Meet your guide at Kokukoen Station and start with a walk through Tokorozawa Aviation Memorial Park. This is where Japanese aviation began. In April 1911, Japan's first airfield opened here, and on April 5 Captain Yoshitoshi Tokugawa flew a French Henri Farman biplane for 1 minute 20 seconds, about 10 metres above the ground. The field became an army air base, was taken over by the US military after 1945, and most of the land was returned in 1971 after local residents campaigned for it. Today it is a large park where local families spend their weekends. Along the way, your guide shows you the YS-11, Japan's first postwar passenger plane, and a C-46 transport aircraft on display, and tells the storey of the airfield.
A short walk on, Misawa Shokuhin has been making noodles in Tokorozawa since 1926, supplying restaurants across the area. Every Saturday, part of the warehouse turns into a direct-sale market, with soba, udon, ramen, yakisoba, and even pasta at factory prices. Outside, a food lorry grills Tokorozawa's local-style soya sauce yakisoba, and the whole place has the feel of a small area festival.
Please note: this is a shopping visit to the factory's direct-sale market, not a tour of the production area. While you shop, your guide explains the different types of Japanese noodles, how they are made, and how locals eat them at home, and helps you read the labels and choose noodles to take home. Most are shelf-stable for around two weeks, so they make an ideal edible souvenir for the end of your trip.
Lunch is included: a bowl of ramen at Kikuya Garage, one of Tokorozawa's best-loved ramen shops. Locals know it well, but you'll rarely see a tourist here. It sits right next to the factory and uses the factory's own noodles, so you taste them just steps from where they were made.
Option B only - The Noodle Crawl (second bowl, pay on site): After lunch, hop on the train for a second bowl at a shop that locals line up for and few visitors have heard of. Choose one when booking:
- Ramen at Suzunoki: ranked 2nd overall in the 2025 TRY Ramen Awards and consistently rated one of the best ramen shops in Saitama. The owner trained at famous Tokyo ramen shops and hand-kneads his noodles every morning. There are only 11 seats, and locals sign up from early morning, so this is a “lucky if we make it” stop. We check live status on the day. If it's sold out, we switch to Gansha, a well-known tsukemen (dipping noodle) shop right at Tokorozawa Station.
- Musashino udon at Ryotaro: named one of Japan's top 100 udon shops. It serves thick, chewy Musashino udon, the traditional noodle of this area, where wheat was grown instead of rice. You choose your portion size, so a second bowl is easy.
- Soba at Kuromugi: listed among Tabelog's top 100 soba restaurants in eastern Japan, yet almost unknown to visitors. It is run by a former kaiseki chef who is also involved in growing his own buckwheat. A 3-minute walk from Nishi-Tokorozawa Station.
