Kitamuro District

What Is Omotenashi and Why It Makes Japanese Restaurants, Inns and More So Special

"This somen-making family in Handa — particularly, the mother-daughter duo — left a deep impression on me. They have been making this very thin, white wheat noodle together for almost 40 years at Kitamuro Hakusen, working 14 hour days, 6 days a week. The mother got into it through her husband. At first, he wasn't interested in taking over the family somen factory until she started working there and convinced him to keep the business alive. (Now, she's the president and runs the day-to-day operations!) When they found out that I owned a restaurant, they gifted me a case of a noodle prototype they've been working on, spaghetti somen, as well as a case of tea to take home." - Elyse Inamine