Yoshida No Ramenya 吉田のらーめんや - Yamanashi, Japan (Day 6)

A wise friend told me not to eat ramen in Kawaguchiko because anywhere that I went would just be a huge disappointment. I didn't listen...


First of all, there weren't many ramen-ya's in the area and most of them were closed. So when we saw that Yoshida No Ramenya was open we hesitantly walked in. The place looked nice and the staff were friendly so maybe this wasn't such a bad idea, I thought. They spotlight a noodle made with silk powder and water from nearby Fujisan. And they have kotteri shoyu--my favorite. How bad could this be?


They even have free umeboshi (pickled plum) at the table.


Kotteri Shoyu Silk Ramen: If you have a ramen shop using the water from nearby Fujisan it better be damn good. Sadly, this was not. Don't get me wrong...the soup didn't blow me away, but it was still good. The noodles on the other hand were not anything close to what I imagined. The toppings (chashu, egg, menma, kikurage, nori) were only slightly satisfying.


These so-called "silk noodles" didn't have the usual spring. Although they weren't overcooked, they still tasted mushy without much flavor.


Shio Ramen: From the two sips of shio I had, it tasted very tradional and relatively tame.


Miso Chashu Ramen: The miso ramen tasted the best out of the three. Piled with moyashi and moist chashu, the soup had an exploding flavor.


The NON silk noodles were thicker and better than its silky brother. They should just stick to these noodles in everything.


Gyoza: They looked better than they tasted and seemed like they were missing something. I couldn't taste much garlic.


Chahan: The chahan was like something you would find in the states...enough said.


I'll probably should have listened to the wise friend, but I've never had regrets about eating ramen.

Gogoen Rest House (Mt. Fuji 5th Station) - Yamanashi, Japan (Day 4)

Prior to climbing Mt. Fuji, we stopped at the fifth station on the Kawaguchiko route to get some fuel in the form of (you guessed it) ramen. Without much to choose from and wanting to escape the rain, we found ourselves on the second floor of one of the rest houses.


With the end of the Fujisan climbing season fast approaching (it's only open during July and August), there was surprisingly only a few people dining around us. They recommend not climbing Mt. Fuji in bad weather (and it was pretty bad), but we weren't about to leave now.


Chashu Ramen: So for all the good ramen I've been eating, it was inevitable that there would be a bad one. And since this is Mt. Fuji, I guess it doesn't really matter. As long as it keeps you warm and gives you enough energy to start the climb is the key. The shoyu flavored soup was very simple, without much more than just an average taste. The toppings (chashu, menma, cabbage, negi, nori) were suffering from altitude sickness, but then again so was I.


The noodles were very starchy. Possibly the starchiest I've ever had. I hope it gives me enough energy for the climb because I know I'll need it.


The weather cleared for 10 minutes, just long enough to take this beautiful picture of Fujisan.


Stay tuned to see if I made it to the top...