Marugame brings us a new way to eat bukkake udon on the go.

It was an ordinary day at SoraNews24 HQ. Well, OK, maybe not entirely ordinary. Someone (we can’t remember who) had decided that we should have a “fashionable clothes day,” and somewhere along the line we’d gotten the idea that we should have a fashionable blanket to sit on too.

It had taken all of our mental energy to pull off this half-baked aesthetical upgrade, and unfortunately that meant that no one on the floor had remembered to make any plans for lunch. Adding hunger with the already existing air of mental confusion in the room meant it wasn’t long until tempers started to boil over.

▼ Our ace reporter, Mr. Sato, getting hungry…

▼ …and getting angry.

It was at this time that Go Hatori, head of our Japanese-language editing team, stepped into the room. Seeing the staff literally at each other’s throats, he shouted, “Hey, let’s get shaking!”

Go wasn’t ordering everyone back to work, though, but telling them that it was time to break for lunch. Reliable manager that he is, he’d gone out and picked up some Shake Udon for everybody.

Shake Udon might sound like Japan’s newest unusual milk shake flavor, but it’s actually a new take-out-only udon noodle item from udon restaurant chain Marugame Udon. See, while udon makes a great meal when you’ve got time to eat in at a restaurant, a bowl of broth makes for a tough take-out option, especially if you’re picking up food for more than just yourself. So to solve those problems, Marugame created Shake Udon, an entire udon meal in a cup that you can hold in one hand and enjoy pretty much anywhere.

There are a total of five Shake Udon items, all in the bukkake style in which broth is splashed on top of the noodles. Pictured above is the Sesame Dressing Salad Udon Shake Udon (590 yen [US$4.50]). The chef starts by putting a full serving of udon noodles in the cup, splashing on the broth, then adding a vegetable medley with sesame dressing.

So why does Marugame call it “Shake Udon” instead of “Cup Udon?” Because before you dig in…

…you’re supposed to shake it up!

After vigorously demonstrating for the team, Go presented them with the other four varieties of Shake Udon he’d brought back.

▼ Mentai Tororo Udon (390 yen), with mentaiko (spicy cod roe), grated yam, shredded nori seaweed, and green onion

▼ Ume Oroshi Udon (390 yen) with grated plum, shiso (Japanese basil), katsuobushi (bonito flakes), and wakame seaweed, for an especially refreshing flavor

▼ Spicy Tantan Udon (490 yen), with diced pork and chicken accompanied by a chili sesame sauce like the one used in dandan noodles

▼ And for the extra-hungry, the Spicy Tantan Salad Udon (740 yen), which adds the spicy meat and dandan seasoning to the Sesame Dressing Salad Udon

Of course, as a manager it’s Go’s job to delegate tasks to the staff, so he put them to work shaking up their Shake Udon.

Marugame says its goal for the Shake Udon is for it to be a fun, casual noodle meal that you can enjoy anywhere, and we have to say, the sheer silliness of the mass shaking really did put a smile on everyone’s face.

Not to mention the inherent comedy of the sound of a half-dozen dudes all slurping in unison.

Flavor-wise, the Shake Udon is everything we’d expected from one of Japan’s most popular udon chains, with expertly cooked noodles and deliciously complementing flavors.

Our taste-test was actually a sneak preview, since Marugame’s Shake Udon doesn’t officially go on sale until May 16. When it does, though, we know what our new go-to choice is going to be when we need to put udon in our bellies and smiles on our faces.

Related: Marugame Udon
Photos ©SoraNews24
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