r/interesting • u/AUTOBOTBROKE • 15d ago
Intriguing Japan’s Summer Special Waterfall Noodles at Amidaga Takiso, Gifu
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u/Indigenous_Retard 15d ago
Public noodity
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u/Prize_Bass_5061 15d ago edited 15d ago
Just so you know, this isn't all you can eat. You have to pay for the noodles before you sit down. If you pay for two noodles, they send down two bunches.
edit: Wicker baskets are used to catch any noodles that weren’t grabbed with chopsticks.
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u/bkaybee 15d ago
Wow. It just gets dumber and dumber
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u/Significant-Song-840 15d ago
Yeah I'll pass on the gutter noodles thank you very much.
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u/Prize_Artichoke2904 14d ago
And are the noodles then cold? Or, is this PVC pipe & rock gutter heated? Less like a cesspool, and more like a bacterial jacuzzi. A lazy river for slime mold.
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u/Relevant-Fox-7114 15d ago
Other countries also have novelty foods/restaurants
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u/UrsaMajor7th 15d ago
Post them so people can criticize them too.
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u/ImmediatePiano6690 15d ago
In Japan they boil eggs in hot water springs, it's more clever than I put it.
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u/Prize_Bass_5061 15d ago
Onsen Tamago
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u/Huge-Consequence2144 13d ago
And this is how I learn why Tamagotchi were shaped like eggs back in the 90s what the fuck
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u/Confident-Dentist-39 14d ago
Nagashi somen has been around for like 50+ years. Although yes I do agree there is a lot of stupid novelty food out there, this one isn't
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u/Jackso08 15d ago
So it’s really just a show lol
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u/johnboy2978 15d ago
I'm not seeing how that's any more efficient than the server just serving each customer individually. Sending it down the trough just adds an unnecessary step in the chain.
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u/hoTsauceLily66 15d ago
Is this the mentality of those gym bros eating tasteless food just for fuel?
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u/Prize_Bass_5061 15d ago
The bamboo flume cools the noodles with natural spring water, which has minerals in it. It's not about efficiency. It's a fun dining experience meant to be enjoyed in a social setting, and nagashi somen has a long tradition in Japan.
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u/CheesyDanny 15d ago
Tourist: “Wait before you send the noodles can I get a fork? I have not used chopsticks before.”
worker drops noodles even faster
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u/italianranma 15d ago
It doesn’t get thrown out: there’s a little flat wicker dish at the bottom of the slide that collects your noodles.
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u/godgothodhot 15d ago
This seems extremely unhygienic.
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u/EveryRedditorSucks 15d ago
The whole concept strikes me as disgusting for multiple reasons
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u/BookieeWookiee 15d ago
It brings to mind parasites being washed down a drain
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u/Beastxtreets 15d ago
My first thought was horsehair worms 🤢
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u/CtrlAltYuri 15d ago
Or wormhair horses
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u/Fuggaak 15d ago
Or wormhorse hairs
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u/Cultural-Company282 15d ago
I am assuming (hoping) that the chopsticks used to gather your noodles are different from the ones you use to eat the noodles.
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u/DayGrouchy2648 15d ago
Yeah you can see they use black ones to pick up the noodles and put them in their dish then they eat with white ones
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u/Roxylius 15d ago
I still do not trust other people that much though
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u/Apprehensive-Draw409 15d ago
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-trust_and_low-trust_societies
Fascinating :-)
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u/Roxylius 15d ago
The very same society also does this shit
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butsukari_otoko
It’s not black and white
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u/Holymyco 15d ago
It is common enough in Japan to have family style dishes where everyone switches between serving and eating chopsticks.
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u/C7rl_Al7_1337 15d ago
Ugh, I haaaaate it when it's my turn to have to eat the chopsticks, don't you?
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u/HeyGayHay 14d ago
Japanese people have a massive rage boner for rules. If it were a rule to not breath, the entire country would suffocate.
