かみあり (Kamiari in Shimane Prefecture)

かみあり製麺



The search for the best ramen in Shimane Prefecture was over after the first bowl. The odds of anyone topping this one are slim to none. Just give them the prize!



Shimane is a strange prefecture. It could be Japan's longest prefecture, stretching over 200km along the Sea of Japan. Despite the size, the east side is where most tourism happens, with Izumo Shrine as a dream destination of singles everywhere. Visit, make an offering, and love is sure to come your way.

The above photo is from the stunning Adachi Museum of Art, with an award winning garden and rotating collection of Japanese art.



If you love ramen and motorcycles, you're in luck.



Kamiari. This shop was highly recommended by those in the know. Seafood is the theme.



しじみ塩。はまぐり醤油。えび味噌。魚介濃厚。

Shijimi shio. Hamaguri shoyu. Ebi miso. Gyokai noko.

Freshwater clam salt. Saltwater clam soy sauce. Shrimp miso. Thick dried fish.



And homemade noodles. It was tough to decide, but I felt confident with the miso this time.



Thick soup made with shrimp, topped with an aromatic shrimp oil for even more of an impact.



They also have limited bowls. In the summer, a sea urchin tsukemen looks like a winner. I'm still happy with my shrimp miso.

I love the onomatopoeia.

ゴロゴロ - heavy?
ザクザク - rough?



Of course, further research showed that the shijimi, a kind of local freshwater clam, was the most popular. Well, the most Instagramable at least, with the マシマシ version overflowing with the tiny clams.

A post shared by Katoul (@katoul_insta2) on Mar 12, 2018 at 5:33am PDT

Next time.



And I was obviously being facetious when I said that this is the best in the prefecture. They are actually somewhere in the 20s on the ramen database (here), which is shocking to me. That database, though, is a little wishy washy in the countryside.

This is part of a motorcycle trip I took in 2017. Check it out here:

http://www.ramenadventures.com/2017/11/ramen-riders-tottori-is-amazing.html





島根県出雲市斐川町学頭1815-1
Shimane-ken, Izumo-shi, Hikawachogakuto 1815-1
15 minute walk from Shobara Station

Open 11:00-15:00
Closed Thursdays

華漸 (Kazen in Yonago, Tottori Prefecture)

がんこラーメン 華漸 -KAZEN-



Welcome to Tottori Prefecture.

Tottori is located northeast of Osaka, and northwest of Hiroshima. The key here is north, and this makes the prefecture an out-of-the-way destination that few people visit.

It is a beautiful, quite part of Japan, though, and they even have their own style of ramen. Beef bone broth is big here, and shops scattered around the prefecture all have their own take on the concept.



Kazen in the populous town of Yonago (relatively populous) does a morning ramen from around 7:00am. Drop a single coin, just 500 yen, and start your day right.



The master is using a light beef bone broth, and mixing it with shijimi clams, one of the famous products from nearby Lake Shinji.



Noodles are made in house by the master, Tadahiro Yoshida.



Notice that bone hanging outside? Ramen nerds will know that as the calling card of Ganko. Most of the shops in this family proudly display the bovine femur.



In line with the Ganko lineage, Kazen uses beef, pork, and chicken in the broth. Yoshida-san puts his own spin on the bowl with a different style of noodles, and the morning ramen thing is his own as well.



This bowl was one of the best things I've eaten before 10am. Just enough to get me going for the day of motorcycle riding ahead. Hints of shijimi clams (he makes a separate clam seasoning liquid) and a perfect egg.

Take note that the shops stops serving the morning ramen at 10am, and closes at 2pm.



This is part of a motorcycle trip I took in 2017. Check it out here:

http://www.ramenadventures.com/2017/11/ramen-riders-tottori-is-amazing.html

Official site here.





鳥取県米子市旗ヶ崎2-13-29
Tottori-ken, Yonago-shi, Hatagasaki 2-13-29
20 minute walk from Goto Station

Open 7:00-14:00 (the menu changes at 10:00am)

和利道 warito (Warito in Naka-Meguro)

麺屋 和利道 warito



Warito comes from the TETSU lineage. TETSU is one of Tokyo's most famous tsukemen shops, but they sold the name a few years back and started opening up as a franchise. The franchise restaurants weren't anywhere near as great as the original, and it seemed that Japan had lost one of their treasures.



Warito is there to save the day.



The thick noodles and intense pork and fish broth (more of a gravy) are as good as ever. Noodles can be served あつもり, in a hot broth, while most tsukemen shops only serve the noodles cold. If you can manage to crush your noodles in a timely manner, I suggest atsumori. If you eat slowly, get the normal, cold noodles and take your time.



And the stone is still here. When the soup loses some temperature, ask for a 焼石. Yakiishi means hot stone. A red-hot iron fishing weight is dropped into the soup, essentially reboiling it.



I'm surprised, to be honest, that this still exists. Has no one seriously burnt themselves? I'm happy for the continued use, though, as it is one of the most unique cooking techniques in the ramen world.





東京都目黒区青葉台3-7-10
Tokyo, Meguro-ku, Aobadai 3-7-10
7 minute walk from Ikejiri-Ohashi Station

Open 11:00-15:30, 18:00-21:00
Closed Wednesdays