Once again, here is another segment of the Gaijin Gourmet where you can find a delicious healthy meal in the world’s most expensive and crowded city for under $3 (USD)!

Maybe I should write that again! Here is another segment of the Gaijin Gourmet where you can find a delicious healthy meal in the world’s most expensive and crowded city for under $3 (USD)!

The parent company of Komoro Soba, Mitsuwa, was founded in 1953. It was a food supermarkets and food service business. They expanded into the noodle business and opened the first Komoro Soba in 1974. As of 2011, their Wikipedia page says they have 82 stores in the Tokyo area (but they just opened a brand new shop in Yoyogi – where today’s featured restaurant and photos are from) so they have to have at least 83!

Komoro Soba’s good points are (besides being the least expensive); the Soba (Buckwheat) noodles are boiled fresh. They also have Udon noodles in Kansai style. Like many chain restaurants, the soup broth is different from shop to shop. The fried toppings that you can order (for about ¥120 ~ ¥100 each (about $1 USD)) are fried in each shop so you know you are getting fresh condiments.

I think the best thing about Komoro Soba is that the condiments to add to your food, Leek onions, Ume Boshi (pickled plums) and wasabi (Horse radish) are all at the dining area so the customer can serve themselves. I always load up on the Leek onions!

Komoro soba also has take out and sells raw noodles to take home too. Business hours vary from shop to shop.

At many stations in and around Tokyo, you can find several competing chains all within eyesight of each other!  Please refer to: Soba Wars! (http://modernmarketingjapan.blogspot.jp/2012/08/gaijin-gourmet-soba-wars-at-hanzomon.html)

Menu showcase outside of the new Komoro Soba at Yoyogi station 20 seconds from the East Exit.

This is the jaw dropper. A regular sized plate of fresh boiled cold noodle is only ¥230! (That’s about $1.91 USD!) This serving portion is very small for me, so I add on the “extra noodles” for a shockingly cheap extra ¥30! (about $0.25 cents USD!)

At every Komoro Soba shop I’ve ever been to, they have the meal ticket vending machine. As usual, if you can’t read the kanji, then order something that has a photo (those are usually the most popular meals anyway)… Or ask a shop worker to come outside and you point to the dish you want at the display of food shown above!

My friend Ken and I went to partake in Komoro Soba’s food and we were both quite pleased. Like I said, the price is amazing… I don’t think it is as delicious as Yude Taro or Shinshu Soba, but for quality and price performance, it might be the best. This particular Komoro Soba has just opened, so, of course it is spic and span clean. My friend, Ken, mentioned to me, though, that one thing that is consistent with all these chains Soba shops: They are all extremely clean!

Komoro Soba offers all sorts of delicious tenpura toppings. All tenpura is fried fresh at each shop.

Most shops have seating and standing areas for customers. Komoro Soba shops are all located very close to the station so they get packed between 11:30 am until about 1:30, so if you want to sit, avoid rush hours!

Above is the Mori Soba, “Omori” (large size). This is what I always eat at every shop. It is the only way to compare these shops – apples to apples. Each soba chain restaurant shop has it’s own specialties, so if I delve into that, it would be very difficult to say which is better than the other. This is the most basic and healthy dish: cold buckwheat noodles. This large size meal is ¥260 (that’s about $2.16 USD!)

Unbelievably good deal. The similar dish at Yude Taro is ¥360 (about $3 USD). At Fuji Soba, this item is ¥420 (about $3.50 USD)… But at those two chains I get the impression that the portions are larger.

I live here and it blows my mind that I can have a delicious, healthy meal of soba for less than $2.50 (USD)! And, of course, Japanese world class service, quality and cleanliness and NO TIPPING!

Komoro Soba? 4 Stars for taste. 5 Stars + for cost performance.

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Looking for a delicious healthy meal in Tokyo, the world’s most expensive and crowded city for under $5 (USD)? Here’s a bunch of them linked below!

Gaijin Gourmet – Fuji Soba Tokyo’s Top 3 Soba Chain Restaurants robot55.jp/blog/gaijin-gourmet-fuji-soba-tokyos-top-3-soba-chain-restaurants/

Gaijin Gourmet: 「モンスターMOGULLA！東京の地下からこんにちは」 robot55.jp/blog/gaijin-gourmet-「モンスターmogulla！東京の地下からこんにちは/

マイク・ロジャース!「ザ・外人グルメ」！のぐるなび ippin(イッピン)の新しい記事がアップされました！robot55.jp/blog/マイク・ロジャース「ザ・外人グルメ」！のぐる/

Gaijin Gourmet! The Best, Most Delicious Soba Restaurant in Shibuya and Shinjuku robot55.jp/blog/gaijin-gourmet-the-best-most-delicious-soba-restaurant-in-shibuya-and-shinjuku/

