On February 13th, 2023, a Handmade Soba Workshop was held at RESOBOX East Village. The class included a lecture on Japanese cuisine and the history of soba, followed by a hands-on experience where participants learned how to make soba from scratch so that they could replicate their results at home. At the end of the workshop, everyone enjoyed their freshly made soba together.

The instructor, Asako Nonaka, previously lived in New York from 2012 to 2015 and taught soba and Japanese cuisine classes for RESOBOX during that time. She currently runs a school called “Tokyo Soba Kitchen” in Tokyo, where she teaches soba-making techniques and culture to a wide range of people, from foreign tourists to cooks who want to seriously master soba-making.

On the day of the event, which happened to be the day before Valentine’s Day, a total of eight people, consisting of four couples, participated. When we spoke with them, they all seemed to love Japan and were also very health-conscious. They were especially interested in making soba without using any artificial flavorings or additives, as well as the rigorous workout one gets through the process of making soba.

When asked about their favorite Japanese dishes, they gave surprising answers such as “okonomiyaki with lots of vegetables” and “takoyaki.” Their candid responses helped create a friendly and relaxed atmosphere throughout the event.

When they tasted the fresh soba that they had made themselves, everyone’s faces lit up with smiles and they were all very pleased with the result.