Shimane

When you think of Shimane, you think of Izumo Soba!
I recommend the three-tiered wariko style. Start by eating the top layer with salt or dipping sauce, then pour the leftover sauce on the middle layer and add some toppings. Finally, pour the remaining sauce on the bottom layer for a third delicious serving. You get to enjoy three different flavors in one dish! A great place to try it is “Funatsu” in Matsue City.

（Madoka）

When Matsudaira Naomasa, the grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu, was assigned to the Matsue Domain from Shinshu, he brought a soba chef with him. This is said to be the beginning of Izumo Soba. A typical way to enjoy it is with “Wariko Soba.” For a place to try it, I recommend “Kizuki,” which is close to Izumo Taisha.

（Asitaka）

Whenever I go back to my mom's hometown, I definitely eat soba. My grandfather would always order “wariko.” His favorite was “Tamaki,” while my dad preferred “Hane-ya.” I like “Ippuku,” which is located in the airport. First, I pour the dipping sauce on the top tier, and after finishing it, I pour the leftover sauce onto the second tier, adding some condiments to enjoy it again. I repeat this until I’ve had all three tiers. Personally, I like tororo more than wariko. (Laughs)

（Shuuka）

I was born in Matsue city, Shimane prefecture, and lived there until I was four. Wariko soba is served in small bowls, with about a third of a regular serving of soba noodles, which you pour sauce over to eat. Since I was used to eating wariko soba, I have a memory of causing a bit of trouble at a soba restaurant in Hiroshima after moving there when I was four, because I poured the sauce directly over the zaru.

（Hana）

In Izumo, wariko soba is super popular, but now that I'm older, I’ve totally fallen for kama-age soba! This dish is all about freshly boiled soba served right in a bowl with the hot water. You can toss in some condiments and warm dipping broth if you want. When I hit up my favorite restaurant, I like to go after the lunch rush has calmed down. That way, the hot water is just right, and I enjoy it so much that sometimes I eat it plain without any broth or toppings. It’s just too good to resist!

（Yorekuma）

The local soba uses whole grain flour called “hiki-gurumi,” which makes it a gray color with little dark specks from the buckwheat husk.
You can also find 100% buckwheat soba, known as “juwari soba,” at various places. To eat it, they boil the soba and put it in a bowl, then pour the hot water from cooking over it instead of dashi, adding some toppings. This dish is called “kama-age.”
A great place to try this is “Kochi.” If you use less soba water and mix in a raw egg, it turns into something that looks a bit like carbonara. It’s not traditional, but it tastes amazing!

（Futatuke）

Dark, thick noodles! Unlike the light white soba you find around Kanto, this soba has a bold, hearty flavor.　Wariko-style is always a great way to enjoy it, but my top recommendation is the sweet and savory duck nanban soba with its rich, flavorful broth.

（VALT Mama）

The texture is amazing! No doubt, the soba broth was incredibly delicious! It was the first time I ever found soba broth so tasty!

（Nayo）

I love kamaage soba and wariko soba. For wariko, my favorite is tororo wariko. “Ippuku” and “Hane-ya” serve up some really tasty soba!

（Ruka）

Shimane is known for its famous Izumo soba, but there’s also soba from the remote Oki Islands!
Juwari soba, made from 100% buckwheat with no flour to bind it, can break easily—but that's part of fun! Enjoy it just the way it is!

（Kotaro）

Matsue City has a lot of restaurants that serve oden on their menus. Inspired by this, the unique dish called “odon” was created. It features udon noodles in a bowl topped with a mix of oden ingredients, all soaked in a soy sauce-based oden broth. It’s super warm, especially during the cold season ! The oden ingredients include typical ones like daikon, eggs, and fish cakes, but what makes it special is the addition of shungiku and seri.

（Futatsuike）

When you think of Shimane, you might think of the famous Izumo soba, but I highly recommend the soba from Sanbe in Oda City, home to the world’s most uninteresting World Heritage Site. The more you chew, the more flavor you discover in these rich, dark noodles. Following my mother's advice that “crossing a big river changes the taste of food,” we enjoy Sanbe soba for New Year's Eve and gift Izumo soba as souvenirs.

（Umichan）