If you see a tourist at this noodle river, run
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u/sharkweek2013 15d ago
Yeah this wouldn’t work in the US. I’d have faith in the Japanese though. They are rule followers.
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u/Green_Potater 15d ago
The Japanese aren’t all polite and rule-following as you might think…
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u/Cultural_Lynx_1609 14d ago
The Japanese aren’t all polite
True. They show it indirectly. If you are some white dude sitting in a metro, you can sleep properly for once because no one will sit beside you. If you are a black dude... I'm sorry. Same treatment, just very different and impolite looks. Brown dudes are somewhat considered "funny" but still mocked.
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u/aoi_ito 15d ago
It is, I've worked in one of those nagashi somen restuarents. We give an another pair of chopsticks to pick up the flowing noodles but I've seen a lot of people not follow it and straight up picking it with their eating chopsticks.
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u/doctorlongghost 15d ago
Honestly that part doesn’t even bother me. I’d be more concerned with whether or not they scrub down the “river” every night and thoroughly dry it to prevent algae and other bacteria from festering in there.
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u/aoi_ito 15d ago
We had a major food poisoning outbreak back in 2023, since then our food safety laws become much more stricter. Before we use to wash and scrub the whole slide and dap it completely dry once a day, now we have to do twice, before opening the resturent and then just before closing it. Don't worry, I can atleast guarantee on the clinliness of the slide. 😅
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u/PorygonTriAttack 15d ago
Are the noodles tastier when done in this way? Or is it purely for the novelty?
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u/aoi_ito 15d ago edited 15d ago
I mean it's mostly depend on the situation, you can't compare it to Raman and other types. If you want to go taste wise, then it will fall behind, just cause you can't really modify it to your liking compared to other types. We here in Japan mostly eat these cold noodles to escape the summer heat, people don't eat it at all in the winters( except for some specific sick indeviduals lol)the sauce(suyu, idk how to spell it in English lol) used for nagashi somen is not spicy at all, it's just a just a mixture of mirin, dashi and soy sauce, it is slightly sweet in taste and is very refreshing, suited for hot summers.
Sorry for my English, I hope you can understand what I am trying to convey 🥲
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u/PorygonTriAttack 15d ago
Your English is great. Thanks for the explanation of this in so much detail!
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u/Kapper-WA 15d ago
"Sorry for my English" after writing better English than most Americans. :)
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u/aoi_ito 15d ago
Ahha thank you so much, it means a lot !! I am still learning it tho, those Grammers rules are very hard to remember, but I am trying my best. 🙏🏼
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u/infinite_in_faculty 14d ago
A simple cough or sneeze in front of the noodle water slide thingy and it is enough to contaminate everyone, Lol.
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u/RandomName5165 14d ago
Worse than that you put the chopsticks in your mouth. Then you put them in the water that everyone else is putting their mouth chopsticks in.
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u/TooObsessedWithMoney 14d ago
Same goes for any buffet
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u/infinite_in_faculty 14d ago
A buffet food is often still heated via bottom heaters or IR heaters while being displayed which is enough to kill the germs. This on the other hand is cold noodles running on cold water. Yikes!!!
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u/exodusofficer 15d ago
It's giving explosive diarrhea
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u/Fit_Class_8547 15d ago
Just because you are the first organic reusable space rocket doesn't mean people are.
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u/Thank_Goodness_Its 15d ago
Watch the video closer. There are black plastic chopsticks and bamboo ones. The only time you see the bamboo ones is then the guy eats the noodles. Black > grabbing, Wood > eating.
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u/PZABUK 15d ago
I don't think the chopsticks are the issue
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u/berwynResident 15d ago
Still, everyone touching and breathing into the water. I'm assuming the water is not hot, you got the water flowing out in the open, the trough looks hard to clean.
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u/BadahBingBadahBoom 15d ago
Depends, if it is potable water that is up to mains water standard and is flowing regularly and the stone is just stone, it really isn't any different to the numerous routes of water delivery you can get from various springs and old aqueducts that are still rated as safe to provide mains water to homes.
