Soba Udon

Soba is made by processing buckwheat into noodles. It has been around for a long time and is considered as one of the representative foods of Japan. Soba was introduced to the country even before the Nara era (710-794). It was made in various temples in many regions and served during tea ceremonies. Later on, from the mid-Edo era (1603-1867), it quickly became popular in Edo (present-day Tokyo) and the neighboring areas.
Soba is considered to be a type of food that lets you enjoy its scent as well as how the noodles seem to slide down your throat. To eat Soba, you can either dip the noodles in cold Soba-tsuyu (sauce made of broth with soy sauce and Mirin) or have them served in hot broth. Soba typically is served as "Zaru Soba" or "Kake Soba". In Japan, it is perfectly fine to slurp the noodles when eating. As for cold Soba, "Soba-yu" (hot water used to boil Soba) is added to the Soba-tsuyu after finishing the noodles. This can be enjoyed like a soup.
Generally, Soba noodles are made in the following way. Buckwheat flour placed in a pot is kneaded while adding water to it. Once this step is completed, the dough is placed on a flat board and rolled out thin and flat by using two rolling pins called "Makibo" and "Nobashibo". Once it is rolled out into an adequate thickness, a special type of knife is used to cut the dough into thin strips (approximately 1 to 2 millimeters wide) while steadying it with a board. This type of handmade Soba is called "Teuchi Soba" and is considered to be different from machine-made Soba noodles.
In Japan, there are many regions that claim Soba as their local specialty. Among those, Murayama region in Yamagata Prefecture and Togakushi region in Nagano Prefecture are especially known on a nationwide scale.
Flour made into noodles is called Udon. It is prepared by boiling it first and then pouring broth over it. The broth tastes different, depending on the region (i.e., Kanto region represented by Tokyo vs. Kansai region represented by Osaka). In the Kanto region, lots of soy sauce is added to the broth made of seaweed and bonito flakes whereas the broth served in the Kansai region only has a little bit of soy sauce while relying more on the taste of the broth itself made of dried sardines or seaweed.
Types of Udon vary regionally. For example, Misonikomi-Udon is the specialty of Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture while a certain kind of Udon called Hoto is the local cuisine of Yamanashi Prefecture. In recent years, Sanuki Udon of Kagawa Prefecture that is characteristic of its chewy texture has become extremely popular. Consumption of Udon is the highest in Kagawa where you can find more than 800 restaurants serving this dish. These days, Udon served with sauce made of Miso or Miso with soy sauce that comes from Fujiyoshida City, Yamanashi Prefecture is beginning to gain wide-spread attention.