1. Ryu Shanghai Akayu main shop (Nanyo City)

The first place I would like to introduce is Nanyo City’s Ryu Shanghai Akayu main shop, which is said to be the king of Yamagata’s spicy miso ramen.

Actually, it is the shop where spicy miso ramen originated!

Customers from in and out the prefecture line up long before the shop opens on weekdays in search of that famous bowl of ramen.

What I ordered was the most popular  item, the Akayu spicy miso ramen.

Here it is!

The soup is made with plenty of carefully selected domestic ingredients and the noodles are homemade.

Of course, the soup is delicious as it is, but the umami is accelerated by dissolving the spicy miso made with local Akayu chili peppers into it.

In addition to the main shop, there are 5 sister shops in the prefecture, and there is also a shop at the Shin-Yokohama Ramen Museum in Yokohama City, so please enjoy a cup of specialty at a shop near you.

2. Torashin Ramen (Yamagata City)

This is another popular shop that always has a long line, Torashin Ramen!

Since moving to the current location in 2019, the number of spots for the parking lot and seats indoor has been expanded, and it is attracting more and more attention.

Torashin ramen is also really delicious, and this is a shop that I often use with my family.

What I ordered was the impressive Spicy miso chashumen.

Have a look at this!

I don’t think it all can fit in a bowl lol

In addition to sliced chashu, Torashin’s chashumen is also topped with dice-shaped chashu meat.

This one bowl is twice as delicious, making it an irresistible choice for chashu lovers.

The special soup has a great combination of seafood dashi and miso!

It has a mellow mouthfeel, and you can also dissolve the spicy miso to make it your favorite flavor.

The curly noodles hold the soup firmly and you can enjoy it until the end.

There is also a small rise at the back of the shop, so it is recommended for families.

In addition to spicy miso ramen, there are soy sauce, salt and beef broth based ramen, mixed soba and tsukemen, and so on.

3. Uchoten EVOLUTION (Yamagata City)

Next, we will try Uchouten EVOLUTION, which has been introduced on national broadcasts before.

You can have a bowl of noodles, soup, spicy miso, etc., each of which has been carefully selected.

First, please take a look at this.

There is something wrong with this…

That’s right, the ramen is topped with gesoten fried squid!

In fact, in Yamagata Prefecture, which is also known as the soba kingdom Yamagata, it is common to add gesoten to soba toppings.

The gesoten miso ramen, which is topped with the beloved gemoten, is one of Uchouten EVOLUTION’s signature dishes.

A soup made by slowly simmering ingredients such as chicken bones and pork bones in a seafood base.

With the sweetness of the vegetables and the richness of the gesoten, you can have a bowl of ramen that you can’t taste anywhere else.

Homemade gyoza dumplings and rice bowls are also available, so be careful not to eat too much!

4. Minami no Tonton (Yamagata City)

Minami no Tonton is a popular shop that always fills up during lunchtime.

You can have a very satisfying bowl of soup with custom-made noodles that take into consideration the compatibility with the soup, homemade chashu, etc.

The recommended Karamiso Ramen is homemade, even the bamboo shoots!

The soup is made with hand-rolled medium-thick curly noodles that are chewy and made with carefully selected ingredients.

It seems that not only each ingredient is important, but also the balance that matches the combination and flavoring is important.

This is also a bowl that I would like you to try at least once.

The interior of the store is spacious enough to be used by families with small children.

5. Ramen Togami (Yamagata City)

Ramen Togami is located in the Higashihara-machi area of Yamagata City.

Located near the Yamagata Minami High School and Yamagata University, it is a shop that grabs the stomachs of many students.

The signature dish is soy sauce chashu, but you should definitely try the spicy miso chashu!

The towering vegetables and chashu in the center are a spectacle reminiscent of the sacred Mt. Gassan.

Perhaps because the vegetables are stir-fried, the faint sweetness is irresistible.

The word “classic” is perfect to describe this bowl!

It would be a waste to leave soup!

In addition to counters, tables, and raised areas, there is also a well-stocked manga corner, making it a comfortable place to spend time while waiting for your ramen.

6. Chuka Soba Shodai Bontenmaru (Tendo City)

There is also a recommended place in Tendo City!

Its name is Chuka Soba Shodai Bontenmaru.

It’s located in a renovated private house in a residential area, so it’s a little hard to find, but it’s always bustling with customers.

Their signature dish, the Bontenmaru chuka soba with spicy miso, is a novel bowl with spicy miso with lotus root and pickled plum in the center of the bowl.

When it was brought to me, I was surprised that ramen had umeboshi!

It’s such a perfect match that it makes you wonder if the peculiar word “naruto” exists for this purpose.

The sweetness of the backfat is perfect with the light soup, and there is no too strong flavors.

It’s a bowl that makes you want to go regularly even if it’s far away.

The inside of the shop is a spacious one-floor tatami room, and it was a relaxing space that made me feel like I was at my grandpa’s or grandma’s house.

There is a tsukemono corner too, perfect for a change in tastes.

(Extra) Darumaya main shop (Yamagata City)

Lastly, we would like to introduce you to the Darumaya main shop, where you can have a bowl of miso that is slightly similar to, but different from, spicy miso.

They have stores mainly in the prefecture, but this time we visited the main shop in Ochiai-machi, Yamagata City.

Here is the cup!

It is a karashi miso ramen that is not spicy miso.

It is characterized by a light liquid mustard miso instead of a paste of red spicy miso.

Choose from Slightly spicy, Medium spicy, or Very spicy (pictured is Slightly spicy).

A soup with a mellow and rich miso base and a faint seafood flavor.

It’s delicious enough as it is, but adding mustard miso makes it big!

There is no doubt that you will be absorbed in sipping while sweating.

The noodles were smooth and smooth, and it was a fun meal.

Aim for the top spot!

As I mentioned at the beginning, Yamagata City has held the top spot for chuka soba (outdoor dining) annual spending for eight consecutive years since 2013.

Last year (2021), Niigata City took the top spot…

In order to recapture the top spot, the efforts of the long-established printing company Taifu Printing have become a hot topic!

Its name is “Noodles lovers ramen bill key holder”.

It is a key holder with special benefits that can be used as many times as you want during the period, from well-established Yamagata ramen shops to up-and-coming shops.

Part of the production work for this product is outsourced to the Disabled Persons Employment Facility, which is said to be contributing to the expansion of employment of persons with disabilities (contractor: Yume Kobo, Social Welfare Corporation Zaou Fukushikai).

[Bonus period]
November 1 (Tue.), 2022 to April 30 (Sun.), 2023

[vol.2 lineup]
All 5 types + secret, ramen group, ramen dimension.
・Abe Seimenjo ・Hatsushi Menya Living Man ・TOSAKA
・Secret

Endo main shop, Sakai noodle shop, Kajo Central 1st floor (Yamagata Tourism & Local Products Association), Yamagata City government office 1st floor, moving gacha

500 yen each (tax included)

The name of one of the cooperating shops and details of the benefits are printed on the key chain, and if you bring it to a shop, you can receive great benefits such as free large servings and toppings.

You can receive benefits as many times as you like during the period, just a privilege free pass!

In the beginning, there were only two installation locations, but now there are more locations, and moving gachas that are installed at events and stores for a limited time are also becoming more and more exciting.

Get a key ring and aim to retake the top spot!