Peter: 
Nice, quaint shop on the hillside. The udon was fine; nice and hot in contrast to the cold room. It wasn't busy, which was nice. My niku udon was generally tasty, but not outstanding. The karashi was composed of a different base than is normal, and wasn't at all spicy, which definitely detracted from the experience. On my second visit, the udon noodles were more much firm, which dramatically improved the quality of the lunch.
Udon Chewiness: 6
Overall: 6
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Jason: 
I must admit that because it's actually my grandma's
udon-ya (I was adopted), I'm offering a biased opinion.
Still, if you're looking for the Yoshida Udon experience,
there's nowhere I can recommend higher than Gaien, or as I
call it, simply Grandma's.
First of all, the building is actually an old Japanese
Inn, or ryokan. People looking for accomodations can stay
there for a resonable price (I think 5,000 yen a night,
including 2 meals). The tatami is a bit faded, as are the
wooden beams and sliding paper doors, but that only adds
to the feeling of being in an authentic Japanese living
space. Other udon-yas convert a room into a restaurant,
but at Gaien, you eat in a space that is actually used and
loved, and has been for a long time.
The udon itself is top-notch, and there is a wide
variety to enjoy. Gaien is possibly the only udon-ya in
Fujiyoshida that has its own well on the premises. People
say that all Yoshida udon is made with Mt. Fuji water, but
Grandma's does not have to collect and store it in big
plastic jugs. The well dates back to the construction of
the house, in the early 20th century, and the water that
comes from it makes for delicious noodles and dashi, which
is also flavored with a little miso and konbu.
All dishes at Grandma's are prepared by the cook,
Mago-san. The noodles are on the thick side, and they are
soft but firm, not gummy or too chewy. Grandma's offers
the typical kake, niku, and kakeage (which many other
places improperly call tempura) varieties. However,
Grandma's offeres a few unique, healthy choices not found
anywhere else: healthy udon (both hot and cold) and tuna
salad udon. The healthy udon comes with a veggie/seaweed
soup, and features special noodles that have nori seaweed
and black sesame rolled into them. The tuna salad udon has
tuna, salad veggies, and regular udon covered in a light
dressing.
You can't really go wrong with any of the items, but my
personal favorites are the hiyashi and the hiyashi healthy
udon, narrowly edging out the Nikuten. Nikuten is a
combination of the niku and the kakeage udon. Still, the
true character of the noodles comes out when they are
cold. Chilled, the unique firmness and thickness really
stands out. Grandma's presents the hiyashi on a woven
straw tray, and the oomori(large helping) is a small
mountain. It comes without wasabi, but the clean taste of
the noodles that comes from the special well water is
sufficient by itself, or with some karashi or shichimi
chili powder.
Even the karashi and tanuki at Grandma's is special.
The karashi is made with ground black sesame, giving it a
deep black color. It varies in spiciness from batch to
batch. The tanuki are made via a special recipe with nori,
making them light green, and providing a different flavor
than ordinary tanuki.
Finally, there is Grandma herself. Grandma's
hospitality makes Gaien come to life. She knows her usual
customers by name, and will gladly come over to share a
glass of mugi-cha or a warm cup of tea in the winter. She
always brings out a special treat for dessert, and she
speaks English very well. Many times I've whiled away
entire Saturday afternoons, chatting with Grandma for 2 or
3 hours. An expert in calligraphy, the koto (a Japanese
musical instrument) and Noh drama, she's taught me many
things about Japanese culture. Her mukashi-banashi stories
are always delightful.
Recently I've gone to Gaien a few times when she was
out, or not feeling well, and the entire place loses a
little shine in her absence. Even still, if you only have
time to eat Yoshida Udon once, you can't go wrong at
Grandma's.
Score: Udon 8.5 hot, 9.5 cold, averaging out to 9; +72
bonus points for Grandma: 81 out of 10
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Paul & Momi: 
Noodles: 7/10 Grandma +72 bonus points. I tend to like a
firmer udon than Gaien serves, but they also have a couple of
specialty offerings that make this place one of my favorites. The
first is the Tuna Salad Udon, which is basically a tuna salad with
greens on top of a healthy portion of noodles. The second is the niku
udon set that comes with tempura topped rice and tsukemono. That set
makes my tummy happy. And Grandma's company can't be beat!
(someday I'll write the beginning history of my
relationship with grandma)
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