徳島ラーメン 奥屋 (Okuya in Tokushima Prefecture)

徳島ラーメン 奥屋 本店

I was in the middle of a motorcycle trip around Kyushu when my friend Dr. K called. He and his friends would be in Fukuoka for the annual sumo tournament, and they had a seat for me. We'd spend the afternoon watching fat dudes beat on each other, then head off for a lavish kaiseki dinner with beautiful hostesses, a practice called dohan, before heading to the hostess bar itself for drinks.

I'm in.

I thought we were just going for a night of fun, but I was then invited to fly to Tokushima the next morning with the crew to check out the sites and go to the local geisha house.

I'm in!

Tokushima, in the east of Shikoku, is famous for a few things. The Awa Odori dance festival is held in the middle of August each year (though chances of that happening in 2020 are slim). You can get a taste for it year-round in their tourism hall.

The town is also known historically for indigo dye.

And of course, there is the ramen.

Okuya is one of many popular shops in the area. I'm not going to lie, I can't tell any major differences between the slew of shops I've been to here, apart from the excellent Inotani. It might just be the vibe though. Also, I have a pet peeve against raw egg whites in my soup. Raw egg is a standard topping in Tokushima ramen. Some shops let you crack your own, others just throw it in, slimy whites and all.

Wok-fried pork, on the sweet side, and a heavy tonkotsu soup with soy sauce.

One thing that sets Okuya apart is their rice bowl menu. You can get your ramen with a mini onsen tamago and shirasu (whitebait) bowl. Go for it!

They also have tantanmen, miso, and shio ramen on the menu. Nice variety for the locals.

Another fun trip to Tokushima, but I'm running out of spots to hit here.

Official site here.