What is nagashi somen? And is it safe?
Usually, nagashi somen is both fun and save. However, it can be dangerous if its hosts don’t take the proper precautions. Here’s how the usually fun practice of nagashi somen gave 93 people and possibly hundreds more a health scare – and how to protect yourself on your own trip to Japan.
Downfall: Nagashi somen health risks
For over 30 years, ลtaki (ๅคงๆป) has been the perfect summer spot. Literally meaning “great waterfall,” ลtaki’s crystal clear water splashed on moss-covered rocks before gently flowing into a stream where natural trout swam about.
Beside the river, a restaurant overlooks ลtaki, its cone-shaped roof donned in as much moss as the river rocks. The building’s beams are the shade of red reminiscent of torii gates.
The name of the restaurant is ลtaki Sลmen (ๅคงๆปใใใใ). It is open only during the summer months. This year, the restaurant closed its doors early due to a cluster of food poisoning cases.
Located on the riverbank of Kikubo River of Ishikawa Prefecture, ลtaki Sลmen’s specialty is in the name. Sลmen, or more specifically, nagashi somen (ๆตใใใใใ), is the restaurant’s main attraction for summer vacationers. But this summer, these flowing noodles became the restaurant’s first badge of shame in the plus thirty years itโs been in business.
Public health officials have confirmed 93 people fell ill from food poisoning after eating at ลtaki Sลmen, according to reports by Japanese media this week on September 1st. An additional 500 citizens have reported concerning symptoms.
The cause: Water contaminated…by boars?
Noodles are not the kind of food people usually expect to get food poisoning from – unlike undercooked meat, for example. But nagashi-sลmen is an exception, as noodles do not directly transfer from a sterile kitchen to customers’ tables.
Many traditional establishments like ลtaki Sลmen cook their noodles in a kitchen as expected. But then, instead of plating the noodles, they stream themโโin river water. The restaurant delivers noodles to each customer in a stream of fast-flowing water that flows through a cut-open bamboo shoot.
The rest is up to the customer. Customers scoop up the noodles from the stream and into their cups of sauce with their chopsticks.
That would have been the end of it if the water at ลtaki Sลmen was clean. But when the local health center took samples of ลtaki’s river water, it tested positive for campylobacter bacteria. Campylobacter is Japan’s most common bacteria that causes diarrheal illness and food poisoning.
Recent reports raise the possibility that boars that witnesses sighted near ลtaki Sลmen’s water source may have left droppings in the water, leading to contamination.
Avoidable accident
Visitors looked forward to this year’s nagashi somen at ลtaki. Event organizers had postponed it for the past three years due to public health restrictions.
Despite many looking forward to nagashi somen’s comeback, the restaurant’s organizers failed to test the river water’s quality before its opening date on July 23rd. No law required the restaurant to run tests before the opening date. However, that might have prevented the cluster of food poisoning cases.
The organizers claim that they failed to test the water due to heavy rainfall that had happened in earlier weeks. ลtaki Sลmen tested the water only after the first reports of food poisoning symptoms came out.
The prefectural government shut down the restaurant for three days between August 17th and 19th before the establishment closed its doors for the summer.
Severe symptoms from contaminated nagashi somen
“I had to keep going to the bathroom every 30 minutes. My fever was high, and I had diarrhea. My fever got as high as 39.8 degrees,” said one woman who ate at ลtaki Sลmen with her famliy.
Patients range between ages two and fifty. Authorities expect all to recover.
ลtaki Sลmen has issued an apology online to victims. It will return next year with more thorough testing…that is, if its reputation survives.
Nagashi somen’s origins
The practice of nagashi somen began in 1955 in Takachiho Town of Miyazaki Prefecture. Legend has it that a farmer working the fields in the hot summer got the idea to eat cold noodles outdoors and started the tradition.
The area is also known for nagashi somen. This is similar to nagashi somen but different in that instead of using natural water flow through bamboo shoots, it uses filtered water from a machine that flows around a seated table.
Noodles flowing over 3500 meters
In November 2022, Takamori Town in Nagano Prefecture won the Guinness World Record for the longest nagashisลmen at 3,515.42 meters. The previous record was shorter by 200 meters.
The challenge was an effort to make use of abandoned bamboo forests. Local junior high school students spent a year building the nagashisลmen bamboo structure.
Is nagashi somen safe?
So is nagashi somen safe to eat? Usually, yes. Most Japanese restaurants are strict about food health, as the reputational risk of a health incident is severe. You just have the make sure the event actually tests its water to ensure it doesn’t come from a potentially contaminated source.
Unsure of where to go or what to see in Japan? Contact Unseen Japan Tours and have us put together a custom itinerary for you. We can even act as your tour guides, helping you ask any questions you have to satisfy any doubts around safety.
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Sources
[1] “ๆตใใใใใ”ใง93ไบบ้ฃไธญๆฏ500ไบบ่ชฟๆปไธญ ๆนงใๆฐดใใใใซใณใใญใใฏใฟใผใๆคๅบ่ฑช้จใงๆฐด่ณชๆคๆป่กใใ. Yahoo!ใใฅใผในJAPAN
[2] ็ณๅทใปๆดฅๅนกใๅ็ฉใฎๆตใใใใใๅพฉๆดปใ4ๅนดใถใใซๆถผใๆฑใใฆ. NHK
[3] ๆตใใใใใๅบใง93ไบบ้ฃไธญๆฏใใใใซ500ไบบใใ็ธ่ซโฆๆฐด่ณชๆคๆปใใๆนงใๆฐดไฝฟ็จ. ่ชญๅฃฒๆฐ่
[4] ใ่ฟฝ่ทกใๆตใใใใใใง93ไบบ้ฃไธญๆฏใฎ่ฌใๅๅ ใฎใใซใณใใญใใฏใฟใผใใฉใใใ๏ผๆนงใๆฐด่ฟใใซใคใใทใทใ. Yahoo!ใใฅใผในJAPAN
[5] ๆตใใใใใใฎ่ตทๆบ. ใใใใใฎๅฑฑ้
