Yokohama Iekei Ramen a Bold and Hearty Bowl

Yokohama iekei ramen is a Yokohama born style that pairs a rich broth of pork bone and soy with chewy, thick straight noodles. Yoshimuraya, founded in Yokohama in 1974, is regarded as the origin, and its flavor blending Kyushu pork bone with Tokyo soy sauce won wide acclaim. The classic bowl is topped with sheets of nori, spinach, and chashu pork, and part of its appeal is adjusting the flavor to taste with the garlic and chili bean paste on the table. As a hearty, powerful bowl, it has spread across the country.

Highlights

• A rich, deep broth where pork bone, soy, and chicken oil melt together
• The texture of thick straight noodles that lift the broth well
• The custom of scooping broth with large square sheets of nori and laying it over rice
• Ordering that lets you tune the noodle firmness, broth strength, and fat level

Enjoying the Seasons

The rich broth is welcome in the cold months, warming a chilled body from within. In summer it makes a stamina building bowl that is wonderful even as you work up a sweat. With the table side seasonings, it stirs the appetite no matter the season.

Access and Basic Information

• Specialty shops are scattered around Yokohama Station and across the city
• From the head shop regarded as the origin to many others, you can trace the lineage
• Eating it alongside a bowl of rice is the standard style, with some shops offering free or unlimited rice
• Many shops let you specify firmness, strength, and fat when ordering
• Some popular shops draw lines, so allow extra time

Practical Travel Notes

• Lines form at lunch and dinner, so shifting your timing reduces the wait
• A bowl runs around a thousand yen, and remains reasonable even with added rice or toppings
• Because it is rich, ordering standard strength and fat at first helps you avoid getting overwhelmed
• The area around Yokohama Station is a transit hub, easy to drop into between sights
• Visiting a few shops of different lineages lets you enjoy how the same style varies

A Quick Tip

If it is your first time, start with the standard order to learn the base flavor. Partway through, dip the nori into the broth and eat it with rice to fully enjoy the satisfaction that is unique to iekei ramen. Add the garlic on the table a little at a time and enjoy how the flavor shifts.