If you were to list the different kinds of Japanese noodles available in Japan, the list would be massive. The following noodles are the type of noodles found almost everywhere in Japan:

You can write an entire topic just on ラーメン. There are so many different kinds of ラーメン in Japan. The kind pictured is called しょうゆ or soy sauce flavored ラーメン. Interestingly enough, sometimes ラーメン is spelled in katakana because ラーメン originally came from China. While ラーメン did come from China, the Japanese have totally made ラーメン their own renown versions of it in instant noodles.

そば is a type of noodle made from buckwheat flour. The noodles are dipped in a dipping sauce called そばつゆ. Usually the noodles and the sauce come separate with perhaps a small dish of radish or わさび. The radish and わさび can make the soy based dipping sauce spicier. Sometimes a bit of crushed, dry seaweed is sprinkled on top of the noodles. そば can be served both hot and cold.

そうめん is a thin, white noodle also dipped in a dipping sauce made of かつおぶし. かつおぶし is a skipjack tuna that has been dried and fermented into thin fish flakes. In the summer the dipping sauce is chilled with ice. The noodles are usually topped with green onions. The difference between そば and そめん is that そめん is made of wheat flour while そば is made of buckwheat flour.

うどん is a thick variety of a wheat flour noodle. Depending on the region, the soup can be a heavy soy based broth or a light soy based broth. The toppings also vary by region and can include かまぼこ (processed fish slices), てんぷら (deep fried seafood or vegetables), and green onions. Unlike そば and そめん, うどん noodles are not served separately with a dipping sauce. Instead, the noodles are already mixed in with the soup.