Behind the Counter at a Japanese Master's Handcrafted Soba Restaurant in Asakusa

Today I’m taking you behind the counter in Japan at Tanso An Kenjiro, a handcrafted soba restaurant hidden in the backstreets of Asakusa. For the past 18 years, this local Japanese restaurant has been serving handmade soba, seasonal dishes, and carefully selected sake, earning a loyal following among neighborhood regulars and visitors exploring Tokyo. This Japan food documentary follows Ken san, who once studied English in California and worked in the sports industry before discovering his passion for Japanese cuisine at the age of 30. He apprenticed at several renowned soba restaurants, as well as establishments specializing in oden, Okinawan food, and traditional Japanese cuisine, experiences that continue to shape his menu today. The shop offers two styles of soba: Inaka and Seiro. Inaka soba uses the outer layers of buckwheat, giving it a darker color and rustic flavor, while Seiro soba is made from the inner grain, creating a lighter and more refined noodle. Small changes in temperature, humidity, and quality of the ingredients can dramatically affect the final product, which is why mastering soba takes years. The shop also embraces the tradition of sobamae, where guests enjoy small dishes and sake before their noodles, a practice dating back to the Edo period and still cherished in Japan today.

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