Have you heard of Kawara Soba, a gourmet dish that originated in Shimonoseki City, Yamaguchi Prefecture?

This dish consists of brown buckwheat noodles and ingredients on a hot kawara tile, dipped in warm dipping sauce. There is a café in the mountains of Okazaki City that serves kawara soba, which is rarely available even in Aichi Prefecture.

I will provide you with the appeal of kawara soba, the inspiration for setting up the restaurant, and its attractions.

​Shiga Shokudo is a restaurant located in the mountains of Okazaki City, which is rich in nature, about 7 minutes by car from the Tomei Expressway Okazaki IC. Look for the white building and the cute signboard.

This is a popular shop that has lines forming even before it opens, and many fans from inside and outside the prefecture visit here.

Wanted to create a restaurant that is loved by everyone.

The owner, Yukari Shiga, opened Shiga Shokudo in 2016. Originally from Shimonoseki City, Yamaguchi Prefecture, she moved to Okazaki City after getting married.

Shiga's hometown, Shimonoseki

– Please tell us how you decided to open the restaurant.

Ms. Shiga: "I was born and raised in Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture, where my mother ran a small inn when I was a child. Shimonoseki is at the edge of Honshu. It was the gateway for people traveling to Kyushu and coming to Honshu, and small inns dotted the area.

However, with the arrival of the Shinkansen and the flow of the times, the ryokan closed down. My mother, who loved cooking, opened a Hiroshima-yaki restaurant about 26 years ago. I also like cooking and making sweets, so I often helped out at the shop. After that, I came to Okazaki when getting married. ”

– Seeing your mother, you started to think, “I want to open a shop.”

Ms. Shiga: "That's right. I couldn't stop thinking about my mother's wonderful customer service and the fun conversations she had with her customers even though she was busy. I always admired her."

A big cherry tree in front of the shop

Ms. Shiga: "Even when I reach my mother's age, I still want to do what I want to do for a living. I thought about what kind of store I could do, and decided to create my own store.

In 2014, I wanted to open a café that serves Hiroshima okonomiyaki and coffee, but I didn't have much experience running a restaurant myself, so I gave up. I was enthusiastic thinking 'I will open a shop in 2 years!' and gained experience working at various restaurants. ”

Encounter with Kawara Soba.

– At first, you were considering opening a Hiroshima okonomiyaki restaurant.

Mr. Shiga: "I had seen up close that my parents had changed their business to running a restaurant, so I knew that it was not easy to get customers. Also, this place is not very conveniently located in the mountains of Okazaki. When I ask myself, 'What do you need to go out of your way to visit here?', I thought it would be difficult without a specialty that makes me want to go there someday. ”

Ms. Shiga: "That's when I thought of kawara soba, a specialty of Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture. It is a dish that has been popular in my hometown for a long time, but I thought that there might not be any restaurants in Okazaki and Aichi prefecture. I decided that the only specialty that would make people come all the way to Okazaki to try it was kawara soba. I decided to open my dream restaurant in 2016, featuring KAWARA-SOBA and Hiroshima okonomiyaki as my specialty."

– What exactly is Kawara Soba?

Shiga: "This is a local dish from Kawatana, Toyoura-cho, Shimonoseki City, Yamaguchi Prefecture. It is a dish of hot kawara tile topped with cha-soba, egg, and meat, and eaten dipped in warm dipping sauce. It is often sold in supermarkets in Yamaguchi Prefecture, and is a gourmet dish loved by the locals. It is one of my very favorite dishes."