Somen are a Japanese summer noodle favorite. The thin noodles are typically enjoyed chilled and then dipped into tsuyu sauce, but they are also sometimes served as nagashi-somen. Nagashi-somen sees the noodles travel down long bamboo slides, and diners pick them up with their chopsticks as they pass by. Because of the communal and sometimes challenging nature of this, nagashi-somen is seen as a fun group outing and even a school festival activity.

Lifestyle goods maker Doshisha realizes that right now nagashi-somen isn't exactly a thriving dining style due to the pandemic, so they've decided to bring the experience home in grand style. Their latest release sets up an customizable multi-course nagashi-somen waterslide in your home that extends up to 1.7m (5.6 feet)!

The "Bamboo Pavilion Nagashi-Somen" is a arrangeable course waterslide built to recreate the fun of flowing noodles in your home. The noodle waterslide can be set up into one long stream, split up into a double course, or compacted into a shorter form to take up less table space.

Long course

Double course

Compact course

The height of the support poles and the angle of the slider can be changed, so it's possible to create various courses unique to your noodle slurping party and living setup.

The noodles pour out into a colander which collects the noodles and drains water, and has convenient trays to store side dishes and somen toppings such as vegetables, as well as an ice tray to keep the water chilled.

The Bamboo Pavilion Nagashi-Somen waterslide will go on sale throughout Japan at major retailers beginning in early April, but is already available for pre-order from Doshinsha.