Gaijin Gourmet – Hamazushi! Tokyo’s Best Robot Sushi! robot55.jp/blog/gaijin-gourmet-hamazushi-tokyos-best-robot-sushi/

Gaijin Gourmet – Sukiya! Japan’s Best Gyudon (Beef Bowl) robot55.jp/blog/gaijin-gourmet-sukiya-japans-best-gyudon-beef-bowl/

Gaijin Gourmet Advice for Foreign Gentlemen Living in Japan!
http://robot55.jp/blog/gaijin-gourmet-advice-for-foreign-gentlemen-living-in-japan/

Gaijin Gourmet – Best Soba Chain in Tokyo？Yude Taro and ¥220 Draft Beer?! robot55.jp/blog/gaijin-gourmet-best-soba-chain-in-tokyo？yude-taro-and-¥220-draft-beer/

Gaijin Gourmet: The Best Premium Salad Bar in Tokyo? – Sizzler in Setagaya robot55.jp/blog/gaijin-gourmet-the-best-premium-salad-bar-in-tokyo-sizzler-in-setagaya/

Gaijin Gourmet! Great Cheap and Delicious Soba in Gaienmae on Ginza Line! robot55.jp/blog/gaijin-gourmet-great-cheap-and-delicious-soba-in-gaienmae-on-ginza-line/

The Gaijin Gourmet: The Best Salad Bar Deal in Tokyo at Big Boy – My Favorite Rock N Roll Diner!! robot55.jp/blog/the-gaijin-gourmet-the-best-salad-bar-deal-in-tokyo-at-big-boy-my-favorite-rock-n-roll-diner/

Tokyo’s Best Cheap Sushi is in Okachimachi!? 東京の一番安くて美味しい寿司屋？御徒町にあるの？ http://robot55.jp/blog/tokyos-best-cheap-sushi-in-okachimachi/

The Gaijin Gourmet: Soba Wars At Hanzomon Station in Tokyo robot55.jp/blog/gaijin-gourmet-soba-wars-at-hanzomon-station-in-tokyo/

Once again, here is another segment of the Gaijin Gourmet where you can find a delcious healthy meal in the world’s most expensive and crowded city for under $5 (USD)!

I have written below about my two most favorite soba chains in Tokyo: Shin Shu Soba and Yude Taro. But there are several chains that are much more ubiquitous in Tokyo that I must address. One of them is the 800-pound gorilla in the soba kitchen and that just has to be Fuji Soba. http://fujisoba.co.jp/

As of July of 2013, Fuji Soba has more than 100 shops in the Greater Tokyo area and also Chiba, Saitama, Kanagawa as well as some shops in the Philippines, Taiwan and Indonesia.

Fuji Soba’s sales point is that each shop makes their own soup so the taste of the soup broth varies from shop to shop and each shops uses fresh soba. Also, it is a good place (like most soba chains) to pop in and have a beer or a High-ball at a very reasonable price.

Fact of the matter is that I have been to Fuji Soba most probably more than all the other soba shops put together. For years, after my daily radio show ended, I would go there with my friend and we ate Fuji soba everyday!

I really do like it. And, while you might have a bit of a problem finding a soba chain restaurant nearby you, Fuji Soba shops are everywhere!

Like many of these sorts of shops in Japan, one must purchase a meal ticket at the entrance of the restaurant. In many cases, the ticket machine menus are NOT written in English… So, you can purchase something that does have a photo, or….

….Or you can ask one of the restaurant staff to go outside with you and you point to the item you want and then the staff will show you which ticket to purchase. Sure, sometimes, these ticket machines might seem like a hassle, but they save you money and it’s better when the people handling the food are not touching money because money isn’t very  clean and we do not want the people touching our food to be handling money!

As, usual, a clean kitchen is a must for all restaurants for the family and the Gaijin Gourmet. At all Fuji Soba shops, one can see clearly into the kitchens and the Gaijin Gourmet is confident you will see a spic and span, clean operation!

Excellent value for the price. Bowl of soba with some boiled spinach and sea weed? ¥380! (about $3.16 USD at the exchange rate as of the writing of this post). Healthy, low calorie, fills you up and cheaper than any western chain hamburger shop!

This is the standard plate of cold soba that the Gaijin Gourmet always prefers. This is the large “Toku mori soba” (¥480) (about $4 USD at the exchange rate as of the writing of this post) and a side order of boiled spinach (¥100) (about $0.80 cents).

Fuji soba is a bit more expensive than my two favorite chains, but Fuji soba has many more shops and is much more convenient because of it and also because Fuji Soba shops are always right by the train stations.

Fuji Soba is great for the entire family.

4 stars out of 5. Excellent!

