Nama Japan

25/06/2025

Shinasoba Fukufukutei (支那そば福々亭) is a ramen shop in Ito city, which has a strong connection to the legendary ramen shop Shinasobaya of ramen master Sano Minoru. The owner of Fukufukutei is a disciple of Sano-san and easy to access after eating at Ida Shoten in Yugawara.

Shinasoba Fukufukutei (支那そば福々亭) is a ramen shop in Ito city, which has a strong connection to the legendary ramen shop Shinasobaya of ramen master Sano Minor...

19/06/2025

New video up! I found one of the real competitors for Niboshimania: Tanaka Niboru
If you like niboshi ramen, you absolutely have to hit up this shop near Musashi-Shinjo station in Kanagawa:

Niboshi Ramen Tanaka Niboru (煮干しらーめん 田中にぼる) is a niboshi ramen specialty shop near Musashi-Shinjo station. A shop that doesn’t just flirt with niboshi—it div...

15/06/2025

25/018 Tsukemen Shigeta - Tokusei Tsukemen

Shigeta is the highest rated ramen ramen shop in Kobe according to ramendb. It’s also the ramen shop that gave me the most miserable waiting experience ever. Temperature was around freezing, snow was falling and a biting wind was blowing. My feet and hands were almost frozen stiff as I had not prepared for a wait this long in temperatures that cold.
It’s hard to overstate how miserable this was. The line looked deceptively short, but it took quite a long time for each customer. Once inside, it became clear why. The noodles are insanely thick and due to that have a very long cooking time. But my god were they good. Some of the best tsukemen noodles out there, they can easily compete with the top shops in Tokyo.
The soup was very rich and clings well to the noodles. From the start, due to the extra niboshi power, it’s very seafood forward with a very noticeable yuzu twist from the added peel. “Lots of stuff going on” is a good way to describe the soup.

I can definitely see why this is one of the top shops in the area. Made some footage when I went, so a video is coming at some point. Stay tuned!

#ラーメン #らーめん

11/06/2025

New video up!
Hakata Ramen Kazu (博多ラーメン 和) is a Hakata style tonkotsu ramen restaurant near Akasaka station, in the center of Tokyo. Some call it the king of Hakata style tonkotsu in central Tokyo:

Hakata Ramen Kazu (博多ラーメン 和) is a Hakata style tonkotsu ramen restaurant near Akasaka station, in the center of Tokyo. Hakata Ramen Kazu has built a strong r...

03/06/2025

017 Nagichan - Toku Chukasoba
Chan-kei ramen is one of my more recent love affairs. All of the chan-kei shops have “chan” in their name and serve some variety of clear tonkotsu broth with light shoyu seasoning plus a heather amount of msg to lift things into the stratosphere. The bowls are usually accompanied by a large amount of chashu and hard boiled eggs. Rice on the side is often free.
These days you can find chan-kei ramen all over Tokyo and in Kanagawa.
The one of this visit, Nagichan, can be found in Shinjuku, Gyotoku or Motosumiyoshi.
Extra points for posting bowls with the hard boiled eggs in r/ramen for the unfiltered rage they cause overtime there.

#ちゃん系 #ちゃん系ラーメン #なぎちゃん #ラーメン #らーめん

01/06/2025

Happy Birthday to me - cheers from the 40s! 🍻👴

01/06/2025

Chukasoba no Mise Minohi (中華そばの店 みのひ) is a tonkotsu-seafood ramen specialty ramen shop in the North of Tokyo.
Go check our their rich and flavor packed bowl of ramen, which I tried with the gang of Neighborhood Ramen, Lindsay and Jesse:

Chukasoba no Mise Minohi (中華そばの店 みのひ) is a seafood ramen speciality ramen shop in the North of Tokyo.This time I went with Jessy and Lindsay of Neighborhood ...

24/05/2025

25/016 Hayashida - Tokusei Sumibiyaki Aji Niboshisoba

There isn’t much I can say about Hayashida that hasn’t been said many times before. It’s one of the few great shops that really has managed to copy and paste their concept and not lose quality on the way. Of course, you’re not making a mistake if you go to the main shop in Shinjuku. But I haven’t really felt any drop of quality at the other locations.
It’s also hard to go wrong with the tokusei option here, which gives you all of their great toppings.

I went for their charcoal grilled horse mackerel niboshi ramen, which brings a well balanced smokiness and niboshi flavor to the table, without overpowering. If you’re just dipping your feet into dried fish ramen, this might be a bowl for you, while niboshi heads might want to look elsewhere for more punch.

You can find Hayashida all over Tokyo and some places in Kanagawa these days. They are also part of the same company that runs for example Housenka and Suzuran, which are also worth checking out.

#ラーメン #らーめん

17/05/2025

Ramen Yama to Ki (らぁめん山と樹) opened in 2017 and has since then basically in all kinds of top rankings, including the Tabelog hyakumeiten. It’s run by a lovely couple, very very friendly and open to chat. Highlight for sure are the hand massaged noodles, made with their noodle machine right next to the entrance. The soup is a very very good example of high quality modern shoyu, chicken and kombu base, not too much complexity, rather letting the great ingredients and technique shine.

Ramen Yama to Ki (らぁめん山と樹) opened in 2017 and has since then basically in all kinds of top rankings, including the Tabelog hyakumeiten. It’s run by a lovely ...

17/05/2025

New ramen review article up! This time about Menya Yamato, fantastic shoyu ramen near Mitaka:

Menya Yamato (麺屋YAMATO) is a ramen shop located in Mitaka City, Tokyo, near Mitakadai Station on the Keio Inokashira Line. Opened on January 2021, it serves as the second branch of the popular ramen shop Chuka Soba Himawari (中華そば向日葵).

17/05/2025

25/015 Hanamichian Kitasando - Spicy Miso Ramen

This shop and bowl really threw me for a loop with how good it was and how easily accessible it is.
Kitasando is just a short walk north of Harajuku, or you can directly go there via the Fukutoshin line from Shibuya or Shinjuku.

Their menu at Hanamichian is huge and you probably need a dozen visits to try everything. And then you would still have specials to try, which they regularly run.

The main draw is surely their miso ramen, either spicy or non-spicy. I went for their spicy bowl, which had good heat, but nothing overwhelming. Maybe a 5-6 out of 10 on the Nakamoto scale. As one would expect, a wok is involved in getting the soup ready, always fun to watch.

One of the highlights for me were the noodles, super thick and well matched to the rich and heavy soup. They almost felt more like tsukemen noodles, but somehow worked really well here and almost made me wish I had ordered extra noodles.

Adding some garlic some time into the bowl really amped up the power of the bowl and made it perfect for me.

Lovely place and now an easy “spicy miso” recommendation, which I am often asked for.

#ラーメン #らーめん