Owner-chef Yoshio Hashimoto is charmed by the native cultivar harvested in regions bursting with rustic beauty. He chooses the most aromatic buckwheat and uses it to make his own soba until his stock runs out; he then relies on other regions as he waits for the next harvest. Nihachi, juwari and arabiki (coarse-ground) styles of noodle are on offer, with their different textures. ‘Arabompu’ means ‘free and ordinary’, reflecting the spirit of someone who tackles soba unpretentiously.