Soumen – The Best Summer Food In Japan

I had the opportunity to go back to Japan this summer. Since I hadn't been back during the summer for a long time, the heat and the humidity was a little bit too much for me sometimes. When I go back to Japan, I always enjoy special foods that I haven't had in a while, but this time the best food that I tasted was the very basic dish of soumen (thin wheat flour noodles).

It is mainly a home cooked meal, usually served cold with dipping sauce and toppings such as green onion, grated ginger, myouga, shiso leaves, etc. It is a simple dish, but it is such a refreshing meal on a hot day. Do you have any favorite foods to beat the heat?

Japanese Translation

????

?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

Romaji Translation

Kotoshi no natsu, nihon ni kaeru kikai ga arimashita. Natsu niwa nagai aida kaette inakatta node, sono mushiatsusa niwa kanari kotaemashita. Nihon ni kaereba itsumo, fudan taberu koto no dekinai tabemono o are mo kore mo to tanoshinde taberu no desu ga, konkai totemo oishiku kanjita nowa dochirakato ieba heibonna soumen deshita. Soumen wa katei ryouri de ari, ippantekini hiyashita mono o, tsuyu ni tsukete negi, shouga, myouga, shiso nado no yakumi to tomo ni tabemasu.

Kantanna shokuji dewa arimasu ga, atsui hi ni wa totemo sappari sasete kuremasu. Minasan wa atsui toki ni, tabetakunaru tabemono wa, arimasu ka.

Note: The translation is not always literal.

Beginner's Phrases

I had the opportunity to go back to Japan this summer.

• Kotoshi no natsu, nihon ni kaeru kikai ga arimashita.
• ?????????????????? ??????
• ???????????????????