Arakiya

Arakiya is Izumo's oldest operating soba restaurant, founded in the 1780s during the Tenmei era, located a five-minute walk from the Seidamari torii gate at Izumo Taisha in Izumo City, Shimane Prefecture. Its long history gives it a distinctive place among the shrine town's many soba shops, with a menu centered on wariko soba served in the traditional multi-tier lacquered bowl, kamaage soba served warm in its cooking broth rather than chilled, and a soba zenzai sweet soba dessert unusual among the area's restaurants. The dining room offers both table and tatami seating in a building with centuries of history behind it, giving the space a lived-in, historic character distinct from the newer soba shops closer to the shrine gate. There is no dedicated alcohol or beverage program; the restaurant's identity rests entirely on its noodles and its age. Reservations are not required, and the restaurant serves until the day's soba sells out, which can happen before the stated 4pm closing time on busy days. It is closed on Wednesdays. Prices range from about ¥900 to ¥1,900. Given its founding in the 1780s, dining at Arakiya offers a rare chance to eat in one of the longest continuously operating soba restaurants near Izumo Taisha.