Shintomicho is a neighborhood roughly halfway between Ginza and Tsukiji, and by its very nature it’s packed with countless bars and great places to eat. Yuzukamiya is the soba shop the locals rave about – and if it’s well regarded around Ginza, that basically means it’s top level nationwide – and since it isn’t expensive either, it’s very popular. That said, it’s such a tiny place that you can’t even book for four or more, and they don’t put much effort into promotion, so it’s not very well known to anyone who doesn’t live in the area.
The exterior
As you can see, there’s no sign anywhere. -_-;; It sits right in the middle of a residential area, so unless you know exactly where it is, there’s no way you’ll ever find it. We got there around 3 o’clock and were told there were only two servings left, so we ordered zaru soba. I hear the hot soba is great too, so I’ll have to come back someday.
Unfortunately, photography isn’t allowed, so there are no pictures of the soba. The noodles are thin, and just looking at them makes your mouth water. The portion isn’t stingy either, and it’s 700 yen, so you could say it’s half the price of other famous soba shops. As you’d expect from a place strongly recommended by a true soba master, both the flavor and the springiness of the noodles are first class. It was the first time since the sarashina soba in Azabu-Juban that I’d had soba with such a refined taste. And at half the price ^_^ I figured that if I lived around here, I’d never need to make the trip to Azabu-Juban just for soba.
It’s a bit of a particular place, but the owner clearly has the will to protect the flavor, and it isn’t expensive, so I thought I should drop by as often as I get the chance. It also drove home that you can’t find great places from guidebooks – you really need help from locals to find the proper ones. My deep thanks to the master who helped me out on this trip. I hope I get another chance to visit somewhere wonderful soon.