Traditional noodle making in Japan

(4 Apr 2008) SHOTLIST
Nara Valley - March 2008
1. Mid of tray with Somen noodles served in a hot soup with shrimp and shitake mushrooms
2. Close of Somen noodles with shrimp and shitake mushrooms
3. Wide of racks of Somen noodles being dried in sun
4. Close of woman separating noodles to prevent them from sticking
5. Various of racks wheeled back into the factory
6. Exterior of the Miwa Somen Yamamoto factory
7. Set up of Yamamoto Taharu at desk
8. SOUNDBITE: (Japanese) Yamamoto Taharu, factory owner
"Somen noodles were originally introduced to Japan from China around twelve hundred years ago. Our company was founded in 1717, exactly 291 years ago."
9. Various of Somen noodles being stretched
10. Mid of factory employee
11. Close of stretched Somen noodles gathering in basin
12. Close of basin containing noodles
13. Various of worker wheeling stretched noodles to the section of factory where they will be stretched again
14. SOUNDBITE: (Japanese) Sugihara Motoyuki, factory employee
"Somen is made from salt water and wheat flour. A single strand is stretched until it gets thinner and thinner."
15. Various of machinery used in stretching process
16. Close of noodle dough wrapped around two metal tubes in a figure of eight
17. SOUNDBITE: (Japanese) Sugihara Motoyuki, factory employee
"There are many different kinds of noodles such as udon for example, which is cut, or spaghetti which is needed and pushed into shape but the somen that we make here are stretched thinner and thinner from a single thread."
18. Mid of noodles entering machine that will stretch them to approximately 60cm
19. Various of noodles being stretched
20. SOUNDBITE: (Japanese) Sugihara Motoyuki, factory employee
"The finer the noodles become the higher their price rises in the market place. Making the noodles this fine requires a high level of skill and the quantity that can be produced is limited."
21. Various of stretching machine
22. Mid of worker moving noodles to be dried in the sun
23. Wide of racks of noodles left to dry in sun
24. SOUNDBITE: (Japanese) Yamamoto Taharu, factory owner
"After taking thirty six hours to make it doesn't go directly to the customers but to a warehouse where it is stored for two or three years to mature before it will finally be eaten."
25. Various of boxes containing noodles
26. Mid of cold Somen noodles served with ginger spring onions, and roasted sesame seeds
27. Zoom into bowl of noodles with shrimp
28. Close of hand next to bowls of noodles
LEAD IN:
Ever wondered how Japanese Somen noodles are made? Well, wonder no more.
Painstaking work, involving several stretching stages and complex machinery, is what's needed to make a plateful of noodles.
STORYLINE:
Noodle making has been transformed into an art form in Japan.
In the town of Sakurai, a small factory has been making Somen noodles for over two centuries.
To this day, workers individually stretch and separate the noodles during the outdoor drying process.
The origins of the noodles goes back centuries.
Yamamoto Taharu, owner of the Miwa-Somen Yamamoto factory, says the noodles were originally introduced to Japan from China around twelve hundred years ago.
Somen noodles are made from wheat flour and salt water, and are stretched to a diameter of around 1.3 millimetres.
Another variety of the noodles, known as 'shiraga', are even finer, with a diameter of 0.6millimetres.
Sugihara Motoyuki, a worker in the factory, says they stretch individual strands until they get thinner and thinner.
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[@NunyaDammeBiznis]

In traditional noodle making it is done by hand, not machine.

[@davidfoxrn]

Hey, its raining! Everybody take the day off...

[@vasanthbangaru]

Are they sun drying the noodles?? Please reply

[@gordo_careta]

roses are red, violets are blue, the title is in english so video should be too

[@pinglin5305]

面晒干了就没有bug了！而且那面里有很多盐！

[@simkhaikim2308]

ping lin

[@jdragzz261]

Is that a marijuana leaf next to that shrimp???

[@Boygasm]

I wondered about bugs??? Wont leaving it outside invite bugs ?

[@darsoulr]

This mental inbedded obessions I'm sure there's a more scientific term for it but it's childhood inspiration and subliminal traits as they play out to a similar tune to idilness the seven devil's that arise..and nostalgia may be one of them for the Bible does say put aside childish things

[@darsoulr]

Just complaining about being under a political agenda gang hit that's definitely multi generational