The most common culinary cliché about Japan is ‘sushi, sushi, sushi!’ This is as false as it is persistent. The most important dish is noodles: ramen. And Kitakata is considered Japan’s ramen capital. A visit with loud slurps
Takashi Yamada was a rice farmer for many years before deciding to renovate a historic warehouse in the city of Kitakata and open a ramen restaurant there. He wanted it to be small and exquisite. ‘Few seats, top quality, regional ingredients, that was the idea.’ He celebrated the opening of his ‘Shiokawa-ya’ with friends and customers on 10 March 2011.
One day later, an earthquake measuring 9 on the Richter scale triggered a 15-metre-high tsunami that caused the Fukushima Daiichi disaster. On 3/11, Takashi’s future plans went up in smoke. ‘It took two years for the first guests to come back. So I kept my head above water with IT jobs,’ Takashi recalls. Before our interview, he quickly pulls on a ‘Shiokawa-ya’ branded sweatshirt with a pig emblem over the shirt hanging out of his trousers.
Not only in Kitakata: it is all about Umami
The ramen that Takashi’s team conjures up in the small, steaming kitchen are full of umami. ‘How do you do it, Takashi?’ ‘Well, that’s a secret and it should stay that way!’ Takashi grins. ‘But I can tell you this much: a lot of it is down to the Egoma Pork, which tastes mild. And it contains a lot of healthy linolenic acid because the pigs are fed wild sesame seeds. We cook the broth for shio ramen with shijimi, small freshwater mussels that have been farmed on the Aizu plateau for centuries.’
Aizu mountain salt adds a subtle seasoning to the Shio Ramen. This mild, mineral-rich Aizu Yamashio was long reserved for the imperial family. It is obtained from the Oshio Urabandai thermal spring, 30 kilometres east of Kitakata in the mountains of Aizu, by gently evaporating it in large pans; 100 litres yield one kilo of salt. Its high potassium content makes it healthier than sea salt.
The spicy Tantanmen ramen with locally grown Aizu Peanuts, chilli oil and sesame paste at ‘Shiokawa-ya’ is also very good.
Japan’s ramen capital, Kitakata, is located at the foot of the 1,800-metre-high Mount Bandai in Fukushima province, almost 320 kilometres north of Tokyo. The volcano is covered in snow until early May and is called the Fuji of Aizu because of its shape.
Kitakata ramen capital: Japan’s only noodle department
The city has the highest density of ramen restaurants in the country. There are exactly 91 ramen restaurants for every 46,000 residents of Kitakata. The city administration is the only one in the country with its own ramen department.
Ms Sakae Hanami summarises the mission of the employees as follows: ‘To take care of the promotion of the ramen business.’ They are fighting against the disappearance of restaurants, a consequence of an ageing population: ‘There were almost 130 just a few years ago.’
For generations, Kitakata was known for its many miso, soy sauce and sake breweries. Its career as a ramen capital only began when Ban Kinsei, a Chinese immigrant, opened the Genraiken in 1927. Ramen is still served there today.
With all this noodle-related activity, it is no wonder that the only Shinto shrine in Japan dedicated to ramen is located in Kitakata. You enter it through a tori archway made of giant chopsticks on the pavement of Fureai Street, less than 200 metres from ‘Shiokawa-ya’. It is not the only exotic place: in Japan, there is also a lost cat shrine, a warts shrine and a comic shrine.
The light Kitakata ramen, typical of the city, is undisputedly considered one of the three best ramen varieties in the country, along with Sapporo ramen from Hokkaido Island and Hakata ramen from Fukuoka on Kyushu Island in the deep south.
Ramen? Soba? Udon? What is what?
Important and typical for Kitakata ramen are flat, wide and wavy noodles. The broth is prepared with the marrow of pork bones and niboshi, dried baby anchovies, as well as salt (shio ramen) or soy sauce (shoyu ramen). Kitakata ramen is usually served with a slice of narutomaki (red and white fish surimi).
