When I was in Utah in the United States, most Americans says Toyota, Samurai, and nnn, Sushi, when I asked a question "What do you imagine about Japan or Japanese?" Other than those, most Americans had not known about Japanese or Japan. So i was pretty depressed, and that feeling still remains in my heart, that is why I just try to prevail Soba and Sake in the other world except Japan because those are precious Japanse cultural items.
Soba is actually exists around the world, but to cut into thin noodles is Japanese original techniques, so it can be a real man-crafted technique with some proudness.
Also, Sake is a Japanese represantative alchol like wine from Europe. Sake is made of Japanse rice which is acutally only puropse of making sake, called Sakamai.
We drink sake, after a couple of drinking sake, we eat soba. That style have been prevailed since Edo period. But now, most people just don`t care about the way we used to do it because of wine much prevailed with European foods such as pasta and pizza and so forth.
Anyway, why don`t we feel good with drinking sake and eating soba after all. That eating style is much cooler from now on, considering the prevailing Japanese culture to the world.