Japanese Must-Read 'A Bowl of Udon', Actually New Year's 'Memilmyeon'

Japanese New Year's Traditional Dish 'Toshikoshi Soba'

Toshikoshi Soba sold at a shop in Ishikawa, Japan. (Photo by Menbohonjin Twitter account)

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeon Jinyoung] Everyone probably read the Japanese novel Udon One Bowl as a required reading during their school days. On the night transitioning from December 31 to January 1, a mother enters an udon shop with her two children and orders one serving for the three of them. The shop owner realizes the family is not well-off and contemplates whether to make three bowls for free. Instead, to avoid hurting their feelings, he prepares one generous bowl that is enough for all three. It is a heartwarming story about consideration that warms the heart from the New Year.

However, did you know that the udon the family shared is actually soba, buckwheat noodles? In Japan, there is a tradition of eating buckwheat noodles called "Toshikoshi Soba" (年越しそば) on the last evening of the year to welcome the New Year. Therefore, the original title is One Bowl of Warm Soba.

The reason for eating soba at the end of the year in Japan is because of the texture of the buckwheat noodles. Since soba noodles break easily without stickiness, they are eaten with the meaning of cutting off bad luck from the past year. Although the novel features "year-crossing udon," this was adapted to help Korean readers understand. In Korea, soba is commonly perceived as cold noodles dipped in broth, so if the original story had been kept as is, it might have felt awkward to Korean readers.

Just as Korea’s New Year food, rice cake soup (tteokguk), has various versions such as oyster tteokguk, meat tteokguk, and small rice cake ball tteokguk, Japanese Toshikoshi Soba also includes various ingredients depending on the household. The basic topping is shrimp or vegetable tempura, but combinations with meat, fried tofu (yubu), seafood, and others exist.

The ingredients also carry symbolic meanings. Shrimp represents a wish for longevity, symbolizing living until the waist is bent like a shrimp’s curved body and long whiskers. Additionally, eggs symbolize financial luck, and yubu (fried tofu) signifies a bountiful harvest.

Though it may dampen the warm feelings, it is said that Udon One Bowl is not well regarded in Japan. The original author, Kuri Ryohei, was involved in controversies in Japan over academic fraud, infidelity, and fraud charges.

Still, the wish for a New Year filled only with good things and no misfortune seems to be the same in both Korea and Japan. Wishing everyone a Happy New Year filled with blessings.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.