What makes ramen different from soba and udon noodles? Udon are thick, soft wheat noodles, recognisable by their light colour. They are served in a spicy dashi broth made from seaweed and bonito flakes. They are served with tempura, spring onions or tofu. Udon served cold are called zaru udon. They are served on a bamboo sieve and with tsuyu dipping sauce.
Soba are dark, thin and firm buckwheat noodles with a nutty flavour. In the village of Ouchi-juku, 45 kilometres south of Kitakata, soba are eaten in a particularly original and almost acrobatic way.
The place is not only known for its thatched-roof houses, some of which are up to 300 years old, but also for Negi Soba, the ‘spring onion noodle’. At the traditional inn ‘Misawaya’, noodle lovers sit on fragrant tatami mats, struggle to get their legs under low chabudai tables and try to eat the thin buckwheat noodles with a thumb-thick spring onion instead of chopsticks. For the inexperienced, like this reporter, it’s a frustrating undertaking, but it provides a lot of amusement for the guests.
The following applies to all noodles: you slurp them with relish. The taste is intensified by the inhaled air, as the scent passes directly over the olfactory cells. If the broth is hot, sooner or later your nose will start running. Under no circumstances should you blow your nose. Japanese etiquette demands that you dab your nose as gently as possible, but it is better to blow your nose repeatedly – even noisily if you like.
Ramen & Co: Billion dollar business
The noodle market in Japan is huge. Domestic manufacturers of ramen, udon, soba and instant noodles generate annual sales of almost nine billion euros. And Japanese restaurant chains such as Ichiran and Hakata Ippudo are opening more and more branches in the US and neighbouring Asian countries.
In Japan, the question of which type of ramen is best is hotly debated. A simple Shoyu Ramen made with soy sauce? Or a hearty Tonkotsu Ramen, made with pork bone broth, which is rich in collagen, calcium and magnesium? Or Miso Ramen? Fermentation makes it rich in probiotics and vitamin K, copper, zinc and manganese. And it has plenty of convincing umami. Or the light, white, salt-based Shio Ramen, the way they make it in Kitakata?
Hundreds of Ramen influencers and authorities such as Hiroshi Osaki devote themselves to this question and the discovery of new, exciting chefs every day. The director of the Japan Ramen Association claims to have eaten a total of 29,000 bowls of ramen since 1996. And, of course, there are all the ordinary citizens who regularly enjoy slurping their ramen.
The kura warehouses of Kitakata
Finally, back to Kitakata, this time for its architecture. 4,000 historic kura warehouses with massive clay shutters and doors that would do credit to any bank vault can be seen there. The only other places with a similarly rich architectural heritage as Kitakata are the cities of Kurashiki and Kawagoe. Most of the kura in Kitakata have elaborate black-and-white patterned namako facades or dark yakisugi facades made of flamed wood. These are particularly weather and fire resistant.
The tour ends in style with a visit to the 235-year-old Yamatogawa Sake Brewery near Kitakata Station. Not far from the station, a state-of-the-art exhibition in the old brewery halls explains the intricate process of brewing sake. Ten types of sake can be sampled for free from digitally controlled taps.
Sake brewer Tetsoya Sato is the tenth generation of his family to run the business: ‚We use rice from our own fields. Our energy needs are met by solar, hydroelectric and biomass power. Our farm’s rice fields cover 60 hectares, an area the size of 100 football pitches. We have halved our use of pesticides, and instead of chemicals we use pomace and rice bran as fertiliser.‘ The soft mountain water used comes from the 2,105 metre high Mount Iide and can be tasted at the fountain.
To top off our visit, Tetsoya pours us a glass of one of his best sakes (priced at around €30). The light, dry Yauemon Junmai Daiginjo has a peach aroma and melon flavour, with a balanced acidity. The best sake is the 16 % organic Yaemon Junmai Daiginjo Inochi, says Tetsoya. It can be sampled for a contribution of € 2.50. As well as many types of sake, including a sparkling variety, the Yamatogawa shop also sells sake cakes – and noodles.
