Ajino Mingei Kashiwa Toyofuta (味の民芸 柏十余二店), a restaurant serving hand-stretched udon and Japanese cuisine in Kashiwa, Chiba Prefecture, will hold a "Hand-Stretched Udon Noodle-Making Experience" (手延べうどん 麺づくり体験) on Saturday, December 19 and Sunday, December 20, 2026.
About the Experience
Ajino Mingei (味の民芸) has used hand-stretched udon (手延べうどん) since its founding and has offered a variety of creative udon dishes. This noodle-making experience is meant to let people in the community discover the flavor and appeal of the hand-stretched udon the restaurant has valued since its early days.
The experience was held for the first time at a store in Okayama Prefecture last year and was well received. This year the event area has expanded to the Kanto region. Following the Moriya Fureai-dori store (守谷ふれあい通り店), which hosted the first Kanto event in August, Ajino Mingei Kashiwa Toyofuta will become the first store in Chiba Prefecture to host it.
Participants will get an overview of the hand-stretching method, try "kobiki" (小引き) and "hashiwake" (箸分け), which are steps in the hand-stretched udon production process, and then taste freshly boiled hand-stretched udon. Parents and children can take part together.
Ajino Mingei marks its 50th anniversary in 2026. It says it will continue to aim for stores rooted in their communities and to promote food education activities that convey the value of handmade, freshly made food and the importance of ingredients.
Event Details
- Venue: Ajino Mingei Kashiwa Toyofuta, inside the store
- Dates and times: Saturday, December 19 and Sunday, December 20, 2026, from 9:00 AM to 10:30 AM on each day
- Fee: ¥2,000 per person (tax included)
- Program: An overview of the hand-stretching method, a hands-on experience of the production steps, and tasting of hand-stretched udon
- How to apply: Please apply directly by phone to the store. Reservations close once capacity is reached.
- Store phone number: 04-7132-6888
- Store address: 404-4 Toyofuta, Kashiwa, Chiba Prefecture
- Parking: Available (you can visit by car)
Scenes From Stores That Have Hosted the Experience
The noodle-making experience is open to everyone from children to adults.
"Kobiki," one of the steps in making hand-stretched udon, performed at a store
Tasting freshly boiled hand-stretched udon, a fun way to learn about food
The Venue
Ajino Mingei Kashiwa Toyofuta is a restaurant serving hand-stretched udon and Japanese cuisine.
Meals can be enjoyed in a calm "Japanese-style" (和) space.
What Makes Hand-Stretched Udon Special
Hand-stretched udon is made by stretching the dough continuously without using a knife, so the surface is smooth and the noodles go down the throat easily. Hand-cut udon (手打ちうどん), by contrast, is characterized by thicker noodles with a firm, strong chew. Comparing the two is said to have given rise to the expressions Sanuki (hand-cut) "male udon" (男うどん) and Bitchu (hand-stretched) "female udon" (女うどん).
Making hand-stretched noodles takes about 30 hours or more from preparing the dough to finishing the noodles.
The Dashi and Tsuyu
Additive-free dashi is prepared in each store every day, using Hokkaido-grown Rishiri kombu (利尻昆布) together with katsuobushi (かつお節), urumebushi (うるめ節) and sababushi (さば節).
The "white dashi" (白だし) made this way serves as the base. A specially prepared kaeshi (返し) is added to create the "Golden Dashi" (黄金だし) and dipping sauce (つけつゆ) that go with the smooth hand-stretched udon.
The "white dashi" that forms the base of the flavor is made in the store every day.
