Restaurants
サイミン / Saimin / Teshima Restaurant — Kealakekua, Hawaii
Hawaiian saimin combines clear seafood based soup with medium width noodles by S&S, a local Hawaiian brand. Toppings include fried spam, napa cabbage, scrambled egg and kamaboko fish cake. Japanese breakfast on the side.
The history of this establishment dates back to 1929, when... More
サイミン / Saimin / Teshima Restaurant — Kealakekua, Hawaii
Hawaiian saimin combines clear seafood based soup with medium width noodles by S&S, a local Hawaiian brand. Toppings include fried spam, napa cabbage, scrambled egg and kamaboko fish cake. Japanese breakfast on the side.
The history of this establishment dates back to 1929, when Mary Shizuko Teshima opened the F. Teshima General Merchandise Store. First selling housemade ice cream (using ice brought in from Hilo daily), Teshima-san transitioned into serving hot food items like hamburgers and saimin for soldiers during WWII. Rebuilt into a full-scale restaurant in 1957, “Grandma Teshima” ran operations until the age of 105, when she retired to her home just a few steps behind the restaurant. She passed away in 2013 at the age of 106, after working in the kitchen for over 60 years and raising a family that included five children, 12 grandchildren, 25 great grandchildren and seven great-great grandchildren. Today the restaurant is operated by some of the 4th-generation great-grandchildren. Current head chef Jose Ruiz started out as a dishwasher around 40 years ago. 50+ seats. Open since 1929 @teshimas Less
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- Abram Plaut added a new meal Ramen at Jikaseimen Satō (自家製麺 佐藤) at Jikaseimen Satō (自家製麺 佐藤)
Recommended bowl: Niboshi & chicken
Jikaseimen Sato opened in 2013 and is run by master Satō-san, the owner of another reputable Akita shop Jurohei (open since 2010). Inspired by the legendary Jikaseimen Itō, the soup at Satō is a niboshi-heavy blend, rich with umami. Two types of noodles are available: thin and straight, or thick and wavy. Both... More
Recommended bowl: Niboshi & chicken
Jikaseimen Sato opened in 2013 and is run by master Satō-san, the owner of another reputable Akita shop Jurohei (open since 2010). Inspired by the legendary Jikaseimen Itō, the soup at Satō is a niboshi-heavy blend, rich with umami. Two types of noodles are available: thin and straight, or thick and wavy. Both are house-made. Satō-san has his hands on several ramen shops in the prefecture, no doubt one of the new school power players on the Akita ramen scene. Less
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- Abram Plaut added a new meal Dinner at 麺 みつヰ at Mem Mitsu I (麺 みつヰ)
醤油 / Shoyu / Men Mitsuwi — Asakusa, Tokyo
Shoyu soup is carefully made from whole chickens, combined with seafood stock and chicken oil. Three types of raw soy sauce go into the shoyu tare, no msg or additives. Housemade noodles contain a unique blend of flours (and whole wheat) from Hokkaido. Pork belly chashu is roasted on a burner, while... More
醤油 / Shoyu / Men Mitsuwi — Asakusa, Tokyo
Shoyu soup is carefully made from whole chickens, combined with seafood stock and chicken oil. Three types of raw soy sauce go into the shoyu tare, no msg or additives. Housemade noodles contain a unique blend of flours (and whole wheat) from Hokkaido. Pork belly chashu is roasted on a burner, while pork loin chashu is cooked at a low temperature and resembles ham. Other toppings feature thick menma, lotus root and negi. Katsudon (with housemade sauce) on the side.
