Thatched roofs and soba you eat with a leek
Ouchi-juku, in the mountains of Fukushima, is an old post town, a stop for travelers on a highway of the samurai era, where thatched-roof houses line both sides of one wide street. Here soba comes with a single curved leek instead of chopsticks: you scoop the noodles with it and bite off a piece now and then. Afterward, climb to the lookout at the end of the street; it is about three hours from Tokyo by train and bus, and many shops take cash only.
The best-known shop for negi soba, where your bowl of soba comes with one long, curved leek to eat it with. Scoop up the noodles with the leek and take a bite of it now and then for its sharp flavor. Expect a wait at busy times.
Eat negi soba inside one of the village's thatched-roof houses, so you see how the old rooms look from the inside while you eat.
Besides negi soba, this shop grills iwana, a mountain river fish, on skewers around an irori, a sunken hearth in the floor. It closes for the day once the ingredients run out, so go early.
A rebuilt honjin, the inn where feudal lords stayed when they traveled this road, now an exhibition hall. Walk through its rooms and see the tools of daily life in the old post town.
A lookout on the hill at the far end of the village, where the whole row of thatched roofs lines up below you along the street. It is reached by steep stone steps, so wear comfortable shoes.