The global average life expectancy is 68.9 years for men and 74.0 years for women, with a combined average of 71.4 years.
In contrast, the average life expectancy in Japan is 84.46 years (according to WHO data for 2025), and the country continues to hold the top spot as the nation with the longest life expectancy in the world.
One reason for the remarkable longevity of the Japanese people is soba.
The Japanese have a remarkable fondness for soba; it is incorporated into various annual events, and they have developed the habit of eating soba whenever a special occasion arises.
As has already been scientifically proven, the nutrients found in soba—particularly rutin—help prevent lifestyle-related diseases such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and stroke, and have the power to maintain health even as people age.
Even in an era before modern science, the Japanese knew from experience the health benefits of buckwheat noodles; they have loved this food—which helps people—and have continued to eat it as part of their daily diet.
⬇︎This is a scene of Jippensha Ikku, a prominent playwright (novelist) of the late Edo period, eating New Year’s Eve soba. New Year’s Eve soba is a national tradition in Japan, where people gather to eat soba together at the end of the year.
“Soba Has an Even Greater Appeal Than Its Health Benefits”
Although buckwheat noodles possess such remarkable health benefits, these benefits are actually only their second-most appealing feature.
So, what is the number one appeal of buckwheat noodles?
It’s their delicious taste.
Perhaps the Japanese didn’t eat buckwheat noodles because they were good for their health, but simply because they were delicious and continued to enjoy them for that reason alone.
The authentic Japanese soba eaten during the Edo period was so delicious that it was incomparable to modern soba.
It was so delicious, in fact, that if it were included in the “kaiseki” course served during Kyoto’s tea ceremonies, it would overshadow the main dishes—such as pike conger or sweet sea bream—that are supposed to be the stars of the meal. Consequently, soba was refined to a white color, and its flavor and aroma were toned down so it could be incorporated into the course. It is served at the very end of the meal as a small, final course, but the soba offered at this point no longer possesses the original flavor of soba; it has become merely a “soba-like” dish in name only.
Consequently, in the streets of Edo, “soba-ya”—restaurants that served only soba, separate from multi-course meals—became all the rage. It was precisely because of these specialty “soba-ya” that authentic “Japanese soba,” with its rich flavor and aroma, became one of the most popular dishes of the Edo period.
“The Culinary Culture of Japanese Soba Is in Danger of Disappearing”
As civilization advances, a mindset that prioritizes efficiency becomes widespread.
Japan is no exception; modern society prioritizes efficiency in everything and shuns anything that requires extra effort.
This is very unfortunate for soba. Soba is a dish whose flavor deteriorates drastically if shortcuts are taken during preparation.
Since it is originally made with nothing but buckwheat flour and water, it requires extremely delicate preparation.
Nevertheless, buckwheat has undergone repeated selective breeding to enable mass production. With each round of selective breeding, buckwheat becomes increasingly unpalatable. Furthermore, the “summer buckwheat” variety—which was once derided in the Edo period with the saying, “Not even a dog would eat summer buckwheat”—is now cultivated on a large scale in Hokkaido and distributed throughout Japan.
Traditional food culture has been lost due to cutting corners, and the natural flavor of the ingredients has been destroyed by selective breeding. That is the true nature of the “soba-like substance” currently circulating in modern Japan.
I, Toranosuke Katayama, deeply concerned about this situation, established the Japan Soba Preservation Society on June 5, 2007. Since then, with the help of many colleagues, I have continued my efforts to protect the culinary culture of Japanese soba.
It is people who carry on traditions. When people pass away, traditions disappear as well. I have witnessed this firsthand many times.
Since around 1998, I have visited soba restaurants across the country, listening to and documenting the stories of elders who have devoted their entire lives to soba.
These elders took me by the hand and passed down the techniques of making soba, as well as the detailed yet crucial know-how, just as they would teach their own sons.
⬇︎In October 2009, Toranosuke Katayama learns traditional buckwheat farming methods from a buckwheat farmer.
I have been carrying on this work for 30 years now, but many of the people who knew what the culture of soba was truly like have since passed away.
And within me, the culture that dozens of elders have preserved has been condensed and passed down.
Regrettably, I have now become the sole custodian of these classical techniques and wisdom.
I believe my mission now is to pass on the classical techniques of Japanese soba—which this body has inherited—to the younger generation.
To that end, I run soba-making classes in Tokyo, organize the “Echizen Soba Biennale,” an arts festival centered on soba, and hold special workshops for people overseas who are interested in soba to share this knowledge internationally.
⬇︎We are working to pass on the culinary culture of Japanese soba—which has since been lost—to the younger generation.
⬇︎We have many participants joining us from overseas as well. You’ll be able to choose and use your favorite pieces from our collection of antique Imari porcelain.
“Based on ancient documents dating back 600 years, we have revived the ‘Soba Kaiseki’ course meal, which is the foundation of Japanese longevity.”
Toranosuke Katayama researched and organized records on how to enjoy soba, sake, and cuisine—dating from the Muromachi period’s ancient document YamashinaKe raiki through the end of the Edo period.
He then provided detailed commentary on these historical records—totaling 207 entries—and compiled them into a draft manuscript titled Musōroku.
Based on these records, he revived a multi-course meal—scattered throughout Japanese history—designed to allow people to enjoy soba deliciously without compromising its health benefits. It is called “Musōroku Soba Kaiseki.”
The “Musōroku Soba Kaiseki” is packed with 600 years’ worth of wisdom from our ancestors, who advised, “This is the ideal way to eat soba.”
Furthermore, the food culture associated with this cuisine is deeply intertwined with the elusive values of Japanese aesthetics—such as “Zen,” “iki,” “wabi,” and “sabi.” By savoring the “Musōroku Soba Kaiseki” and learning about soba, you should be able to understand these aesthetics and values as well.
The culinary culture of soba also encompasses the ingenuity behind the tools used in food preparation—such as crafts, knives, and mortars. Naturally, the “Musōroku Soba Kaiseki” incorporates these traditional techniques as well.
Soba is served on antique “Ko-Imari” porcelain—which once captivated Europeans—and on lacquerware adorned with “maki-e” designs, which Marie Antoinette is said to have loved more than jewels. The traditional Japanese aesthetic lives on in these details as well.
Please experience “Japan” through your senses—by eating, seeing, and touching.
⬇︎In Toranosuke Katayama’s workshops, participants will enjoy soba served in antique bowls like these. We also use rare pieces crafted by Living National Treasures. Toranosuke Katayama’s workshops, which offer an opportunity to experience Japan’s historical aesthetics through Japanese soba, are held in Tokyo and Kyoto.
It is precisely because we have been eating soba in the style of the “Musōroku Soba Kaiseki” that modern Japan has become the nation with the longest life expectancy in the world.
The delicious and highly healthful “Musōroku Soba Kaiseki” cannot be enjoyed anywhere other than in the workshops conducted by Katayama.
Katayama conducts workshops in Tokyo and Kyoto that offer a deep understanding of what Japanese soba truly is and allow participants to savor “Musōroku Soba Kaiseki.”
These are truly rare workshops—the only ones of their kind in the world.
If you’d like to experience this, please click on the photo below to register.
