You'll need a car to get to many good ramen shops outside of Tokyo. Sorry, that's just the truth of the matter. Maybe you could figure out the train, then hop a bus or two, then walk if you want to make it to Bunryu, one of Kumamoto's most famous shops.
The upper left of the ticket machine is tonkotsu black. There's a red option somewhere to the right, but I wasn't going to tempt fate with an unknown spicy bowl.
The upper left choice is also labeled as こってり - thick. A handwritten sign above says that it is actually 超こってり - super thick. Perfect.
My friend got the thinner あっさり version.
By the way, thick in this case means a healthy mound of seabura back fat on top. My kind of thick!
My kind of ramen.
Kumamoto ramen is rough with full flavors. Lots of pork and lots of garlic. Think of it as your standard Kyushu tonkotsu ramen plus.
Be careful with the minced shoyu garlic, a staple of Kumamoto ramen shops. A little goes a long way, and you will stink for the rest of the day.
Really love Kumamoto, not just for their ramen, but as a travel destination in general.
And some of the happiest people in Japan.
Case in point.
熊本県熊本市東区戸島4-2-47
Kumamoto-ken, Kumamoto-shi, Higashi-ku, Toshima 4-2-37
Closest station: Drive!
Open 11:30-15:00, 17:30-22:30
Closed Tuesdays
