The theme of this trip is actually a “birthday trip.”
And today is my birthday.
I already booked a pretty expensive restaurant for dinner tonight.
So for lunch, I wanted something light and easy to digest.
After drinking a bit too much last night,
I thought it’d be better to soothe my stomach first
so I could enjoy dinner properly.
At times like this, soba is what comes to mind.
Buckwheat noodles are gentle on the stomach,
and warm soba broth always feels comforting.
So I searched for soba restaurants in Kagoshima on Tabelog.
That’s how I found Tenjinbo Marushin (天神房 丸新),
located in the northern part of Tenmonkan.
It’s been selected for “Tabelog Soba WEST Top 100 Restaurants” in both 2024 and 2025, which means it’s among the best in Kagoshima.
By the way, Tabelog WEST refers to the western region of Japan.
Every year, Tabelog divides Japan into three areas —
West Japan, East Japan, and Tokyo —
and picks 100 restaurants for each.
So being ranked in the top 100 of West Japan is quite impressive.
Considering West Japan covers about two-thirds of the country’s land area, that’s a big deal.
In Japan, a soba restaurant isn’t exactly what Koreans imagine.
In Korea, a soba place usually serves only soba.
But in Japan, soba restaurants also offer many small dishes,
and you can enjoy Japanese sake or shochu there too.
Once, a Japanese friend invited me to a soba place for dinner,
and I wondered, “Soba for dinner?”
But when I got there, we ordered various dishes and drank sake —
it made sense then.
Anyway, I arrived right at 11 a.m. when the restaurant opened.
With a Tabelog rating over 3.5,
if you’re late, you’ll probably have to line up.
Open-run strategy worked well.
I wanted something simple and warm,
so after staring at the menu for a while,
I ordered nameko soba (なめこそば).
Nameko mushrooms look similar to enoki,
but the caps have a slippery coating that gives a smooth texture.
In Korea, they’re known as “nado-paengnamu-beoseot,”
but people usually just call them nameko mushrooms.
Finally, my soba arrived.
The mushrooms were mostly caps, not stems —
lots of them, generously piled.
Their natural coating thickened the broth nicely.
The noodles had that slightly coarse buckwheat texture but were smooth enough to eat comfortably.
Maybe because it’s made with new-season buckwheat, the aroma was rich and fragrant.
Overall, the flavor isn’t intense.
It’s mild and wholesome — like a “healthy” taste.
As I ate the warm noodles, I started to sweat a little.
It really felt like my condition was improving.
With the nameko mushrooms adding that clean, nourishing flavor, I thought,
“Yes, perfect lunch choice for today!”
At first, I thought the portion looked small,
but it was more filling than expected.
Simple, light, yet satisfying and nourishing — just what I needed for lunch.
Tenjinbo Marushin may not have a distinct “Kagoshima flavor,”
but since it’s right in the heart of Tenmonkan, it’s easy to get to.
Despite being in the busiest part of the city, it’s calm and tidy inside.
If you want to rest your stomach from all the tonkatsu and shochu during your Kagoshima trip, this place is a great pick.
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