Master Yoichi Murata-san trained at the well known Tokyo ramen shop Shichisai, which has a menu inspired by Kitakata style ramen. It was there that he perfected the art of noodle-making. Men Mitsuwi originally opened in 2016 before closing briefly (in 2022) and moving to a newer location nearby. 10 seats. Since April 19th, 2023 @men.mitsuwi Less
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- Abram Plaut added a new meal Ramen at Jikaseimen Itō (自家製麺 伊藤) at Jikaseimen Itou (自家製麺 伊藤)
Recommended bowl: Niboshi Pioneer
This legendary shop opened in 1988, and according to some sources it was one of the very first shops ever to serve intensely flavored niboshi ramen, with heavy amounts of dried sardines in the soup stock. The shop looks like a house, with the shop on the first floor and living quarters upstairs. Master Itō-san likes... More
Recommended bowl: Niboshi Pioneer
This legendary shop opened in 1988, and according to some sources it was one of the very first shops ever to serve intensely flavored niboshi ramen, with heavy amounts of dried sardines in the soup stock. The shop looks like a house, with the shop on the first floor and living quarters upstairs. Master Itō-san likes to do things his own way, and the shop is barebones with some various items strewn about. He serves an extremely simple bowl, with home-made noodles and niboshi-heavy shoyu soup. No MSG. If you want pork chashu, you need to order it. Itō-san's younger brother now runs the head Itō shop in Tokyo, and his nephew runs a branch in Akabane. The brand has four shops in Tokyo, but this is the og legend. Only open for lunch, 11am-2pm. Not many make it here, but it's an epic experience. Less
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- Abram Plaut added a new meal Ramen at Shōfuku (松福) at Shōfuku (松福)
Recommended bowl: Tonkotsu shoyu
The Shofuku ramen shop brand, specializing in tonkotsu shoyu, now has six outposts in Japan. This is the OG flagship, open since 1995. The soup is 100% pork based, boiled for 10 hours before serving. The noodles are house made, and there are a few different styles available. The bowls look IEKEI inspired, but there... More
Recommended bowl: Tonkotsu shoyu
The Shofuku ramen shop brand, specializing in tonkotsu shoyu, now has six outposts in Japan. This is the OG flagship, open since 1995. The soup is 100% pork based, boiled for 10 hours before serving. The noodles are house made, and there are a few different styles available. The bowls look IEKEI inspired, but there are no direct connections to any of the official IEKEI shops. Pork chashu, spinach, cabbage, nori seaweed and negi on top. Smooth and satisfying. Less
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- Abram Plaut added a new meal Dinner at 洞くつ家 at Ra-Men Doukutsuya (ラーメン 洞くつ家)
ラーメン / Ramen / Dōkutsuya — Kichijoji, Tokyo
Yokohama iekei style ramen contains tonkotsu shoyu soup made with copious amounts of pork bones, chicken bones and chicken oil. Noodles are by Sakai Seimen. Standard toppings are pork chashu, nori and spinach. Other topping options available feature cabbage, ajitama, raw eggs, negi and yamakurage... More
ラーメン / Ramen / Dōkutsuya — Kichijoji, Tokyo
Yokohama iekei style ramen contains tonkotsu shoyu soup made with copious amounts of pork bones, chicken bones and chicken oil. Noodles are by Sakai Seimen. Standard toppings are pork chashu, nori and spinach. Other topping options available feature cabbage, ajitama, raw eggs, negi and yamakurage (cloud ear mushrooms).
Master Kosuke Nagai-san trained at the well known Kanagawa iekei shop Rokkakuya before opening this store in the area where he grew up. Open 6am-11pm, six days a week. 20 seats. Since January 14th, 2003. Less
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- Abram Plaut added a new meal Ramen at Kibun (そば処 紀文) at Kibun (そば処 紀文)
Recommended bowl: Local favorite
A famous late-night soba restaurant, open since 1966 on the outskirts of Akita's red light district. The shop has a large, spacious interior with 40 seats — you would never guess the shop's size from out in the street. The restaurant's menu features soba and tempura rice bowls — but also ramen, named Senshu Ramen... More
Recommended bowl: Local favorite
A famous late-night soba restaurant, open since 1966 on the outskirts of Akita's red light district. The shop has a large, spacious interior with 40 seats — you would never guess the shop's size from out in the street. The restaurant's menu features soba and tempura rice bowls — but also ramen, named Senshu Ramen after the local area. The soup is a simple, clear broth containing chicken and vegetables. The toppings are standard bamboo shoots, pork, negi and a boiled egg. The ramen is just what you need after a night of drinking, but it's the atmosphere that makes this place especially worth checking out. Less
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- Abram Plaut added a new meal Dinner at 三鷹大勝軒 at 三鷹大勝軒
中華麺 / Chūkamen / Mitaka Taishōken — Kichijoji, Tokyo
Eifukucho Taishōken style Tokyo shoyu ramen. Soup uses pork and niboshi with some dried sardines sourced from Chiba Prefecture. Other ingredients include pork lard, Yamasa and Higeta dark soy sauce. Noodles are by Kusamura Shōten. Finished with pork chashu, menma, naruto, negi and yuzu.
