I'm going to boil every single pack of somen at the supermarket and have the best summer ever.

It's summer! It's time! It's somen!

Early summer is the season for somen.
I love somen.
Somen is great. Truly great.

I mean, just imagine it.

Cicadas buzzing,
buzzing, buzzing, buzzing...

Summer vacation. In the sweltering heat, lunch time is closing in. While my body feels like it's melting in the extreme heat, the minute hand ticks away with perfect precision... Tick-tock, tick-tock. Ah, the morning disappears like magic... I feel like I'm going to fade away before the evening cicadas even start...
Everything is just too much effort!

However!

Even when you're feeling that sluggish, a quick boil brings instant coolness. And with a boiling time of about two minutes—one of the fastest in the noodle world—it's incredibly speedy.

Coolness arrives at breakneck speed!
Faster than same-day delivery! It's here in an instant!
It's a savior!
Order up, coming right out!

Coming right up!

Once you've boiled it and rinsed it under running water, it's done. Just lift a handful of those glistening noodles and dunk them into some store-bought dipping sauce. If you float a few ice cubes in there, you're already in heaven.

Somen boasts an ease of eating that has accompanied humanity through evolution right after oranges and bananas, and an accessibility to the dining table that rivals Tokyo, Shinjuku, and Shibuya. It's truly divine service...!!

And somen isn't just about speed. It has the flexibility to be customized to your own favorite taste and the depth to accommodate any level of obsession. Refreshing is good, but sometimes a rich sesame sauce is nice too.

Boiling time, dipping sauce, condiments. The possibilities for flavor variation are infinite. You can have it firm or soft as you like. Bonito, kelp, green onions, Japanese ginger, ginger. The more you chop, the happier you get. It's delicious. Long live the arrangements.

Man, somen is amazing! It's truly a divine design that's easy to start but has so much depth... Amazing. Is this a Nintendo game? The wisdom packed into those thin strands. Is it supreme or ultimate???

In June 2025, with heatwave forecasts already appearing, I headed to the local supermarket, eager to stock up on somen for the year. With these high prices and rice being so expensive this year, I'll probably be relying on it quite a bit. I'm counting on you, savior...!!

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Suddenly, I find myself standing in front of the dried noodle shelf, holding my usual somen.

Isn't there a lot? No, wait, there really is a lot.

Looking at it again, I never realized there were so many types of somen. With soba, it's easy to tell by the buckwheat ratio, and with udon, it's easy to tell by the thickness. But what's the difference with somen? They all look pretty much the same to me...!

...I see.
I don't know anything about somen at all.

Thump.
This... I have to do this.
I must do it!

Seeking the ultimate is human nature. With the mindset of an elementary schooler, before I knew it, I was filling my basket with piles of somen. What are you doing?!

🍧

🎐

🍉

🎆

So, I bought a ton of somen at the local supermarket, boiled it all, ate it while discussing this and that, and set out to find the best partner for the ultimate summer!!!

Everyone, are your bowls ready?

The Somen Slurping Summer Battle!!
Let the battle begin!!!

Entry No. 1 Ibonoito

Our first batter is the "Ibonoito" from the Hyogo Prefecture Tenobe Somen Cooperative Association

A classic among classics! The only things that get the prefix "after all" are Lotte's Toppo and Ibonoito!!
Let's start this summer with Ibonoito, which you can surely find at any supermarket. My heart races when I untie that familiar red band...
If you start with the standard, you'll surely start to see the differences...!!

By the way, to keep things fair, I'll be using this one, the number one seller nationwide, for the dipping sauce!

Once you quickly boil a bundle, it's time to eat.

Slurp! Slurrrrrp!!!

Now, for everyone's thoughts...

And what about that person...?

Yuzan:

The classic royal road is delicious after all!
And what will happen to the second son who won't eat...!?

I'm going to keep boiling them like this!

