Welcome to the Northern Kanto Ramen Kingdom: The Best Restaurants Compete for the Crown!
There is one particular dish that has a fandom so large and passionate, it’s quite impossible to mention it without someone getting excited: ramen. To understand all the different varieties, flavors, and nuances of the famous noodle soup, one has to taste one’s way through the entirety of Japan, savoring all the different local recipes and characteristics.
This time around, our ramen journey takes us to a region that is easily accessible from Tokyo: Northern Kanto, including Gunma, Ibaraki, and Tochigi. Let’s visit the very best ramen restaurants and see what they have to offer!
1. Feel the Energy: These Delicious Bowls are one Massive Stamina Infusion!
Our first regional highlight of Northern Kanto is the “Ibaraki Stamina Ramen” which can be enjoyed mainly in the cities of Mito and Hitachinaka. The piping hot bean paste-based soup, infused with chili soy sauce, is enjoyed with plenty of vegetables such as cabbage, pumpkin, and carrots, along with savory liver for the extra kick. The thick noodles and their soft and sticky texture are another characteristic of this regional specialty that, regarding its many delicious ingredients, does score full points on the stamina scale!
Stamina Ramen Matsugoro
3-3-25 Kamimito, Mito-shi, Ibaraki-ken 310-0000
Stamina Ramen Junchan
2-471-15 Miwa, Mito-shi, Ibaraki-ken 310-0911
Kanariya
369-3 Tabiko, Hitachinaka-shi, Ibaraki-ken 312-0063
Minna no Daidokoro Garyu-Shokudo
600-54 Kasaharacho, Mito-shi, Ibaraki-ken 310-0852
2. The One and Only Traditional Miso Ramen Experience!
This extremely popular restaurant has a very long tradition of serving miso ramen to the people of Mito City in Ibaraki Prefecture. Focusing entirely on bean paste broth style ramen, Ezokko Tsutae carries on the traditions with which the restaurant was first founded. The toppings and seasonings are as simple as they are just perfect for the savory broth: fresh, crisp bean sprouts and flavorful onion are our recommendations. The miso soup is incredibly rich and flavorful, its taste truly one of a kind – this delicacy will take your taste buds down the royal road of miso ramen!
Ezokko Tsutae
3098-2 Oaza Mawatari, Hitachinaka-shi, Ibaraki-ken 312-0012
3. Far From the Station but Well Worth the Trip: Buckwheat Ramen
This famous ramen restaurant is a roughly 40-minute walk away from the closest station – this fact alone makes the noodle dishes served here somewhat enigmatic, having to overcome (albeit a rather harmless) physical challenge to get a taste. Mendokoro Oki is well worth the visit, however, as the restaurant’s chef trained both in the famous Daiki in Tokyo’s Yushima and Dragon Ramen in Shimotsuma, Ibaraki. Now he opened his own restaurant and despite its fairly inconvenient location, is has become incredibly popular. The reason behind this is Mendokoro Oki’s sought-after menu that revitalizes Daiki’s technique to incorporate buckwheat into the dishes – and it’s not just incredibly delicious but also very reasonably priced. This is a recommendation you definitely shouldn’t miss out on.
Mendokoro Oki
2206-9 Fujigaya, Chikusei-shi, Ibaraki-ken 308-0112
4. Ramen Course Cuisine, the Unique Gourmet Experience
Gumna Prefecture is a renowned production place of wheat flour and as such, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that there’s a restaurant that focuses on this very Gunma wheat. The restaurant specialty is Komugi Zanmai, a unique course dish that allows you to taste three different kinds of noodles.
To emphasize the unique characteristics of Gunma wheat, the three different kinds of ramen served all do have their very own appeal. Put your taste buds to the rest and try to taste and feel the various subtle and not so subtle differences in the different kinds of noodles!
Ramen Shibahama
1-303-1 Aioicho, Kiryu-shi, Gunma-ken 376-0011
5. A Hidden Ramen Village: Handmade Ramen Goodness
Our next ramen hotspot is located on Tochigi Prefecture and truly a hidden gem in the Ramen Kingdom of Northern Kanto – without a car, it’s practically impossible to get there. To make up for that, we’re not just introducing one restaurant but three, all located in the city of Hagamachi.
One of them has gained many a fan with their fresh menu, everything made as the order comes in, while another one convinces with its quirky tantanmen creations, which are Sichuan-style ramen dishes. The third one on the list is all-natural, using no artificial seasoning whatsoever and therefore as fresh and natural as it is delicious.
This hidden ramen village is a real insider tip, recommended only by those who’ve visited the place themselves – but those people swear by the delicious, unique tastes of the many ramen restaurants. It’s just the place to go for especially passionate ramen lovers!
Gion
4-12-7 Namikicho, Moka-shi, Tochigi-ken 321-4361
Hatsumi
1691-1 Ubagai, Haga-cho, Haga-gun, Tochigi-ken 321-3304
Ichiri
3919-414 Shimotakanezawa, Haga-cho, Haga-gun, Tochigi-ken 321-3321
6. The Real Ramen Battleground Around Sano Ramen
Flat noodles from dough beaten by a traditional bamboo stem in a crystal clear soup: this is Sano ramen, one of the most famous local ramen dishes in all of Japan, and one that has created quite a boom for a while. In the city of Sano in Tochigi Prefecture are around two-hundred different ramen restaurants but we’re focusing our attention on the relatively new stores that opened in 2008 or later.
But what exactly are Sano ramen? Discover the answer to this question for yourself in these modern restaurants that do emphasize tradition as well as the unique characteristics of both noodles and broth and judge for yourself what makes a good bowl of authentic Sano ramen!
Iori
1089 Ueshimocho, Sano-shi, Tochigi-ken 327-0835
Yamato
1-5-2 Kitamorocho, Sano-shi, Tochigi-ken 327-0827
Hinataya
548-7 Mendoricho, Sano-shi, Tochigi-ken 327-0041
Yosuke
232 Tajimacho, Sano-shi, Tochigi-ken 327-0031
Shiina (417)
2191-7 Ohashicho, Sano-shi, Tochigi-ken 327-0003
Ichinoebisu
960-28 Akasakacho, Sano-shi, Tochigi-ken 327-0000
Ramen Ogane
3229-7 Ohashicho, Sano-shi, Tochigi-ken 327-0003