The... More
中華麺 / Chūkamen / Mitaka Taishōken — Kichijoji, Tokyo
Eifukucho Taishōken style Tokyo shoyu ramen. Soup uses pork and niboshi with some dried sardines sourced from Chiba Prefecture. Other ingredients include pork lard, Yamasa and Higeta dark soy sauce. Noodles are by Kusamura Shōten. Finished with pork chashu, menma, naruto, negi and yuzu.
The master trained at Eifukucho Taishōken before opening this shop in Mitaka in 2013. After four years he moved operations to Kichijoji, but reopened with the same name. Less than ten seats. Since June 24th, 2017. Less
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- Abram Plaut added a new meal Ramen at Menkyō Show-in (麺饗 松韻) at Menkyou Shouin (麺饗 松韻)
Recommended bowl: Everything handmade
Not much is known about this shop, but it serves one of the highest ranked bowls in Akita prefecture. The shop is only open for lunch on weekdays (11am to 2pm), and only serves ramen during breakfast hours on weekends (5:45am to 8am). There are a few main bowls on the menu, the two most popular utilizing pork and... More
Recommended bowl: Everything handmade
Not much is known about this shop, but it serves one of the highest ranked bowls in Akita prefecture. The shop is only open for lunch on weekdays (11am to 2pm), and only serves ramen during breakfast hours on weekends (5:45am to 8am). There are a few main bowls on the menu, the two most popular utilizing pork and niboshi (dried fish). The soup of the lighter, "assari" bowl contains niboshi, pork bones, pork meat, chicken and kombu, with no added oil. The heavier "kotteri" bowl is a pungent niboshi broth involving pork. All noodles are handmade in the shop; everything is all-natural and high-level. No MSG. Less
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- Abram Plaut added a new meal Dinner at 麺処 秋もと at Mendokoro Akimoto (麺処 秋もと)
特製味噌らーめん / Tokusei Miso Ramen / Mendokoro Akimoto — Ichigao, Kanagawa
The soup uses a variety of ingredients including whole chickens, pork bones, katsuobushi, shellfish, onions, negi, garlic and ginger. Some of the flavored oils are said to be sweetened with apples and pineapple. Previously noodles were ordered from Mikawaya Seimen,... More
特製味噌らーめん / Tokusei Miso Ramen / Mendokoro Akimoto — Ichigao, Kanagawa
The soup uses a variety of ingredients including whole chickens, pork bones, katsuobushi, shellfish, onions, negi, garlic and ginger. Some of the flavored oils are said to be sweetened with apples and pineapple. Previously noodles were ordered from Mikawaya Seimen, whether that’s still the case cannot be confirmed. Topped with pork chashu, ajitama, menma, bean sprouts, nori, negi, spinach, wontons, shichimi chili and sansho pepper. Shoyu and shio ramen, tsukemen also available.
Master Akimoto-san trained at several well-known ramen shops including Ramen Keika, Sapporo Junren (Ebisu branch) and Mutahiro in Kokubunji. At both Sapporo Junren and two Mutahiro branches he worked as the store manager. Mendokoro Akimoto originally opened in 2015, eventually moving to the space next door around seven years later. 15 seats. Since January 2022. Less