Recommended bowl: Open just 2.5 hrs/day!

Sansanto is open for just 2 ½ hours each day (6pm-8:30pm). The master, Gotou-san, has told us that his methods are too work intensive for him to produce enough product to stay open longer. He prepares the noodles, toppings and soup from scratch every day – and he does it all himself. Beast.

Sansanto's soup is a classic tonkotsu-gyokai. It's light and salty but the gyokai is masterfully integrated, giving the soup a hint of sweetness. There's no fishy taste whatsoever. An unforgettable soup. Can't go wrong with the handmade noodles. Other choice ingredients include a hardboiled egg with a runny yolk and pink slices of chashu that has been roasted at a low temperature. Ramen and tsukemen are both available. Both are lights-out. This shop is somewhat similar to Kissou in Kiba.

This shop is closest to Higashi-Jujo station, but it's also a short walk from Jujo station, which is just 20 minutes by train from Shinjuku. It's an interesting but seldom visited neighborhood of Tokyo, filled with lots of old school izakayas, snack bars, and nomiya. If you know someone who can take us on a tour of the area's best drinking spots, do reach out.

Sansanto offers counter seating only and space is limited. The shop has a nostalgic atmosphere of old Japan. It's a hidden gem, in a hidden corner of Tokyo.