Created & Produced by: John Daub

ONLY in JAPAN

Ah, a steaming bowl of UDON noodles.

These thick wheat noodles comes in so many varieties!

It's a great meal any time of the day, and in Japan it's so popular that you'll find it everywhere.

In the super market, next to the instant Ramen,

you've also got UDON.

Here's a cup UDON

The noodles are a little thicker, and the soup different than Ramen

UDON can be bought frozen

or fresh, in the refrigerated area, next to the Tofu

there are so many styles to choose from!

Everyone has their own preference.

But where does the best UDON comes from?

Let's take a trip to the UDON country.

The best UDON comes from SHIKOKU island

in a prefecture on the North: KAGAWA

Here lies the SANUKI region where some of the country's best wheat is grown.

The capital city is TAKAMATSU

and you can't dismiss their love for noodles

You are greeted by them, right at the airport!

My first stop is in ZENTSUJI CITY, famous for the square watermelon...

and this place which makes handmade noodles, fresh, every day.

MIYAGAWA SEIMENSHO

Starting at the crack of dawn,

the wheat, water and salt are mixed and rolled.

UDON Ingredients: wheat, water, salt

MIYAGAWA has been making the UDON for decades

The thickness of the noodles is ruled by instinct. (Udon thickness 4 to 6 mm)

It's then cut...

...the machines do it fast...

...every noodle even.

You can see that is cut thick.

It's floured again, so it doesn't stick and then stored.

Or boiled right away, depending on demand.

The store only closes, when all the noodles are sold out.

Now it's time to try a bowl for breakfast, on a hot summer day.

It's all self-served, which is the system all throughout KAGAWA

Grab a big one, for more noodles, if you're hungry

....take it to the kitchen...

where you'll get a healthy serving of fresh UDON directly from the Chef

We're not done, yet.

You can warm them up, if you like.

This helps to bring up the flavors of the noodles.

Put the noodles in there. For 5 seconds.

Do like this --- and for 5 seconds.

1 - 2

3

4

5 seconds!

Soup!

Now the soup:

Udon soup it's fish based and salty

MIYAGAWA has a big cauldron. So, help yourself.

All right...

There really is fish in there!

What is dashi?

Fish soup stock made from KOMBU (sea kelp), KATSUOBUSHI (dried skipjack Tuna). It is the base for miso soup and takoyaki sauce!

And add some fish, too.

Let's take a few.

MIYAGAWA UDON DASHI has IDIKO, or sardines.

Wow!

Take as many as you like.

or just a few.

Ok, now soup CHECK!

Ok.

Right! First try the UDON a little like this.

Then you can add tempura.

Yes!

Now that you got a bowl of basic UDON and soup,

grab a seat.

So she told me that first, I should try to drink it...

and...

if you want more flavor, go back, and get the toppings that you want

That make sense!

That make sense...

Salty!...

Salty.

You can taste the DASHI, the fish soup.

And a little bit of the noodles...

the weed and that...

Yeah, it needs more

Ok, one fried tofu.

Put it on like this, right?

We're back, the next part is a lot of fun.

Then perhaps a half boiled egg.

Picking your favorite TEMPURA.

But the most popular is "chikuwa".

CHIKUWA?

It's not an easy decision.

Ah, but that half boiled egg looks so darn good!

It's really good!

Ahhhhhhh!

You really are lost, aren't you?

Ahhh, should I go for the

half boiled egg

or the CHIKUWA

which is the deep fried

fish... fish stick

Yeah!

Well, let's go with the half boiled egg this time.

Tomorrow, I'll go for the chikuwa.

Yes.

So, when do I pay?

Pay after eating.

Perfect!

Thank you very much!

With a little NEGI

It looks like a full sized meal now.

Look at that half boiled egg!

I'll get to that soon.

This place is great, you just walk in, you pick the bowl that you want

based on the size, how many noodle helpings

one, two or three...

You go to the cauldron,

where he's got all the noodles freshly made,

he puts it in there,

you decide if you want hot or cold,

by boiling it yourself,

then you pick your own toppings

Just like, twenty of them!

And then you eat it in a place like this

and the price is very affordable.

This is like UDON paradise.

But how about the taste???

Only one way to find out!

Many people have told me that the noodles are firmer than in Tokyo.

Yeah...

Compared to Tokyo, the noodles are a little bit...umm...harder.

More rubbery.

