If you ask for "soba" in Hida Takayama, you'll likely be given a bowl of Chinese-style "chuka soba," which is synonymous with ramen. If you want to order Japanese-style buckwheat soba, you'd have to specifically call it nama soba (fresh soba) or nihon soba (Japanese soba). Even on New Year's Eve, when traditional buckwheat toshikoshi soba is eaten in the rest of Japan as a ritual to promote longevity and good health, Takayama natives often slurp down chuka soba or ramen noodles instead.

The history of ramen in Takayama is long, and dates back before World War II. The soup is a traditional Japanese ramen soup, made with katsuo (dried bonito) and soy sauce. The ramen noodles are thin and, ironically, reminiscent of Japanese buckwheat soba. Due to the dark color of the soup, bowl of Takayama-style ramen will often appear to be extremely salty, yet will taste very light, due to the use of top quality spring water from the mountains in the region.

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