Akasaka Ramensan 赤坂ラーメン

With all the ramen shops available in Japan, competition is fierce and it's really hard to stand out. While I've had some amazing ramen in Japan, sometimes you just want a meal that is satisfying where you don't have to stand in line for two hours.


On my first trip to Japan, I stayed in the Akasaka-Mitsuke area. This area is full of places to eat, and Akasaka Ramensan kind of stood out with it's huge sign and logo on top of the shop.


I'll be the first to admit, I've become a spoiled ramen eater. It's hard after you've had some of the top rated ramen shops in Tokyo not to become picky. But today, I was in the Akasaka area for work, and I just wanted to satisfy my hunger. So I decided to give this place a try.


I am such a sucker for ramen with nice layered pork, and Akasaka Ramensan does it great. The pork is very tender, it's done very well. And as you can see, the tamago is top notch. The yolk is cooked to perfection.


The noodles was average at best, it looks like you typical instant noodle. With so many ramen shops in Tokyo that servers amazing, homemade noodles, this place is nothing to write home about.


With that said, this place is no sloutch. Although not comparable to the top shops I've been to in Tokyo, if you are looking for a good meal, this place is worth a try.

City: Tokyo, Japan (also 5 shops in Taiwan)
Location: Akasaka, minutes walk from either Akasaka-Mitsuke or Akasaka Station
Hours: 11am - 5am Monday - Saturday, 6pm - 4am Sunday
Website: http://www.akasakaramen.com/
Ordering system: Machine
Available in English: Minimal

Tonchin 屯ちん

It’s always a plus to find a decent ramen shop near Shinjuku, as it is easy access for me when I need a good meal. There were many that I was really excited about, but I read good things about Tochin, so on a Saturday afternoon, I decided to give it a try.

As with many ramen shops, the machine system makes ordering quick and painless. It wasn’t too busy on a Saturday afternoon, especially with plenty of places to eat around this area. The kitchen here is wide open, so you can see the ramen artists here at work.

This place essentially has got three types of noodles: Miso, Tonkotsu, and Tsukemen. Quite an interesting combination as usually we do not see these three together in one shop. I of course always opt for my usual, tonkontsu. Without too long of a wait, my ramen came.

One of the things that differentiate the tonkotsu ramen here is that one of the standard topping is green onions and menma (looks like it is stir fried and a bit spicy). It provided a bit of a different taste to a standard tonkotsu-based ramen. The other usual suspects are here: seaweed, hanjyuku tamago, and chashu.

The soup is quite tasty here, with just the right amount of fat and heaviness.

The chashu also quite excellent, with a nice balance of lean and fatty meat.

The tamago was your standard hanjyuku tamago, but the yolk may have been cooked a bit too much.

All in all, not a bad bowl of ramen. I wouldn’t mind trying the miso ramen next time if I am around, but not exactly near the top as far as tonkotsu-based ramen. The stir-fried green onions and menma didn’t really do it for me. It wasn’t one of my favorites, but would definitely consider it if I didn’t have too many options to choose from.

City: Tokyo, Japan (also in Kawasaki and Fukashima)
Location: Shinjuku, Ikebukuro, Sunamo

Hours: Varies (check website)
Website: http://tonchin.foodex.ne.jp/index.html

Order system: Machine
Available in English? Some

Kagetsu Arashi らあめん花月嵐

One of the bigger ramen chains, Kagetsu Arashi stretches not only all over Japan, but even to Taiwan, where a location exists at 華納威秀. This place offers a variety of ramen, and usually it feels quite gimmicky more than anything else. It’s not a lot of substance, just a lot of flair, if you know what I mean.

As you can see, plenty of condiments offered to help customize the taste of your ramen.

On a rather calm Sunday evening in Shinjuku, the ramen finally arrives only after a few minutes. Just looking at the bowl, nothing really stands out here. All the oil bits made the soup a bit too fatty for my taste, and the noodles were pretty average actually. The best thing about this bowl was the pork, which was pretty much the saving grace for this place.

It’s certainly done well for itself over the years, with shops ALL OVER Japan, so it must be doing something right. They'll have some new creative type of ramen like once a month, which again seem more like a ploy than anything. This is one ramen shop I would avoid if you want to have a taste of a truly amazing bowl of ramen. It’s very much all sizzle and very little steak. While you might not have to stand in line for an hour to enjoy the ramen here, the saying “the best thing comes to those who wait” really fits here.

