During Japan’s cruel summer, chilled noodles are a survival strategy
Premade, chilled "sōmen" noodles and an umami-forward dipping sauce make for a great, cooling meal when temperatures soar. | ELIZABETH ANDOH
Aug 16, 2026
Japanese summers are now so sweltering that the Meteorological Agency created a word to describe a whole new category of hot.
The term “kokushobi” (literally, “cruel hot day”) was coined to describe the brutal heat of temperatures 40 degrees Celsius and above. In previous years, mōshobi (“fiercely hot days”) of 35 C or higher had ranked as the hottest, but by July, cities across Japan had already experienced multiple consecutive kokushobi days.
With dangerously hot summer days now a fact of life, my kitchen repertoire during August focuses on sōmen — the chilled, thread-thin wheat noodles that have refreshed heat-weary Japanese since at least the eighth century.
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