Good soba at Asakusa Hirayama, Tokyo

Asakusa Hirayama in Tokyo

We always begin our first meal in Japan with soba and this Tokyo trip was no exception.

After checking into our hotel in Asakusa, we were famished and quickly made our way to Asakusa Hirayama 浅草ひら山, located quite close to the Kappabashi Kitchen Street.

We made no reservations (which is advised) as we weren’t sure on what time we would land in Tokyo.

No matter. We arrived close to noon – which was when Hirayama opened with a queue. We left our names, and were told to come back about 40 minutes later when the table is ready.

Asakusa Hirayama in Tokyo

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And we can see why. The space is small and intimate like a sushi bar – with counter seats and a few tables. We counted about 15 seats.

The counter offers a view of the kitchen – something that harkens to the chef’s experience in a Kappo kitchen.

Buckwheat soba

If you’re looking for soba and tempura that’s a bit more elevated – this is the spot.

The 100% buckwheat noodles soba here are made in-house with unpolished buckwheat seeds – resulting in a lovely al-dente texture with earthy notes.

The dipping sauce is top-notched – rich but not cloying, light but not diluted, with enough notes of umami from the soy sauce and dashi. It’s good enough to slowly sip on its own, and enjoyable when added with soba-yu at the end.