NOTE: Pretty soon I am going to make a Top ranking for all these shops so stay tuned. In the meantime, I do have to be fair and introduce all of them to you. As I mentioned before in a previous post, soba shops inside of the trains stations are usually pretty bad. Sure, I say they are “pretty bad” but, folks, it’s a pretty fair statement for me to make when I say, “Any soba shop in Japan is a better deal, with a more reasonable price and MUCH more healthy for you and your family than ANY western fast food chain like McDonald’s or KFC…

No comparison.

———————————–

Looking for a delicious healthy meal in Tokyo, the world’s most expensive and crowded city for under $5 (USD)? Here’s a bunch of them linked below!

Gaijin Gourmet: 「モンスターMOGULLA！東京の地下からこんにちは」 robot55.jp/blog/gaijin-gourmet-「モンスターmogulla！東京の地下からこんにちは/

マイク・ロジャース!「ザ・外人グルメ」！のぐるなび ippin(イッピン)の新しい記事がアップされました！robot55.jp/blog/マイク・ロジャース「ザ・外人グルメ」！のぐる/

Gaijin Gourmet! The Best, Most Delicious Soba Restaurant in Shibuya and Shinjuku robot55.jp/blog/gaijin-gourmet-the-best-most-delicious-soba-restaurant-in-shibuya-and-shinjuku/

Gaijin Gourmet – Hamazushi! Tokyo’s Best Robot Sushi! robot55.jp/blog/gaijin-gourmet-hamazushi-tokyos-best-robot-sushi/

Gaijin Gourmet – Sukiya! Japan’s Best Gyudon (Beef Bowl) robot55.jp/blog/gaijin-gourmet-sukiya-japans-best-gyudon-beef-bowl/

Gaijin Gourmet Advice for Foreign Gentlemen Living in Japan!
http://robot55.jp/blog/gaijin-gourmet-advice-for-foreign-gentlemen-living-in-japan/

Gaijin Gourmet – Best Soba Chain in Tokyo？Yude Taro and ¥220 Draft Beer?! robot55.jp/blog/gaijin-gourmet-best-soba-chain-in-tokyo？yude-taro-and-¥220-draft-beer/

Gaijin Gourmet: The Best Premium Salad Bar in Tokyo? – Sizzler in Setagaya robot55.jp/blog/gaijin-gourmet-the-best-premium-salad-bar-in-tokyo-sizzler-in-setagaya/

Gaijin Gourmet! Great Cheap and Delicious Soba in Gaienmae on Ginza Line! robot55.jp/blog/gaijin-gourmet-great-cheap-and-delicious-soba-in-gaienmae-on-ginza-line/

The Gaijin Gourmet: The Best Salad Bar Deal in Tokyo at Big Boy – My Favorite Rock N Roll Diner!! robot55.jp/blog/the-gaijin-gourmet-the-best-salad-bar-deal-in-tokyo-at-big-boy-my-favorite-rock-n-roll-diner/

Tokyo’s Best Cheap Sushi is in Okachimachi!? 東京の一番安くて美味しい寿司屋？御徒町にあるの？ http://robot55.jp/blog/tokyos-best-cheap-sushi-in-okachimachi/

The Gaijin Gourmet: Soba Wars At Hanzomon Station in Tokyo robot55.jp/blog/gaijin-gourmet-soba-wars-at-hanzomon-station-in-tokyo/

(English version of this article is here: All of Japan is Under Invasion! This is War! modernmarketingjapan.blogspot.jp/2015/09/all-of-japan-is-under-invasion-this-is.html)

「SOS! SOS! SOS! 緊急事態発生！東京が何者かによって攻撃にされています！」。ノイズだらけのラジオから聞こえてくる悲痛な叫び。東京は、いまだかつてないほどに危機的状況にさらされている。 国家非常事態発生。日本の大都市東京が「やつら」に襲われています。「やつら」は、あたなのすぐそばに、あなたが立っている道路の下に、そしてあなたの家にも「やつら」がいるかもしれません。

そう！東京は今「MOGULLA（モグラ）の攻撃にさらされているのです！」

モグラはこの美しい東京の地下のいたるところにいます。それは、地下のパイプが老朽化していて穴やひびができているからです。国はそれを治そうとはしません。なぜなら全てを修復するお金がありませんからね。そう！国家でさえ、モグラの暴走を止める事ができないのです！

我々の成すすべはないのです。

ただ、僕には秘密兵器があります！美しい女性達よ！もしあなた達の家や庭でモグラ問題に直面しているのであれば、この記事はあなた方にとってお金の節約になるかもしれませんよ。なぜかって？もぐら退治に業者を呼ぶととてもお金がかかります。そして、あなたの家や庭に毒を打ち込むなんであまりいいアイデアとは思えないしね。特にお子さんやペットが暮らしている場合は。

