{"id":3977,"date":"2020-02-20T07:13:48","date_gmt":"2020-02-19T22:13:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hrcjapan.com\/ramen-noodles-tsukemen-tantanmen-hiroshima\/"},"modified":"2025-08-28T11:34:39","modified_gmt":"2025-08-28T02:34:39","slug":"ramen-noodles-tsukemen-tantanmen-hiroshima","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hrcjapan.com\/ja\/ramen-noodles-tsukemen-tantanmen-hiroshima\/","title":{"rendered":"Eat Your Noodles (Hiroshima Edition!)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Everyone loves noodles, and it\u2019s easy to see why. For less than 1000 JPY, you\u2019ll walk out of a good noodle shop satisfied with both the food and the atmosphere. And in Hiroshima, as in any large Japanese city, we have a whole world of noodles to explore. Let\u2019s look at a few of the more popular styles.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ramen<\/b><\/h3>\n

Ramen is the one everyone knows, the lunch hour delight for millions of salarymen. But any real ramen head knows that every shop is different. Some people travel just to sample new regional styles from as many bowls as they can manage.<\/p>\n

My favorite shop in Hiroshima is Takobouzu,<\/strong> not far from Hiroshima Station. You wouldn\u2019t call it distinctly Hiroshima-style ramen. For that, you need to head to Onomichi, where some shops serve a local style of ramen made with fish stock. I\u2019m not a fan, but it does draw visitors from across Japan.<\/p>\n

Takobouzu opened about 40 years ago, and it\u2019s not a big place. A few stools line a scarred tin counter, and the toilet, if you\u2019re feeling adventurous (or desperate), is tiny. But it\u2019s the ramen that brings regulars back, and it’s excellent. This ramen isn\u2019t the thick, salty soup that\u2019s become so popular across Japan. Pork and chicken stock, made daily and kept simmering separately, are mixed in your bowl, along with the thin, firm noodles. Two slices of pork set on top of the bowl.<\/p>\n

The master studied traditional Chinese medicine, and his soup incorporates a secret blend of herbs and spices that lend it a sophisticated, excellent flavor. He\u2019s quite talkative, and if you\u2019re a regular, or he takes a liking to you, there are special, flat Cantonese noodles that he makes himself kept in one of the refrigerators. They\u2019re not on the menu, but if you can coax some out of him, they\u2019re fantastic.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re downtown, or in the mood for something a little more standard, you can\u2019t go wrong with Ichiran<\/strong>, a Hakata-style chain with a shop in Hondori, just across from Sun Mall. It\u2019s a funny set up; you sit at a counter with walls between customers, and a small window opening into the kitchen. There are directions in English for ordering, the ramen is delicious, and they claim it will be in front of you 15 seconds after you put in your order slip. But this isn\u2019t the best choice if you want to socialize. The feeling is a bit like being a barn animal in a feed stall, and you\u2019re not encouraged to linger. But the noodles themselves are famous enough that when they opened a few years ago, people lined up around the corner for weeks.<\/p>\n

Hiroshima-Style Tsukemen<\/b><\/h3>\n

The rest of the country has a dish called tsukemen, too, but it\u2019s a gray thing next to the Hiroshima version. They\u2019re different enough to have caused some controversy over which is the original. Naturally enough, Hiroshima claims its tsukemen is the real thing. It\u2019s a plate of cold wheat noodles, along with vegetables like cabbage, bean sprouts, and green onion. You\u2019ll also get slices of pork and, at some places, a boiled egg. Then there\u2019s the dipping sauce, a scarlet bowl of chili, oil, and sesame. You can choose your level of spice from relatively mild (though still not child-friendly) up to those that will earn you a photo on the \u201cwall of honor.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Don\u2019t overdo it. <\/b><\/span>You may be able to handle a level 100 bowl of sauce, but all you\u2019ll taste is the chili, which would be a shame. <\/span><\/p>\n

There are many options around town. If you\u2019re anywhere near Peace Memorial Park, you\u2019re within easy striking distance of <\/span>Karabu<\/b>, an excellent little tsukemen spot in my neighborhood. Just across from Aster Plaza, a few blocks south of Peace Park along Yoshijima-dori, Karabu is another relatively small shop, but I\u2019ve never been turned away. Grab a beer, and make sure you have a tissue box nearby. You\u2019ll need both.<\/span><\/p>\n

Shiru-nashi Tantanmen<\/b><\/h3>\n

Shiru-nashi Tantanmen is a soupless Japanese version of Chinese dandan noodles, from the Sichuan province. Notable here is the inclusion of \u2018sanshou,\u2019 or Sichuan pepper. I\u2019m not versed in the physiology, but part of the perception of \u201cspice\u201d from sanshou is an odd, tingly numbing of the tongue. It takes a little getting used to, but it\u2019s good. Shakers of red pepper are also close at hand, along with extra sanshou if you need a more substantial hit. This is another dish where the noodles arrive on the side, but here you don\u2019t dip, you swirl. The instructions are to tip your noodles into the sauce and swirl them until no visible liquid remains. I\u2019ve been told more than once that thirty swirls are the minimum number, but do what feels right. Then you\u2019re ready to eat. If you\u2019ve ordered a poached egg on the side (and you should), dredge the noodles through the egg before taking a bite. At the end, scoop your rice into the bowl and use it to soak up any remaining sauce. Delicious.<\/p>\n

