Noodles Eaten by Flowing on Bamboo: Japan's 'Nagashi Somen'... Reporter Made It [Sunday Japan Culture]

Originated from noodles cooled in a valley
Also holds the longest and fastest Guinness records

Summer has arrived before we knew it. It feels like just yesterday we were hoping for summer to come quickly during the cold weather, and now it seems we are about to face the scorching heat.

You may have seen 'Nagashi Somen' in Japanese animations or dramas around this time of year, where somen noodles are floated down bamboo water channels and picked up with chopsticks to eat. It looks fun to gather in groups, catching the noodles with chopsticks, and even when you miss, everyone laughs together.

Did you know that Nagashi Somen actually originated from journalists at news agencies?

Today, we bring you a story about the inventive journalists who came up with this fresh idea, Nagashi Somen.

Nagashi Somen literally means noodles eaten by letting them flow. The word combines the character '流' (to flow) with 'somen' noodles. There are various theories about its origin, but the most credible one is that it was developed by journalists. Water is run through a bamboo or similar water channel, and somen noodles are floated along it. Diners catch the noodles with chopsticks and dip them in chilled dipping sauce to eat.

Back in Showa 30 (1955), there were resident reporters stationed in Takachiho Town, Miyazaki Prefecture. It is likely that, as now, there was a night duty system to handle incidents occurring overnight. The noodles eaten as a late-night snack during hot summer night shifts are said to be the origin. The journalists boiled the noodles, placed them in bamboo split in half, and washed them in valley water before eating. They wrote about this experience in an article, which was read by a local restaurant owner who then came up with the idea to create the current style. This gained great popularity and spread nationwide.

While the typical style involves noodles flowing from top to bottom, there is also a method where the water flows in a rotating donut shape. This is said to have originated in Kagoshima Prefecture, and the inventor even registered a trademark in 1970 under the name 'Rotating Somen Dispenser.'

In Japan, it is usually a nostalgic event for families to gather at a grandmother’s rural home and eat somen together in the garden. Many households with children also own small plastic Nagashi Somen machines. It seems to be popular because it is enjoyable for several people to eat together in a cozy way.

Advertising photo of Nagashi Somen machine sold on Rakuten. (Photo by Rakuten)

There are also various Guinness World Records related to Nagashi Somen. The most recent record was set last October in Oita Prefecture. They connected over 1,000 bamboo pieces to create the world’s longest Nagashi Somen water channel at 4,031.76 meters and successfully floated somen noodles through it.

There was also a case where the shortest record was set by installing a channel on building stairs. Previously, the fastest speed for flowing somen in Japan was 14.5 km/h, similar to cycling speed. However, the World Nagashi Somen Association set a new record exceeding 30 km/h by using a high-pressure washer to flow water at high speed. Catching noodles with chopsticks at that speed must be extremely difficult.

There is also a longest duration record. The world’s longest Nagashi Somen record was achieved by high school students in Kumamoto Prefecture, who created a 3,328-meter channel. Made in cooperation with Kumamoto, the noodles flowed for a full 1 hour and 21 minutes.

There is also a record for the greatest drop. Food company Suntory teamed up with the World Nagashi Somen Association to hold the ‘Rediscover Japan Project’ in Tokushima Prefecture. They installed a 265-meter-high bamboo rail on a steep mountainside and floated somen noodles down it.

Japan’s heat is even more intense than Korea’s. Nagashi Somen seems to be a fun cultural practice to revive lost appetite and motivation during the sweltering heat.