僕が今から教えるモグラ退治の方法はとてもばかげていて、子どもじみてるけどとても簡単で安上がりなんです！

早く知りたいって？それじゃあ説明を始めよう。

ある日、僕の家から出ると道路が水浸しになっていたんだけど、よく見たら道路に穴が空いているんだよね。僕の家の向こう側だったから、その時は特に気にもとめなかった。

また別の日、家を出たら僕の家のまん前に穴が空いているんだよね！

その穴は毎日毎日大きくなって、僕の家の前の家の穴が一番でかくなってきて、これは危ない！誰か落ちちゃう！区役所に電話しないと。。。市役所の人を呼んだら、この怠惰な職員はこう言ったんだよね「ここは私道だから僕らは何もできないな。」

しかたなく、僕は水道会社、ガス会社、電気会社、そしてもちろんドミノピザに電話して、彼らを呼んだら、彼らはこう言うんだよね「これは、区役所の仕事だな。」

これを堂々巡りって言うんだよね！

そうこうするうちに、僕の家の前はまるでクレーターができたようになってきて、これはまずいと近所の人が集まって臨時集会をやる事になったんだ！こういう時は、僕は奥さんに全てを任せるよにしているんだよね。なぜかって？僕はイケメン外人（R）だから僕が何を言おうが考えようがそんな事誰も気にしてはくれないからね。

僕の奥さんも僕の話なんて聞いてくれないしね。

とにかく、近所のみんなでお金を出し合って業者に穴をふさいでもらった。とにかくこれで一安心だと思ったよ。一週間はね。一週間後、またそこらじゅうに穴が。。。

僕らは専門家を呼んで調査をしてもらう事にしたんだよね。彼は僕を見て意地悪そうな目をしながら一言こう言った「“MOGULLA! 間違えないモグラ！」

MOGULLA（もぐら）！下水道を走り回り、夜になると住民の生活を脅かす卑劣で薄汚いない害獣を止める手段はないのか？このままでは近所住民も恐怖で家の外に出れなくなってしまう。。。

まさにモンスターモグラ（R）の恐怖！

僕達は最終手段として駆除業者のエキスパートを呼んだ。エキスパートは「この辺のモグラは退治できるけど、下水管にひびが入っていたら、他の場所から来ちゃうよ。」と言った。東京の地下には、何千何万ものモグラが潜んでいるそうだ。

ぞっとする話でしょ？

この話を聞いて ご近所の女性達が恐怖で震えている。僕は彼女達を落ち着かせようと、とても落ち着いた様子で彼女達にこう言ったんだ「何も心配する事はないよレディース、僕はこの解決方法を知っているよ。リーサルウエポン（最終兵器）「デリシャスリベンジ」があるからね。」

僕は彼女達に親指を立てて、ウインクを送りその場を立ち去った。まるでハリウッドスターみたいにね。その場にいた全員が「あらまあ〜！素敵なイケメン外人(R)ねえ！」と思ったのは疑いの余地はないだろう。

ここで、僕の最終兵器「デリシャスリベンジ」について説明しよう。

僕が幼い頃、僕は農場に住んでいた。農場にはモグラも沢山いたから、僕はやつらがオレンジの香りが好きなのを知っていた。オレンジ味のガムが好きな事も。。。そう、モグラはオレンジ味のガムが好きなんだ！でも、やつらはガムを消化できないから、ガムを沢山食べるとガムがお腹にたまってそのうちに死んでしまう。

そう、「デリシャスリベンジ」は道路の穴の近くにオレンジ味のガムを置いてモグラにガムを食べさせ退治するという方法。その時、必ず手袋をしてガムを素手で触れないようにしてね。モグラは人間の匂いがするものは食べないからね。次の日、ガムが置いた場所にあるかどうかを確認します。もし、ガムが無くなっていたら新しいガムを置きます。その繰り返しをしていると、そのうちモグラは戻ってこなくなります。

家の前で道路を工事している人達の片隅で、僕はまるで狂った科学者のように高笑いをしながら、「マルカワマーブルガム」のオレンジ味を置いた。そして、僕はクリントイーストウッドのような低い声でこう言う。「最後の晩餐を楽しみなモグラ」。

道路の穴が塞がれていく。モグラは今夜、僕の最終兵器「デリシャスサプライズ」を味わう事になるだろう。

この時、僕は勝利を確信した。

「マルカワマーブルガム」オレンジ味よ！この世界にこのガムがある事を神に感謝します。このガムを僕は子どもの時からずっと好きだった。モグラを退治できるからだけじゃない。このすばらしい味と、自慢になってしまうけど僕はこのガムで風船を作れる。それだけじゃない、僕の心を落ち着けてくれる！

僕はオレンジ味よりグレープ味の方が好きだけどね。

翻訳：Ken Ihara