condiments, and (optional) tempura on the side. The most fun way to eat them is at a restaurant where the table is built to represent a mountain stream, with a bamboo trough running down the center. Cold water sluices down the trough and the server stands at the head of the table, sending bundles of noodles down periodically. Diners sit on either side of the table, chopsticks poised, and grab the bundles of noodles as they float past.
When you order your sōmen lunch – which is served outside under a vine-covered arbor – you will receive a cup of cold dipping sauce and a dish of optional condiments to mix into it (chopped green onions, wasabi horseradish) and a small bowl. (If you order the meal with tempura, you’ll receive a basket of shrimp and vegetable tempura as well.) To eat your sōmen, catch a bundle as they float by, and put them in your little bowl. Dunk each bite in the sauce first, then eat. You can eat as many noodles as you like until your sauce runs out.
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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Last Tea Bowl Thief was chosen as an Editor’s Pick for Best Mystery, Thriller & Suspense on Amazon
“A fascinating mix of history and mystery.” —Booklist
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Jonelle Patrick writes novels set in Japan, produces the monthly e-magazine Japanagram, and blogs at Only In Japan and The Tokyo Guide I Wish I’d Had
Jonelle Patrick writes about Japan 