The fact it is open is not necessarily an issue, but yeah if stuff starts getting dropped in to it like bits of food then suddenly that water is no longer up to safety standards.
Though I really, really hope that is fresh water and not recycled pumped water.
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u/Teripid 15d ago edited 15d ago
I mean there are rules for the chocolate fountain at the Golden *Corral. All it takes is one person who doesn't understand them unless there's a noodle bouncer.
*added r
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u/AdDisastrous6738 15d ago
I tried a chocolate fountain one time. Dipped some fruits and rice krispy treats then watched in abject horror as some kids ran up and were tossing random food into it. One was sticking his fingers in it then licking them off.
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u/Crush-N-It 15d ago
This is the singular best comment I’ve read this week. I wish I could give you an award 👏👏👏 Bravo
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u/ebk_errday 15d ago
There's just so many other ways for contaminants to get in there. People sneezing, someone dropped the black chopsticks on the ground or held the wrong side in the palm of their hands. Just so many ways. Novel idea. One and done. I would rather have my noodles served in a bowl 10 out of 10 times.
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u/Thank_Goodness_Its 15d ago
Also remember that this is a novelty even to locals. As an American, this looks a lot cleaner than a traditional buffet.
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u/RidingJapan 14d ago
There is a lot of stuff in Japan that is unhygienic in terms of food
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u/BubblyDepartment1572 14d ago
Such as? I lived there never heard of this seems pretty niche….
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u/RJCA-Burgt 15d ago
Looks like a great way to get sick.
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u/avamich11 15d ago
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u/OutsideImpressive115 15d ago
The bacteria there must be unreal
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u/Chemical_Wonder_5495 15d ago
This is the kind of shit that the locals have the stomach for, but then I go there as a tourist and proceed to shit myself for the next 5 days.
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u/Yoranis_Izsmelli 15d ago
Always. My taste buds are international but my tummy and butthole are very much domesticated
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u/fancczf 15d ago
If you shat your pants and the locals are fine it’s likely not because hygiene. You are likely just not used to the biom of the local area and your gut biome is having a hard time adjusting. Better to not eat anything cold, which means cold noodles in general. But if you are fine in general this place won’t be any worse than any standard noodle shop. It’s all moving water and I’d imagine the water is not recycled. Not any worse than sitting in a busy restaurant.
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u/Downunder818 15d ago
All I could think about was someone sneezing.
I'm all about eating in hole in the wall places, but this is next level loading..
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u/DarthScruf 15d ago
Ive seen too many videos of aquatic parasites for this to look good to me.
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u/Starlightriddlex 15d ago
I straight up thought these were roundworms lol. They way they move in water gives me the ick
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u/DifferentMuscle743 15d ago
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u/heckasharp 15d ago
1000%. So overrated and gimmicky. Suckered but will never go back. Just bring me damn bowl.
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u/Frequent_Translator3 15d ago
So people use chopsticks that have been in their mouth to get these noodles out of the water?
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u/BADM00SE 15d ago
I don’t care how clean you are, you’re not getting the slime from water off those rocks every time you clean.
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u/that_name_is_taken 15d ago
How is Japan’s Ministry of Health signing off on this one? This look’s unsanitary.
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u/ssjrobert235 15d ago
What is the point to this?
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u/Dry_Departure_7813 15d ago
Its a gimmick, I want you to picture a red neck serving noodles this way. Does it still seem classy?
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u/maverick4002 15d ago
Is there a purpose to this? It seems terribly stupid but I dont want to be culturally insensitive. Looks to be just some dumb gimmick for tourists
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u/PsychologicalTwo505 14d ago
This is a popular summer dish, some parts of Japan get very hot.
This means your noodles are nice and cool for the sauce (cold dipped noodles). It’s also a fun activity. It’s a traditional dish and sometimes is done down bamboo poles cut in half instead of the stone trenches here.