Location: Everywhere (just kidding, look at website for locations)
Hours: Varies
Website: http://www.kagetsu.co.jp/index.html
Order system: Machine
Available in English? Maybe

Menya Musashi Shinjuku 麺屋武蔵新宿本店

One of the most popular ramen shops in Tokyo is Mushashi ramen. It one of those shops that most people have heard about from the long lines that most people do not want to wait for. It was again one of the first ramen shops that was recommended to me, but for some reason, it took several trips to Japan before I finally made it there, even though it was a short 10-minute walk from my hotel in Shinjuku.

What makes Musashi ramen so special isn't just their ramen, which is good to begin with. A lot of times, eating ramen isn't just getting a bowl of noodles to shove down your throat. The overall experience include the design of the shop, the service provided, and even at times, the show that is put on in the kitchen. The Shinjuku shop exemplifies that with its open kitchen and the customers watching the servers preparing the ramen and their every move. When the person that is cooking the ramen begins to drain the noodles, he lets out two very loud yells, and makes the whole experience quite unique.

Musashi ramen is Tokyo-based ramen at its finest. Very similar to Menya Kissou, but I would say just a notch down as far overall quality. The noodles are of the thicker variety, and the soup also very rich and flavorful. The hanjyuku tamago is very good here, not quite on par with Menya Kissou, but very close. Additionally, they also have tsukemen, which is the dipping style ramen, and the portion is HUGE.

My first impression of Musashi was, well, a tad above average at best. I just didn't understand what all the fuss was about. Until I had it the second time, and then the third time. And after a while, it grows on you. The noodles are very chewy, very "Q", and the soup is actually very good. The charshu was average, but the tamago makes up for it. The tsukemen was just average, but all in all, Musashi is worth a visit.

The most interesting about Musashi is that their menu is not the same in all the shops. So I am curious to visit another Musashi chain in the greater Tokyo, and from their website, it looks like there are a few good ones I must try.

City: Tokyo, Japan

Location: Shinjuku, west exit from station (7 other locations in Tokyo)

Hours: 11am - 9:30pm
Website: http://www.m634.com/

Order system: Machine

Available in English? No

Tukumo Ramen 九十九ラーメン

One of the first specialty ramen shops that was recommended to me by a good friend here in Tokyo was Tukumo ramen in Ebisu. It took me a while to go try it, but it definitely stood out as one of the more unique ramen experiences in Japan.

Most people I've spoken to say that ramen in Japan is very heavy flavored, which come as a surprise if you think about it. For the most part, Japanese food can be very light and healthy (think sushi for example). But a lot of their food are very heavy and oily, such as tonkotsu, tempura, curry, and ramen definitely makes that list. And here at Tukumo, the ramen won't win any awards for being healthy.

Their ramen are very flavorful, and here, the soup base really stands out and makes them special. First off, they have a signature "Tukumo ramen", which is what I tried. Then there is a shouyu based ramen, a miso based ramen, and finally, one I have yet seen anywhere else, the "cheese" ramen. Yeah, this ramen is topped with a huge serving of paramsean cheese that is added to the miso based soup, and it will have enough sodium to last you a month. They also have seasonal ramen such as dan-dan men, and with all sorts of toppings such as corn, negi, egg, etc., there is something here that is bound to please you.

The "Tukumo ramen" was very good, the noodles didn't exactly do it for me, but here, the charshu and soup really made up for it. It was perhaps one of the best charshu I've ever had, and the soup I could literally die for. What really made this one miss the boat was the noodles, and perhaps my preference for hakata style noodles really did them in. My friend who tried the "cheese" ramen said it was really good, but you'll find yourself drinking lots of water because it can be a bit too salty. Even then, the "cheese" ramen does sell out almost everyday, because a few times when we get there later in the evening, there are some disappointed customers that didn't make it in time.

Overall, this is a place I do still go back to once in a while, especially when I am in the mood for good charshu. The atmosphere here is great, and the servers are super friendly. It makes the overall experience a really great one, and one that I recommend anyone to experience at least once if you are in the Tokyo area. Easy access from Ebisu station, and there is another shop in Chiba if you are near that area. There is usually a line which is a good sign that this is a place that is quite popular. Go try it out for yourself.

City: Tokyo, Japan (also in Chiba)
Location: Ebisu, 5 minutes walk from the station

Hours: 11am - 5am

Website: http://www.tukumo.com/

Order system: Menu
Available in English? I think they do, will confirm