Toshikoshi Soba Coloring Pages

Noodles to Eat on New Year's Eve

Toshikoshi Soba are noodles you eat on the very last day of the year, New Year's Eve.
People say eating them helps cut away the tough times and bad things from the past year so you can welcome the new year fresh.
Every home has its own way to eat them, like hot noodle soup or cold noodles on a tray.
Putting shrimp tempura on top makes it feel like a real feast!

Wishes Put into the Noodles

Since Toshikoshi Soba noodles are thin and long, people put a wish into them for a long and healthy life.
Also, because the noodles break easily, they say it means "cutting off the hard times of the past year."
There is also a story from long ago. Craftsmen who worked with gold used balls of Toshikoshi Soba dough to pick up scattered gold dust. That is why people started to think of them as good luck for bringing in money!

When Did People Start Eating Them?

People say the tradition of eating Toshikoshi Soba spread during the Edo period.
There were many noodle shops in the city of Edo, so Toshikoshi Soba was a very familiar food to everyone.
Even today, you can see long lines in front of noodle shops on New Year's Eve.
In some regions, people eat udon noodles instead of Toshikoshi Soba!

3 Coloring Pages

There are 3 coloring pages.
The 1st page is hot Toshikoshi Soba topped with shrimp tempura.
The 2nd page shows Toshikoshi Soba lined up on a heated kotatsu table on a snowy New Year's Eve night.
The 3rd page is a detailed coloring page of a noodle chef using a rolling pin to stretch out the Toshikoshi Soba dough.
Get ready for the new year together with our New Year's Eve and Osechi Ryori coloring pages!

Different Kinds of Toshikoshi Soba

Toppings for Toshikoshi Soba are different depending on the area and your home.
Besides shrimp tempura, people in places like Kyoto eat Nishin Soba topped with sweet simmered herring on New Year's Eve.
Some homes make Kitsune Soba topped with fried tofu, or Tsukimi Soba topped with an egg.
What kind of Toshikoshi Soba do you eat at your house?
They say it is best to finish eating your Toshikoshi Soba before the new year begins.
It is nice to eat them with your whole family while looking back on the year!

Soba noodles are light gray

Soba noodles are light gray or light brown.
Don't press too hard! Tilt your colored pencil softly and color quickly to make them look just like real noodles.
If you color the soup dark brown and the bowl red or navy blue, your Toshikoshi Soba will really pop!

Shrimp tempura

Layer yellow and ocher on the shrimp tempura batter to make it look nice and crispy.
Color the tip of the tail red or orange to make it look just like a real shrimp.
Color the green onions yellow-green, and color the fish cake white and pink.

A room with a kotatsu

On the second coloring page, try coloring the big flower pattern on the kotatsu blanket with red and orange to make it feel warm and cozy.
Color the tatami mats light yellow-green, color the night sky outside the window navy blue, and leave the snow white. Color the mandarin oranges in the basket orange!

Tools for making soba

On the third coloring page, color the rolling board, rolling pin, and mixing bowl with brown and ocher to make them look like real wood.
You can also color the inside of the mixing bowl red or black to look like shiny lacquerware.
Color the blade of the soba knife gray, but leave a thin white line to make it look shiny and sharp!

Steam and shine

On the first coloring page, leave the steam white so your Toshikoshi Soba looks hot and delicious!
If you leave a thin white line along the edge of the bowl or tray, it will look super shiny.
Try coloring the shichimi spice shaker red or brown.
Color the tray dark brown or red to make your Toshikoshi Soba look yummy.
Color the chopsticks light brown like real wood.

Buckwheat Seeds

Toshikoshi Soba is made from buckwheat flour. This flour comes from the seeds of the buckwheat plant.
Buckwheat seeds are shaped like triangles. When you peel off the black shell, a whitish seed comes out from inside.
Buckwheat can grow even in cold places or poor soil. That is why people have grown it in mountain areas for a very long time.

Tools for Making Soba

Making noodles from scratch is called striking Toshikoshi Soba.
First, you mix the flour and water in a kneading bowl. Next, you use a rolling pin to roll it thin on a pastry board. Then, you use a special noodle knife to cut it thin.
The wooden board used like a ruler when cutting is called a koma-ita.

Things to Watch Out for When Eating

Some people's bodies cannot handle Toshikoshi Soba. People with a buckwheat allergy cannot eat it.
When you eat with everyone, it is a good idea to ask your family and friends if they can eat it first.

Tsugomori Soba

Long ago, people called the last day of every month tsugomori. They had a custom of eating Toshikoshi Soba on that day.
People say that out of all these "tsugomori soba" meals, the one eaten on New Year's Eve—the very last day of the year—stayed with us as Toshikoshi Soba.
New Year's Eve is also called "Omisoka" or "O-tsugomori."