In the Fujieda and Yaizu area of Shizuoka there is a local ramen style called Shida-kei. The defining feature, apparently, is eating a hot ramen and a cold ramen at the same time, first thing in the morning. I have been into local ramen styles lately, so once I heard about this I could not just sit still.

On the way to Fujieda

Turns out it is over an hour on the train. Getting around in Japan just takes so long.

You can see some factories too.

And tea fields as well. Most of the neighborhoods looked pretty worn down, though.

Chuka Soba Matoi

This area has long been famous even within Japan for its drinking tea, so a market used to open nearby first thing in the morning. That is how the culture of the merchants working the market eating a solid breakfast came about. From what I found searching around, Chuka Soba Matoi is one of the tastiest of the bunch..

The menu

Water is self-service, and they are closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. I played it safe and ordered the set with the hot ramen and the cold ramen.

The hot ramen

A traditional shoyu ramen with a strong soy sauce flavor.

The noodles

The noodles have a fairly firm spring to them, and the style reminded me of the morning ramen I had in Yokohama. It is the kind of taste that is just right for a light bowl.

The cold ramen

The cold ramen tasted clean and light like soba, which is probably why the wasabi suited it so well. That said, it did make me think you might as well just eat soba.

The noodles

These had a nice bite as well.

Alternating between the rich hot bowl and the refreshing cold one actually balances out rather nicely. At first I thought it was a bit of a perverse idea, but each has its own appeal, so I can see why some people would want both at once. As the opening batter of my Shizuoka local ramen exploration, it was a big success.

Inside

Simple.

The vending machines

There are a lot of places with frozen vending machines these days. Probably a knock-on effect of covid, but they are an easy way to grab a bite, so I am all for it.

From a distance

I think one of Japan’s strengths is that there are plenty of places worth eating at even out in the provinces.

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