This is Kitakata, after all. And sooner or later, it’s all about noodles.
Some of my favourite ramen and soba places
Kamukura
You won’t find more Chinese cabbage in any other ramen. This restaurant is part of a chain with 30 branches nationwide, which is famous for its high quality. It is just 100 steps from Nara Station, where everyone stops who wants to visit the famous and intrusive deer.
Nara, 19-1 Higashimuki Nakamachi
kamukura.co.jp
Nakiryu
This ramen restaurant even received a Michelin star in 2017 for its Tan Tan Ramen with sesame and chilli paste. For the equivalent of €8, you can enjoy a wonderful meal there. Inspired by Szechuan cuisine, the Dan Dan Noodles are made with pork, Szechuan pepper and chilli oil. The Tan Tan Ramen is available in regular, spicy and tsukemen (broth and cold noodles served separately). You order from a vending machine. No reservations. No card payments.
Tokyo, Toshima, Minamiotsuka, 2 Chome-34-4
Ginza Hachigou
Like three other restaurants, it belongs to the renowned chef Yasushi Matsumura. After 30 years of haute cuisine, he returned to noodle soup. In addition to dashi, kumbu algae and shiitake mushrooms, chicken or pork bones (tonkotsu), Nagoya Cochin chickens, scallops and ham are also used to make the broth. Chashu, fat slices of pork belly, provide a pleasantly sweet, creamy texture – and lots of umami. The small counter restaurant in Higashi-Ginza only has room for a handful of guests, so be sure to book online well in advance.
Tokyo, Chuo City, Ginza, 3 Chome-14-2
katsumoto-japan.com
Misawaya
This traditional inn, over 300 years old, with tatami mats and low tables under an enormous thatched roof, is worth a visit in its own right. And the soba tastes good, although the amount of spring onion is a little overdone. The establishment also includes a very good sake brewery just opposite.
Ouchi-juku, Yamamoto-26-1, Minamiaizu District
misawaya.jp
Ichiran Ramen
As with sushi, there are also nationwide chains for ramen fans. This popular chain, which is also represented in other Asian countries and the USA, is one of the large and good ones. They prepare their soups without trans fats and without flavour enhancers and are best known for tonkotsu ramen. The really large portion costs just under five euros. There are many branches in Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka. Branches are often relatively small, with only 10 to 25 seats, so you have to queue longer. The restaurant in Tokyo’s Ueno district is relatively large.
Tokio, Uneo, 7-1-1 Taito-ku
ichiran.com
Ippudo
You can also get good ramen in this chain with 50 branches nationwide and branches in London, the USA and in neighbouring Asian countries. The classic ramen here is tonkotsu, made with pork bones, thin Hakata noodles, pork belly, kikurage mushrooms, red ginger and spring onions. The modern Akamaru version contains the mysterious Umami Dama miso paste, garlic, thick pork belly chashu, cabbage and Kikurage mushrooms, portion from 7.50 euros. The branch near Shinsaibashi Station in
Osaka is at waking distance of Dotonbori.
Chuo Ward, 3 Chome-11-28
ippudo.com
Men-ya Keshin
This restaurant in Fukushima City, with seating for just 20, is famous for its sumptuous keshin shrimp ramen. Chef Sakuma Suguru combines pork bones and seafood in a ratio of 9:1 and cooks them for hours, adding dried sardines, mackerel and bonito flakes. The broth is stirred repeatedly, making it thick, almost creamy and extremely aromatic. It is cooled overnight to thicken it, and then heated the next day with shrimp powder for umami. This recipe earned the restaurant second place at the National Ramen Grand Prix.
16-3 Minamiyanome Mukaibara, Fukushima City
instagram.com/ramen.iine.yataimura/
More infos
-> fukushima.travel
-> japan.travel
-> 10 Things to do in Fukushima
-> Insider Tips for Toyko
-> Japan on a Budget
