From around 1907, during the
Meiji era, a large number of Chinese restaurants featuring Chinese chefs dispatched from
Yokohama Chinatown, as well as eateries serving
shina soba (the precursor to
ramen), began opening in
Asakusa, Tokyo. Some of these chefs had been forced to leave the United States due to the
Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 and came to Japan seeking work. From the late Meiji through the
Taishō era, the number of Japanese
yatai (street food stalls) specializing in
shina soba increased, and the
Chinese-style noodles use for them became familiar to Tokyoites. Meanwhile, around 1897, also during the Meiji era, street stalls selling
teppanyaki began appearing. These dishes were inspired by
tempura and involved grilling ingredients like squid, shrimp, and ginger mixed with flour and water. It used the same sauce and ingredients as
dondonyaki but substituted the relatively cheaper Chinese-style noodles for wheat flour ones, the price of which had soared due to the
1918 Rice riots. In 1935, during the Shōwa era, street food stalls specializing in
Worcestershire sauce-flavored
yakisoba gained popularity in Tokyo, and the dish was also served at
okonomiyaki restaurants in Asakusa, where it was considered a local specialty. After Japan's
WWII defeat in 1945, returning from
Japan's overseas territories ate
yakisoba at
black markets in Tokyo. This led to the dish spreading to their hometowns, gradually extending its popularity throughout Japan. ==Preparation==