Ramen by Region

Ramen is one of the most popular Japanese foods around the world and is enjoyed by both locals and visitors alike – no holiday to Japan is quite complete without it! There are various different type of ramen and you can learn more about the delicious dish with our blog post, Ten Things You Didn’t Know About Instant Ramen. Interestingly, there are a number of variations of ramen, and while most can be found pretty much anywhere in Japan, certain regions have become renowned for their own take on the style. Below, we’ve taken a look at the most famous types of ramen by region, so next time you treat yourself to a ramen dish, you’ll know more about the dish you are creating and where it comes from.

Hakata Tonkotsu Ramen

Starting in Hakata, or perhaps what’s more recently recognised as Fukuoka, Tonkotsu is a unique type of ramen that is created by boiling pork bones at a high temperature until collagen is released to create a milky broth that’s incredibly rich and cut with seafood stock. Often served with thin, straight noodles and cooked to be a bit more on the al dente side, it can be topped with thick slices of roasted pork. Other toppings and niceties include garlic, pickled ginger and sesame seeds, although again, this can vary from restaurant to restaurant, let alone region to region. This style of noodles is popular in many countries around the world and its resourceful nature of using what would otherwise be thrown away is what makes it the ramen of choice for many.

Kikakata Ramen

Heading to the northern part of Fukuoka, Kikakata is renowned for its hand-cut noodles and specialises in egg noodles that are wide and wavy. Served in shoyu-based soup, the soy sauce base gives a distinguished taste and is usually paired with bamboo shoots, chashu pork, white colour and a fish cake. The ingredients seem somewhat basic, but for many this is what a typical bowl of ramen would look like. Anyone travelling to Kikakata should definitely check out this dish or order some Japanese food in the UK from our oriental supermarket to whip it up at home for yourself!

Sapporo Miso Ramen

Sapporo is the capital of northern region Hokkaido and is best-known as the birthplace of miso-style ramen. This dish is so popular with locals and visitors that they have not one but two ramen ‘alleys’ dedicated to celebrating the tasty meal. Miso-ramen is available in abundance all over Japan, but it’s the fragrant soybean paste that is sautéed together with finger and garlic, mixed together with pork broth that makes such an explosion of flavour that will warm you up from the outside in, even in the midst of Japan’s snowy winters. Other Hokkaido speciality ingredients are corn and a creamy pat of butter, both of which can be added for a truly Sapporo-esque experience. Other toppings can include roasted chashu pork, bamboo shoots and bean sprouts.

Wakayama Ramen

It’s common to hear people in Wakayama ask for ‘Chinese-style noodles’ or chuka soba rather than ramen. In that case, you’ll get a bowl of tonkotsu-shoyu ramen as mentioned above, with the soy sauce-based broth that is popular in eastern regions of Japan. Noodles tend to be thin, slick and straight and come topped with a generous helping of scallions. Again, this dish is often served with a pink-and-white Naruto fish cake, but you can also have a side dish of haya-zushi. This is a Kansai-styled pressed sushi that consists of mainly pickled mackerel and is certainly not one for the faint-hearted.

Okinawa Soba

Okinawa was once known as the Rykuku Kingdom and was completely separate from the rest of Japan. The chain of islands to the southwest of Japan had its own culture, language and food, which, of course, included its own style of ramen. The noodles are called Okinawa ‘Soba’, but they are in fact more similar to udon flour noodles. They are served in a ramen-style broth with bonito fish flakes, kelp and pork, alongside any number of unique toppings. The most notable of these include bone-in pork rib and pig trotters – perfect for anyone wishing to widen their culinary horizons whilst on holiday!

Nagoya ‘Taiwan’ Ramen

Aptly named ‘Taiwan Ramen’ as a result of inspiration from the Taiwanese style of cooking, this delicious dish was named for the Taiwanese chef who created this dish based on Danzai noodles from his country. The noodles are served in a shoyu broth and topped with spicy ground pork and garlic chives. Despite Japan’s recent affliction for spicy flavourings, this dish out-dates that trend ten times over, and has withstood the test of time to remain popular throughout the years.

Onomichi Ramen

This picture-perfect seaside town in Hiroshima has direct links to the Seto Inland Sea, so it may come as no surprise that their idea of ramen is made with the freshest of local seafood. However, the meaty broth contains a range of different ingredients to compliment the fish dish, including chicken and a layer of rich pork back fat that is a lot nicer than it sounds. The towns ramen shops are never short of customers and many who holiday in this region will be all too familiar with this style of ramen.

That concludes our brief overview of the various styles of ramen that are available at every region in Japan. Remember, most variations will be prevalent in every region given the general popularity of the dish, these are just examples of what each area of Japan specialises in. Do you have a favourite type of ramen? Let us know in the comments below and don’t forget to get all your ingredients from our oriental supermarket for a truly authentic taste that can be created from your kitchen!