港楽亭
Ramen Riders! Round 3!
Jim, James, and Juan joined me on another semi-successful ramen road trip. The concept is simple. Ride motorcycles and eat local ramen. I say semi-successful for a few reasons, which I will get to later. But first, what is this port city of Misaki known for?
Maguro. Delicious tuna. Fresh fish from the waters of Japan are delivered daily, and people flock from all over the country to enjoy the highest quality tuna available.
Right?
Not really. Venture into the local fish market and investigate. There are plenty of local fish here, but maguro is a worldwide business. The most expensive piece I could find is from... Ireland!
About $600. Turns out most of the local waters have been over-fished. I'm not in the mood for a food ethics discussion. The gist is that a lot of fish eaten in Japan comes from anywhere except Japan.
And with the best of the best cuts heading to Tokyo and Kyoto (as with most meats and fish), don't think that you need to visit this place to have an epic tuna experience in Japan.
The Ramen
Misaki, in an effort to attract more publicity, created a ramen shop collaboration. The concept is straight forward; the soup is made of maguro stock, and the toppings must use maguro. The first stop was Korakutei, which is considered the best of the bunch.
Shoyu soup that is extremely fishy. The topping was a sort of fishcake that made me wish I had ordered nothing but the fishcake. Yeah, this bowl was just so-so. Tuna is an uncommon ingredient in soup production, and now I know why. While fish like katsuo or niboshi add distinctive smoky and bitter flavors, the in-your-face fishiness of maguro is a bit too much.
Juan had the bowl topped with a Chinese-style stir fry of maguro, vegetables, and a sweet sauce. Definitely the one to go with. The thick sauce added some much needed dimension to the soup. Juan, a Spaniard who grew up eating his fair share of fish, approves.
Actually, this bowl won 5th place in the fairly famous B-1 Grand Prix in it's category. It's a food competition. Not sure how many entries there were though. Could have been in the single digits.
It should be obvious that I don't want to push anyone to make the trek down to Misaki. If you live in the Yokohama area, and have your own transportation, and have run out of things to do, by all means check it out on a lazy Sunday.
神奈川県三浦市三崎5-1-10
Kanagawa-ken, Miura-shi, Misaki 5-1-10
Closest station: Misakiguchi, then a bus
Open 11:00-20:30
Closed Wednesdays
The Ride
Ah, the ride. We are, after all, motorcycle riders. This particular trip was spent between the expressway and the traffic of Miura. I'm not selling this, am I? Well, the small coastal stretch of the 215 from Misaki to Yokosuka is nice. The rest is just asphalt and trucks.
Hmmmm, maybe I should rethink. I've driven the expressways of Tokyo and Yokohama countless times, so I take it a bit for granted. Actually, for someone new to the elevated toll roads of the area, wonderment at the epic scale of Tokyo is inevitable. From wherever-you-are Tokyo to the Daikoku parking area, you pass by every famous landmark in the city at an elevation of 30 meters. You go over the Rainbow Bridge (the same one from that one scene in Kill Bill). You pop into a tunnel and pop up in the middle of an airport. It's a unique way to see urbanity at it's grandest.
The Daikoku (大黒) parking area is a sight to see. A mega truck-stop on an island in the Yokohama Bay, it is the most convenient place for local car and bike clubs to meet before setting out for trips into the countryside. On any given weekend, expect to see a dozen Italian sports cars, anime-themed compact cars, Harley riding clubs, and the like.
Today was light though, and the only interesting club was the 1970 Lamborghini club. Oh, and the Ramen Riders of course.
Miura is overdeveloped, so don't expect much good riding. The shortest stretch from the expressway to the city is a straight shot down a congested road, though passing is easy. The 215, which hugs the east coast is excellent, but only for about 20 minutes of spirited riding. Then it's back on the expressway, and back to Tokyo.
A more interesting option would be to hop the ferry across Tokyo Bay into Chiba and ride the mountains there. Being late January, that is not a safe option for motorcycles.
A sport bike, a Harley, a sport touring ride, and a supermoto. All we need is a scooter and we'd have all the genres covered.
Thanks for coming out. The next ride will focus more on the riding than the ramen, and include more food options for those with a more... Western palate.
Stay safe out there.