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Entry No. 2: Ibonoito Special Grade

The second contender is Kabushiki Kaisha Mando's"Ibonoito Special Grade"

A sense of luxury different from the Superior Grade (red band) I always see. It seems they use higher quality flour, and it can only be made by skilled manufacturers selected by the association. Wow...!!

The special grade (black label) is basically meant for gifts, but you can sometimes find it sold individually at high-end supermarkets. This time, I got it at Seijo Ishii (the leader of high-end supermarkets in the Kanto area). So happy! I've been wanting to try this...!!

The boiling time and such are the same as the superior grade.
Time to taste it!

Yuzan:

It seems that for Ibonoito, there is something even higher than the special grade, called 'Sangami,' which only a few carefully selected manufacturers are allowed to produce. What is that, a monster of potential??? (I want to eat it someday)

The second son didn't eat it, but he got close to the color and aroma! Summer is just around the corner!!

Now, let's boil the next one!

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Entry No. 3 Ajisuzumi Somen

The third contender is Shigeno Seimen Co., Ltd.'s'Ajisuzumi Somen'

Th-this is...!

N🤌o🤌s🤌t🤌a✋l🤌g🤌i🤌c

Nostalgic!🙏

Haa~~~...!!!
It summoned such nostalgia that I couldn't help but do a Takigawa Christel. This pink and green nostalgic coloring! It's that one everyone knows!!

That's the stuff I ate at Grandpa's house that summer... Even for those who have never had it, the colors are enough to make you look back—it's truly the color of summer. It makes you want to squeeze the brakes all the way down this long, long slope! This is it!!

These noodles are a bit thicker compared to Ibonoito. They also feel quite heavy and dense when boiled.

Now, what will happen?!

Yuzan:

Food culture might seem like a big thing, but it's really just the accumulation of delicious and fun moments every day. Whoever added pink and green to somen is a genius!

And now, the second son finally eats the somen!The second son likes pink thingsbut it really goes to show that color on the dining table is important...!!

At this rate, let's keep going with the next one!

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Entry No. 4 Miwa no Kamito

Next up is Marukatsu Takada Shoten Co., Ltd.'s"Tenobe Somen Miwa no Kamito"

There are three major somen varieties in Japan. Banshu somen from Hyogo Prefecture, represented by Ibonoito. And this is Miwa somen from Nara Prefecture. It has a slightly deeper color, and it's already thin before even boiling...!!

This is probably my first time eating them intentionally, so I'm excited!! How will they taste!?

Off to Nara Prefecture!

Yuzan:

Just like thin threads unraveling, Miwa somen unravels history too! It's thin, but it still has that perfect slurpiness, it's exactly what you want when you're craving somen...

This is what summer is all about...!!
Miwa somen, you are formidable...!!

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Entry No. 5: Hozukuri Shirakinu no Ito

The fifth entry is Tanigami Seimen Co., Ltd.'s “Hozukuri Shirakinu no Ito”

Banshu somen once again!
The gorgeous packaging with the rising dragon is cool, and the name “Shirakinu no Ito” (White Silk Thread) is just too cool. It’s a smooth-sounding name you just want to say over and over, isn't it...!!

When boiled, it's incredibly thin yet remarkably fresh. Maybe because of that thinness, its water retention was amazing too!!

What is its true potential...!??

Yuzan:

Somen is all about how it feels going down your throat, so whether it slides down easily is super important.

The delicacy of Shirakinu no Ito that cuts right through the middle is the best. I want to chop green onions and myoga ginger right now!! Condiments, please!!

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Entry No. 6: Hand-stretched Handamen

Next, for a change of pace, we have Ono Seimen Co., Ltd.'s 'Awa Specialty Hand-stretched Handamen'

Just looking at it, you know...
Isn't this udon?

A shock to the somen world, which has been emphasizing thinness! The contrarian Handamen! I can't even imagine what this is like...

Oh well, here goes!
Let's eat!! Here we go!!!

Yuzan:

I mean,Soudon!
It's soudon, this is it!!

It's certainly thick, but the texture is clearly different from both udon and hiyamugi. This is something new~~~! But when you slurp a mouthful, it's definitely somen... What is this! I'm so frustrated I haven't eaten this until now...!!

