Restaurant Chiho-no-ie

Unique experience where ramen flows on spring water down a bamboo tube to your counter! The lunch set also includes grilled freshwater fish and local dishes. Food was fresh and delicious and the ramen was soft with a firm texture. Worth a try!

Had my very first flowing water noodle experience at this restaurant, and it was every bit as cool as it sounds. Located right next to the stunning Takachiho Gorge, it's the perfect spot to unwind after a bit of exploring. The restaurant seems to be a hit with visitors, given the signs instructing how to queue up. I swung by post-lunch rush at around 2:30 pm, which turned out to be perfect timing as it wasn't too crowded. The menu was straightforward, offering the option of ordering items separately or going for a set at 1500 yen, which most patrons, myself included, opted for. The set included the unique noodle experience, a beautifully grilled fish, and a rice ball. The whole concept of catching your noodles as they flow by in water is not just fun but also ensures that you're the only one touching your food - great for hygiene. And don't worry about your noodle-catching skills; any escapees are collected and served to you at the end, so nothing goes to waste. The noodles themselves were simple yet delicious, making for a light, satisfying meal. All in all, it's a 5-star experience for me. The combination of a unique dining adventure, tasty food, and the beautiful setting by the gorge makes this a must-visit spot.

Came for a late lunch at 2pm and place was empty as one could expect. Service was pretty poor which matched the quality of the food. Ordered the chicken Nanba set 1300 yen and Nanba set with fish 1700 yen and the quality and quantity was poor as well. The chicken was a oily poorly fried dish (tasted ok just so oily) Size was small for the amount, we ended up leaving to eat again.

Patronised on a weekday as lunch is included in the tour. It was served in a set menu - grilled fish (yamame) set, costs ¥1850. The food was average, very generous portion, and so very filling.

It’s touristy, so manage your expectations accordingly. It was fun trying to catch the noodles as it flows along the bamboo ‘stream’. It probably comes out in 3 batches per order. So meaning each person gets about 3 tries to pick your noodles. The remaining / ‘uncaught’ noodles will be brought to you in a separate basket. I went around 2pm+ and had to wait for about 15 mins as the restaurant was busy. You can order the noodles as is (not enough for a meal) but they do come along in a set meal with a choice of vegetables (steamed pumpkin, konnyaku, rice ball, salad, tofu etc) or grilled fish (very salty). We also tried the beef udon and it was tasty.

We had the Miyazaki wagyu beef and river trout (yamame) set meals and it was delicious. The service was excellent as well. The restaurant is quite easy to find as it is located at the junction to the entrance of Takachiho Gorge, with public parking next door.

Have the somen and rainbow trout set! So much fun catching the somen when it flows down the bamboo. Don’t worry if you miss them as the staff have a basket at the end to catch the noodles for you!

Their cold soba was refreshing after the long trek. However, I felt the fish was a tad salty. The warm sake went well with the food and it appeared that they diluted it with water.

Being someone not really aware of anime/manga scenes, I wasn't quite sure what the big deal was when my friends mentioned "Nagashi Soumen." However, after eating here and trying it first hand (or should I say first chopstick...), I am really glad I had the experience to do so. Chiho no Ie is a small, open place right along Takachiho gorge, and it offers this special way of obtaining and eating soumen. The small white noodles are dropped in a bamboo tube with water flowing through so that they move from one side of the table to the other. The customers have to try and grab the soumen with chopsticks, stick that soumen in some yummy sauce, and eat it. Whoever said playing with your food was a bad thing probably hasn't tried this... It was pretty fun with a group of people as we all tried to make sure that everyone had a good amount of noodles as well as trying to get all of them before they fell in the strainer at the end. Of course, anything you don't catch you get to eat at the end anyway, but perhaps it is a pride thing ;) We also ordered a special set with a fish and other Japanese foods like tsukemono (pickles), fish, konnyaku, tofu, and veggies. It was all quite delicious, though I personally don't like picking fish off the bones...#lazyeater Definitely try and hit this place up in the warmer months, as the experience will touch your Japanese sou-l...men. K I'll stop.

I loved this place! It's right at the entrance to the Takachiho Gorge, but yet it manages to remain a simple and not overly priced restaurant. We ordered the special fish set and somen. The fish set comes with whole grilled fish along with sides in the basket such as pickled vegetables, tofu, rice balls, and more. Everything tasted fresh with a very homemade feel. Then the somen--which has to be the most memorable part. 1 - I love somen. 2 - I've always wanted to have nagashi somen (aka flowing somen)! You're seated in front of a long open bamboo with cold flowing water, and you're given your dipping sauce. Small handfuls of somen is released down the water stream, and you catch it with your chopsticks, dip in sauce then eat. It was so fun! And delicious! At the end, there is a basket that catches all the loose noodles and they bring it back up for you to finish your meal. We caught every batch but of course we lost a few somen noodles here and there--we were surprised to see how much we didn't catch! It was a very entertaining and satisfying meal, and put us in a fun mood before we started our hiking.

So this place is a very simple restaurant that you can find near the stairway down to the boats you can ride in Takachiho gorge. The main attraction here is a thing called nagashi soumen, where they take small bunches of chilled soumen, a very thin noodle, and they let it flow down a small stream running down a long aqueduct sort of thing made out of a stalk of bamboo. You are then supposed to catch the soumen with your chopsticks as it goes past you, dip it in some sauce, and slurp it up. Now, my review is biased because I have been wanting to do this for years, and I have never found a place that does it until now. Nagashi soumen is definitely a spring and summer kind of experience, and it's a lot of fun. Best to do with someone, not alone. I went with friends and had a lot of fun with the nagashi experience, but again I'm biased. As for the food itself, it's good. Not spectacular, but still tasty, then add in the fun experience, a nice wait staff, and it's a solid 5 stars for me. We ordered a set meal, so we did the soumen first, then they brought out a bamboo plate with some onigiri, a tasty fish (with lots of bones in it), and some other odds and ends. A wonderful experience, ultimately, especially after seeing beautiful Takachiho gorge, but don't forget, it's only in spring and summer.