One of the more popular options for this dish in Hiroshima is <\/span>King Ken<\/b>, a small chain. You\u2019ll order from a machine near the door, but if you\u2019re having difficulty, you can ask for help. The most accessible location to find, conveniently close to Peace Park, is south of Peace Boulevard on the street, running along the east side of the Sunroute Hotel.<\/span><\/p>\n

Additional Information<\/b><\/h3>\n

Takobouzu<\/b><\/p>\n

Address<\/b>: <\/span>8-6 Kyobashi-Cho, Minamiku (map link<\/a> )<\/span>
\nAccess<\/b>: Heading away from Hiroshima Station on the main road into downtown, turn right at the Hiroshima Grand Intelligent Hotel. You\u2019ll find Takobouzu a block and half on toward the Enko River, on the right. <\/span>
\nHours<\/b>: <\/span>11:15 to 14:00, 17:30-23:00, holidays when he feels the need<\/span>
\nTelephone<\/b>: <\/span>082-261-6648<\/span>
\nAdditional Info:<\/b> Very limited English, beyond what\u2019s needed to order. Ask about his handmade Canton style noodles, unadvertised. Smoking permitted.<\/span>
\nWebsite<\/b>: Nonexistent<\/span><\/p>\n

Ichiran<\/b><\/p>\n

Address<\/b>: M2F\/2F 2-3-22 Kamiyacho Naka-Ku ( map link<\/a> )<\/span>
\nAccess<\/b>: In the Hondori Shopping Arcade, east of the streetcar line, across from the Shappo hat shop. <\/span>
\nHours<\/b>: <\/span>\u201cFlavor Concentration Stalls\u201d are open 24 hours a day, every day.<\/span>
\nTelephone<\/b>: 082-249-5411<\/span>
\nPrices: <\/b>Basic ramen from 890 JPY<\/span>
\nAdditional Info:<\/b> Ordering slip system seems needlessly complicated, but there are English language instructions for filling it out.<\/span>
\nWebsite<\/b>: Unusually good, located here <\/span>https:\/\/en.ichiran.com\/shop\/chugoku\/hiroshima-hondori\/<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Karabu<\/b><\/p>\n

Address<\/b>: 8-13 Kakomachi, Naka Ward, Hiroshima, 730-0812 (map link<\/a> )<\/span>
\nAccess<\/b>: Walk south on Yoshijima-Dori from Peace Memorial Museum for about four blocks. You\u2019ll find it on the left, across from Aster Plaza.<\/span>
\nHours<\/b>: <\/span>11:00-15:00 \/ 17:00-0:00, irregular holidays<\/span>
\nTelephone<\/b>: <\/span>082-244-0888<\/span>
\nAdditional Info:<\/b> Limited English. Lunch hour may require a wait. Smoking permitted.<\/span>
\nWebsite<\/b>: None, online review sites direct you to a personal tsukemen blog.<\/span><\/p>\n

King Ken<\/b><\/p>\n

Address<\/b>: 8-7 Hond\u014dri, Naka Ward, Hiroshima, 730-0035 ( map link<\/a> )<\/span>
\nAccess<\/b>: From the front entrance to the Sunroute Hotel on Peace Boulevard, walk south (one block in from the Motoyasu River). You\u2019ll find King Ken on your right, just around the first corner.<\/span>
\nHours<\/b>: <\/span>11:00-15:00, 17:00-20:00 Monday through Friday (11:00-15:00 Saturday & National Holidays), closed Sundays<\/span>
\nTelephone<\/b>: <\/span>082-249-3646<\/span>
\nAdditional Info:<\/b> Order from the ticket machine, and present your tickets. Ask for help if you need it. <\/span>
\nWebsite<\/b>: <\/span>https:\/\/www.kingken.jp\/<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Guilhem Vellut from Paris, France [CC BY 2.0<\/a>], via Wikimedia Commons<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Everyone loves noodles, and it\u2019s easy to see why. For less than 1000 JPY, you\u2019ll walk out of a good noodle sho […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":3978,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[94,49,54],"tags":[51,210,52],"class_list":["post-3977","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-food-and-dining","category-hiroshima-2","category-japan","tag-hiroshima-city-2","tag-hiroshima-dining","tag-hiroshima-prefecture-2"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hrcjapan.com\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3977","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hrcjapan.com\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hrcjapan.com\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hrcjapan.com\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hrcjapan.com\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3977"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/hrcjapan.com\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3977\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":50378,"href":"https:\/\/hrcjapan.com\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3977\/revisions\/50378"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hrcjapan.com\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3978"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hrcjapan.com\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3977"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hrcjapan.com\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3977"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hrcjapan.com\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3977"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}