Which is goooood!

Very good!

UDON is much thicker than the Ramen noodles

usually cut 4 to 6 mm thick.

While Ramen noodles are yellowish in color from

other ingredients, like eggs.

UDON is simple wheat flour, salt and water.

The soup or broth, well that's a different story.

It's DASHI: fish based, but of course, here lies each soup's secret

The taste must match the noodles.

Eh, it's fish!

But wait! I hope you haven't forgot about Hanjuku Tempura Tamago

That half boiled egg is all mine!

Soft and delicious.

Is something just really so good about Hanjuku Tamago - half boiled eggs

The shop is almost always packed with locals who know about the secret location

at lunchtime, the line goes out the door

People devouring their bowls

Sometimes in less than three minutes

The fun is taking what you want

and constructing your own perfect bowl of UDON

When the tables and chairs are full

Eaters head to the benches outside

get there early and have your own table.

You have to find your own spot to sit.

It's first come, first served

Miyagawa-san is constantly hard, at work

But she took a few minutes to sit with me

to talk about her delicious UDON noodles

How many years have you been working at this shop?

This shop? 40 years.

40 years!

Wow!

You're making udon every day?

Yes, every day.

Why is Miyagawa Udon so delicious?

The water is pure here and...

the shop's old lady is a real beauty!

That's right! Beautiful!

The water and...

well, the wheat is pretty much the same everywhere...

The water and...

and because of love!

You put love into it.

That's right! LOVE!LOVE!

So that's Zentsuji or Sanuki's way...

Right.

Sanuki Udon has a lot of love in it.

HOW TO EAT UDON PROPERLY

You're doing it wrong!

Is the way to eat Udon like Ramen?

No. You taste Udon with your throat.

It's not that we don't bite it.

people in Kagawa do not bite or chew so much.

We don't eat it one by one slowly, but

we just let it through our throats.

(Drink it)

It's really like that! Customers eat so fast!

And then they leave fast.

So fast! "One stop traffic light!"

(Eat within one traffic light cycle)

From when a light turns green,

you make, eat, pay and leave!

"Single One!" (One Traffic Light)

So the customers are lining up outside, but

there's always a seat opening up inside.

That's right!

Not making the customers wait

is my husband's policy - or motto.

So things move fast.

A lot of the success of the Udon is the speed of the turn over

in which the customers come,

eat,

leave

and they are always coming.

Why is udon so popular?

For people of Kagawa, they can eat

all meals with udon.

Even for an appetizer and dessert!

That is how much we like udon.

Wait! So you eat udon everyday?

Yes. Every day.

Wow! Breakfast, lunch and dinner, too?

Maybe not dinner, but at least once a day.

What does Udon mean to you?

Udon?

I don't know how much longer I can do this work

but as long as I can

I will protect what my husband's parents have made.

That is what I have done and I will continue doing so.

So now your family is...

That's right. Is a family business.

We don't know if our daughter will take over

but she has seen us work like I saw my parents

So I hope she will understand

even if we don't tell her.

I'm going to protect that tradition.

So the recipe hasn't changed in a long time...

That's right!

The same recipe.

So people come here after 30 years and say,

"Oh, this is the taste I wanted."

That is what I like to hear.

A simple food like Udon, always has a great history

and Miyagawa-san's udon goes back generations.

A few towns away is UDON IPPUKU

Ranked number one by many Japanese food websites

I came here to find out what makes it so popular

This self-served udon shop is simple to figure out

Grab a tray

Decide what type of Udon you want

hot or cold

and the size you want

Tell the cook your udon order

and it will come fresh to you

This machine dries and adds air to the noodles enhancing its taste

Add some soup and.... voilà!

While you wait for the noodles

you have time to decide

which delicious TEMPURA you want

Here it's always coming hot from the fryer

Lunch usually costs less than 500 ¥

A bowl starting under 200 ¥

At peak hours finding a seat can be hard

But people leave fast and a spot always opens up

There it is BUKKAKE UDON

Served cold

My two choices for Tempura: Chikuwa and Onion & Wiener

Udon in this area is firm and springy

Mochi like, but also rubbery

It will fill you up, for sure!

HOT & COLD: KAKE Udon ~ HOT BUKKAKE Udon ~ COLD

IPPUKU had some flakes of seaweed into the batter

Adding a nice touch to their TEMPURA

This onion and mini hot dog tempura is a store speciality