Somen, I didn't know there was still a world like this...
It's so deep...!!

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Entry No. 7: Shodoshima Hand-stretched Somen

The last one is Sanuki Bussan Co., Ltd.'s Shodoshima Hand-Stretched Somen

The last of the three great Japanese somen. Banshu somen, Miwa somen, and Shodoshima somen.

As the name suggests, these are somen made on Shodoshima Island. A unique aroma rises as soon as you boil them, and they already look delicious... Mmm, it's so appetizing!!!

After a quick rinse in cold water, the color turns a bit golden!
I can't wait any longer! Let's eat!!

Yuzan:

Shodoshima somen lets you taste the local climate in every single noodle. The texture and flavor are both unique, and it was so yummy... I'm not Yuzan, but I want to eat this in hot broth too!

Now, the seven somen have finally arrived.

That's it for the boiling!
I'm so full!!!

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The best summer has arrived for each of them! ...I wonder what everyone's favorite will be...!?

After finishing all the entries, we rub our completely full bellies and decide on each of our best summer partners.

Before doing this, I wondered, "Will I really be able to tell the difference between somen?" but after comparing them, I was surprised to find that each had its own unique characteristics! It was so much fun!!

Now, for everyone's number one...
Here they are all at once!

Ibonoito (Noyagi & Shiho-san)!!

Handa-men (Eldest son)!!

Ajisuzumi Somen (Second son)!!

Ibonoito Tokkyuhin (Yuzan Kaibara)!!

The choice of the Noyagi and Shiho-san couple was Ibonoito.
I hadn't noticed it before, but when comparing them, I was struck by its surprisingly solid saltiness and its versatility, which allows it to be enjoyed in any variation. At the end of the day, the Ibonoito we're used to eating is the best!

The eldest son chose Handa-men.
"It's thick, has elasticity, and a good bite. It's satisfying to eat, and it was the best one out of all the ones we compared!" he commented. He seemed to like it so much that he ended up eating almost the entire bundle we boiled!
Shiho-san also said she absolutely loved the taste of Handa-men, but it narrowly missed the top spot because, "It's not quite what I think of when I want to eat somen! Plus, it takes 5 minutes to boil!"

The second son chose Ajisuzumi Somen.
As he said, "It was pink! It was the best because it was pink!", the deciding factor was that food is also enjoyed with the eyes. Eating happily is the best, right!
And after trying so many somen, it turned out that the second son doesn't actually dislike somen, but rather he's not a fan of the somen dipping sauce...
Seriously! I guess somen sauce does have a bit of a sharper taste than others... He says he'll eat it next time if we use a different sauce! Awesome!!

And now, Yuzan...

We praised each other's number one choices and toasted to our hard work while slurping up the remaining noodles. By that time, summer had truly arrived.

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🎐

🍉

🎆

As expected, somen...🥁

Is the best!!!!!!

Somen is amazing. It's so profound.

It's so easy to eat, and yet it has so much variety. And those noodle strands are packed with local culture and history. Good grief... It's a monster of diversity.

Our guest, Yuzan, seemed very satisfied too!

Somen is loved by everyone, young and old.

Somen is incredible!

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Conclusion

Somen is perfect for summer.
After trying them all, I love somen even more. Each one has its own unique flavor, texture, and production method, and they were all delicious and amazing. They're all different and all delicious! So much fun!

This time, I kept it simple with just cold somen dipping sauce, but I still want to try condiments and hot broth, and there are plenty ofアレンジ recipes if there are leftovers. Somen is the embodiment of possibility. It's truly a universe...

Summer is coming, boil some somen and face it head-on!

I want to keep eating all kinds of somen this year without letting the heat get to me. Great for preventing summer fatigue, somen is delicious! If you have a favorite noodle, please, please let me know!

All the somen I introduced were delicious, so if you see them at the supermarket, please try comparing them!!!

See you later!

The end.

Bonus