Ramen Wakou was not quite as wacko as I would have liked it to be, but after all I went through on this day in Yonezawa, I was imperatively content with what they had to offer. It was a light shoyu ramen with an intense dab of peppery pepper that put the pep in pepalicious. Uuuh yeah, it was peppery. And it felt good! Almost like that Yonezawa steak I had. Key word: Almost...
A two-minute walk from Yonezawa Station. Just head West on the main road and you'll see it on your left. Grab a seat and tell the chef what you want. If you ask what the specialty is he'll just say "やっぱりしょゆうだな", which means Shoyu Bi*c*! Haha.
Other sites that mention Yonezawa Ramen Wakou:
Showing posts with label Japan-Yonezawa. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Japan-Yonezawa. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Akayu Ramen Ryushanhai (赤湯ラーメン流上海) - Yonezawa, Yamagata, Japan
Ryushanhai has been a personal favorite of mine ever since I tried it for the first time at the Yokohama Raumen Museum. And although this isn't a so-called "Yonezawa Ramen" nor is it the honten (original location), I wasn't going to pass it up without a look. Famous for their Akayu Ramen and Karamiso topping, Ryushanhai is two words--good sh**! The karamiso provides a slight pinch of spiciness that alerts your senses to an almost perfect ramen. The chashu is moist and delicious and the thick homemade noodles are incredible. Did you hear me? I said it was good sh**!
It's about a 30-40 minute walk from Yonezawa Station so it might just be better to call a taxi. The only problem with that though is you'll have a tough time finding a cab on the way back. Be prepared to burn off those calories you just ate. Anyhow, from Yonezawa Station head West on the main street that veers right. Then make a right at the Onuma (大沼デパート) department store and just keep walking and walking and walking until you see it on the left. You will be asked for your order as soon as you walk in so be prepared ahead of time. If it's busy, there's a bench inside the ramen-ya towards the back where people line up. They are open from 11:30am to 7pm and closed on Wednesdays.
Other sites that mention Ryushanhai Yonezawa:
It's about a 30-40 minute walk from Yonezawa Station so it might just be better to call a taxi. The only problem with that though is you'll have a tough time finding a cab on the way back. Be prepared to burn off those calories you just ate. Anyhow, from Yonezawa Station head West on the main street that veers right. Then make a right at the Onuma (大沼デパート) department store and just keep walking and walking and walking until you see it on the left. You will be asked for your order as soon as you walk in so be prepared ahead of time. If it's busy, there's a bench inside the ramen-ya towards the back where people line up. They are open from 11:30am to 7pm and closed on Wednesdays.
Other sites that mention Ryushanhai Yonezawa:
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Day 11 - Last call for crab. Bring on the beef!
I wasn't about to leave Hokkaido without trying some of their fresh seafood. And after spending a restless night in a haunted hotel, I couldn't wait for the morning market to open. Luckily, I found a place that let me in early. Hakodate is definitely a place for seafood, but don't you dare pass up the ramen either.
Four trains and six hours later, I finally arrived in Yonezawa. I thought it would be cold due to the higher elevation but it was actually quite hot. So hot that I had to change into a pair of shorts when I got to the hotel. Anyway, Yonezawa is a quiet, peaceful town that's similar to the town in Initial D. Although it's not Gunma, I bet there's a Fujuwara Tofu Shop somewhere close by. It also seems like every teenager drives a WRX. If that doesn't scream drift town I don't know what does. Yonezawa is most famous for their beef. Supposedly, it's better than the beef from that other city, but I wouldn't know. The town is also quite misleading. Don't ever trust the station map because everything here is further than it seems.
Although Ryushanhai is not typically refered to as being "Yonezawa Ramen", it wasn't something I wanted to pass up. This ramen is soulful and sinful with all the best intentions. The Karamiso is just incredible! I love this trip!
Yonezawa's traditional type is Shoyu. Sort of like this Shoyu Ramen from Ramen Wakou. It's very similar to Tokyo's Chuuka Soba, but has a distinct flavor from all that pepper. It's very light and absolutely refreshing. I'm not sure if the noodles were homemade, but they were the thin, curly kind.
Even though it made a huge dent in my wallet, I had to give it a try. The steak just melted in my mouth as if I had never even swallowed. Wow! It was incredibly tender.
Here are some more pics of the day. I may have a really hectic day with the trains tomorrow, so let's hope I don't get lost. Eventually I'll end the night back in Tokyo, so here's to my trip up north. Cheers!
Four trains and six hours later, I finally arrived in Yonezawa. I thought it would be cold due to the higher elevation but it was actually quite hot. So hot that I had to change into a pair of shorts when I got to the hotel. Anyway, Yonezawa is a quiet, peaceful town that's similar to the town in Initial D. Although it's not Gunma, I bet there's a Fujuwara Tofu Shop somewhere close by. It also seems like every teenager drives a WRX. If that doesn't scream drift town I don't know what does. Yonezawa is most famous for their beef. Supposedly, it's better than the beef from that other city, but I wouldn't know. The town is also quite misleading. Don't ever trust the station map because everything here is further than it seems.
Although Ryushanhai is not typically refered to as being "Yonezawa Ramen", it wasn't something I wanted to pass up. This ramen is soulful and sinful with all the best intentions. The Karamiso is just incredible! I love this trip!
Yonezawa's traditional type is Shoyu. Sort of like this Shoyu Ramen from Ramen Wakou. It's very similar to Tokyo's Chuuka Soba, but has a distinct flavor from all that pepper. It's very light and absolutely refreshing. I'm not sure if the noodles were homemade, but they were the thin, curly kind.
Even though it made a huge dent in my wallet, I had to give it a try. The steak just melted in my mouth as if I had never even swallowed. Wow! It was incredibly tender.
Here are some more pics of the day. I may have a really hectic day with the trains tomorrow, so let's hope I don't get lost. Eventually I'll end the night back in Tokyo, so here's to my trip up north. Cheers!
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