You can get home kits to do this but the best is an outside one from a spring. The spring water adds a nicer taste.
You use different chopsticks to catch than you do to eat, so the water stays cleaner.
In this I see a pipe. I would suspect the water is filtered.
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u/Bl4ckSupra 15d ago
Just the way I like them. Cold and plain. Not.
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u/Thank_Goodness_Its 15d ago
Did you not see them dipped in sauce? In many asian cultures, cold noodles are completely normal. Especially in the summertime.
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u/MrCput 15d ago
Random Dude "AaaChhuuu~~!!" Straight into the stream. Me sitting down the line "🤬😡"
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u/Normal_Opposite_9864 15d ago
they are sticking chopsticks in their mouth, then putting them in the water. sneezing seems the least of the problems
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u/into-resting 15d ago
Some of you are really uninformed on bacteria and cleanliness. Every step in this system can be sanitized to the same level of any other kitchen or restaurant. Now I don't know if this place is taking those steps, but it's really not that more suspicious than what can occur out of your sight in a kitchen. It's water. And quite frankly, I trust Japanese ethics on food cleanliness and service more than I do any American state.
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u/mercuriokazooie 14d ago
Japan takes food safety extremely seriously. There is 0 way this place would be allowed to operate if it was truly unsanitary
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u/bronzelifematter 15d ago
This is some dumb tourist trap shit
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u/Aaowyn 15d ago
it’s not a tourist trap, its one of the popular ways japanese eats cold noodles traditionally. but I do agree it’s unhygenic and dumb
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u/TraditionalClub6337 15d ago
Seems bit unhygienic are they going to wash that whole thing?
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u/Cretore 15d ago
I mean according to the law they have to so yeah
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u/Real-Human-O1 15d ago
Japanese law?
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u/beartato327 15d ago
No bird law
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u/zonked_martyrdom 15d ago
Thanks for clarifying. I was worried it was cat law. Obviously those wouldn’t apply to birds.
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u/Darth-Vectivus 15d ago
Yeah. Even if they were given two chopsticks, one to pick up the noodles and one to eat with, ain’t no way everybody will follow it to the teeth. Someone will eventually pick up the noodles with the chopsticks he’s eating with and the water will be contaminated. No, thank you.
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u/Difficult-Rooster383 15d ago
Umm looks cool, wouldn’t want to eat sopping wet noodles that just ran over rocks 🤢
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u/just-some-arsonist 15d ago
There are a lot of reasons that this is unhygienic and kinda gross, “wet noodles” and “rocks” aren’t one of them
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u/Sometimeshungryornot 15d ago edited 15d ago
These comments are fascinating. We went to these as kids regularly when we'd visit in the summers and it was delicious with great memories.
We care about food safety and other people and always use the back of the chopsticks to get communal food or have separate chopsticks for serving.
I mean I see 10 times worse at any potluck or buffet in America. I refuse to eat at those.
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u/TuBui92 15d ago edited 15d ago
You know, rice noodles after boiling must be submerged in cool fresh water to stop it from over cook and sticky. Just like when you blanch vegetables. So this is just a fancier way to do this.
Most of dish will use hot soup to pour over the noodles so you dont need to worry about bacteria. but this kind of dip doesn't use hot soup so the water, the stones way must be clean very thoroughly.
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u/Recoaj12 15d ago
Imo watching the lady standing right there with the customers and putting the noodles in ruins the "fancy" feeling of it. The people are seated right next to her, lol. Just feels like she could have straight up passed it to them instead of the noodles flowing in the water for a few seconds.
To me It only works for novelty if you can't see the upstream "feeding" of the noodles, and the noodles flow down like a surprise or something.
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u/HeavyMusic93 15d ago
Do all the people crying in the comments “omg it’s soooo gross” realize they don’t have to be involved?
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u/ScreenAppropriate679 15d ago
ITT americans with a 65 yo life expectancy wanting to teach japan how food should be handled.
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