Fresh Somen Noodles at Nakabuan on Shodoshima Island: Worth Every Bite

Day 2 on Shodoshima — Lunch at the Place My Wife Had Been Talking About

On the second day of our Shodoshima trip, we headed out for lunch at Nakabuan (手延べ素麺 なかぶ庵), a specialty shop known for its fresh, hand-stretched somen noodles.

My wife usually does the research for meals and stops on our trips, and this was one she’d been genuinely excited about. She kept saying, “We have to go — they make fresh somen and it’s supposed to be amazing.” So it was already on the top of the list before we even arrived on the island.

But I had my own reason for looking forward to it too: Elmo loves somen.

Whenever we make somen at home — these thin Japanese wheat noodles, usually eaten cold in summer — we give him a little, and he goes absolutely nuts for it. So naturally, I was curious. If he goes that crazy for regular dried somen, what’s he going to do when he tries the fresh stuff from a famous shop?

What Is Nakabuan?

Nakabuan is a somen specialist located in the Yasuda area of Shodoshima Island. Shodoshima has a long history of producing hand-stretched somen (called “tenbé somen” in the local tradition), and Nakabuan has become well-known as one of the few places where you can eat it fresh — meaning the noodles go straight from the making process to your bowl, without being dried first.

Most somen you find in stores is dried before packaging, which is how it keeps its long shelf life. But fresh somen is a completely different experience — chewier, springier, with a satisfying bite that dried noodles just can’t replicate. They also make an olive oil somen, which is a nod to Shodoshima’s other claim to fame: it’s one of Japan’s main olive-producing regions. Very much a local specialty.

You can also pick up packaged somen to take home, so a lot of visitors stop in at the end of their trip to grab souvenirs.

Access & Basic Info

So This Is Fresh Somen — The Texture Is on Another Level

We went on a weekday, and I figured parking wouldn’t be a big deal. I was wrong. The lot is small, and we ended up circling around a few times before we could get in.

Nakabuan is reservation-only, which we knew — but apparently a lot of people show up without one and try their luck anyway, which adds to the parking chaos. Even with a reservation, we felt a little rushed just trying to get parked, so I’d strongly recommend giving yourself more time than you think you need to get there.

Once we were seated, Elmo immediately started doing laps under the table, sniffing around for anything that might have fallen. The noodles hadn’t even arrived yet and he was already in full scavenger mode.

We ordered the classic fresh somen.

The moment the bowl landed on the table, I could already tell it was different. The noodles looked different from dried somen — and eating them with the condiments on the side, the chew and springiness were really something. It was genuinely delicious in a way I didn’t fully expect.

I gave Elmo a few strands as we ate, and he devoured them exactly as enthusiastically as I’d hoped. Watching him go that happy over noodles genuinely made me smile.

I really wanted to get a photo of him eating, but honestly — he was so cute doing it that I completely forgot to take one. Just stood there watching him instead.

After lunch, we browsed the shop’s souvenir section. My wife and her mom ended up buying quite a bit of packaged somen to bring home. Looking forward to eating it.

What We Liked & What to Watch Out For

What We Liked

The fresh somen really is in a different league from the dried kind. The balance of chewiness and that soft, springy texture — it genuinely made me think, “okay, I get why people make the trip for this.” My wife had been hyping it up, and she was completely right.

Being able to buy packaged somen right there after eating is also a nice touch. You can try it first, fall in love with a particular variety, and take some home on the spot.

What to Watch Out For

The parking situation is tighter than you’d expect, even on weekdays. Don’t assume that having a reservation means you’ll glide right in — build in some extra time. On weekends it’s probably even more hectic, so I’d aim to arrive noticeably before your reservation time just to be safe.

Wrapping Up

Out of everything we ate on the Shodoshima trip, the fresh somen at Nakabuan was the meal that stuck with me most. I’ve never really thought of somen as a “special” food before — it’s just something you eat on hot days. But trying it fresh completely changed my perspective. It’s a genuinely different experience.

My wife and her mom loaded up on souvenirs, Elmo got his share of noodles, and all of us left happy. If you’re visiting Shodoshima, just make sure you book ahead — and then definitely make time for this place.