Kawara Soba: Yamaguchi's Tea Noodles Served on a Hot Tile

Kawara soba is green tea-infused soba noodles stir-fried and served on a heated roof tile (kawara), a presentation said to date to soldiers during the 1877 Satsuma Rebellion who reportedly grilled meat and vegetables on tiles over open fires. A restaurant near Shimonoseki is generally credited with formalizing the dish into its current form in the 20th century, and it has since become associated with Yamaguchi broadly rather than one single location.

The noodles, colored green from tea leaves mixed into the dough, are stir-fried until slightly crisp at the edges from contact with the hot tile, then topped with thin strips of seasoned beef, egg crepe, nori, lemon slices, and a spoonful of momiji-oroshi (grated daikon mixed with chili). You dip portions into a hot soy-based tsuyu broth as you eat, similar to how you'd eat cold soba, but with the noodles served hot instead.