In Paris, there is a handmade soba restaurant, Togo. It is run by Mrs and Mr Matsui, who are originally from Fukui prefecture. It is a famous unpretentious restaurant that imports buckwheat flour from Fukui and turns it into soba noodles in Paris.
As far as Japanese noodles are concerned, there are two types: udon and soba. While udon are more of a Kansai (western Japan) dish, soba are more of a Kanto (eastern Japan) dish.
Udon is made from wheat flour, while soba is made from buckwheat flour, which is made from buckwheat seeds. Although buckwheat seeds are also available in France, unfortunately only buckwheat noodles can be made from Japanese buckwheat seeds to achieve this texture and taste. This is why Togo uses buckwheat seeds flown in from Fukui Prefecture.
At Togo, the noodles are made using a buckwheat noodle process called "soba-uchi", and are served fresh. The result is as delicious as in Japan. The noodles are smooth and have a very strange texture.