Originally Posted by LapLap
Don't miss out on trying soba noodles at a highly dedicated soba restaurant - where the flour is freshly milled and the noodles rolled out and cut that day, a quintessential Japanese experience (and one that won't break the bank). There are a wide variety of soba noodles, some are light made from highly milled buckwheat flour, others are dark with a stronger flavour - then there are the many kinds of flavours that are incorporated into the noodles which include green tea, ume, yuzu, sesame & shiso leaves. Ramen is a result of the indigenous development of a Chinese import (wheat noodles) whereas soba noodles are an entirely Japanese invention dating back about 400 years.
Out of the suggestions on this web page:
http://metropolis.japantoday.com/tokyo/433/dining.asp , I can recommend Toshian & Kanda Yabu Soba. (My favourite is a restaurant in Yotsuya, but I can't access my notes for another month to tell you the name of it).
Sake and soba go WONDERFULLY together, and cold noodles on a hot day are a delight as well as a relief. (Morisoba - or zarusoba wich comes with nori)
When you're doing your research on which restaurants to visit, don't forget to check what food is in season when you're there and choose a restaurant or dish where this kind of speciality is best served. Some of the best restaurants in Japan/Tokyo only serve a very narrow range of options and are highly specialised.
LapLap, did you ever make it to my friend's soba shop in Shakujii Koen? Bit out of the way to recommend to casual visitors, but...
I finally made it in on my last trip to Tokyo, and while I spent half the evening collapsed over several chairs with a migraine, the soba was as wonderful as I remembered it being (once I woke up--great guest of honor I am).