ラーメン光 (Hikari in Kawagoe)

ひかり or ラーメン光



Have you been to Ganja yet? After opening eight or so years ago, their popularity has skyrocketed. Since then, members of the Ganja family have gone on to open half a dozen other shops, most of which are in the Kawagoe area.



Kawagoe is a historic town about an hour outside of Tokyo. The original Ganja is right, next to the old Edo-era warehouses and temples, as well as the town's main train station. Hikari, well, isn't. This is one you should rent a car and drive to. If that is your thing.



The highlight is their chashu. Shredded pork, rolled into massive balls, and fried. This is good eating. I will refrain from too many ganja related quips about fried pork balls, but this shop would make a killing in Colorado.



Expect a wait, even on a weekday. The parking lot fits around 10 cars, and there were three waiting on the street for a spot. First time I've seen a line of cars for a ramen shop!



The flavors are in line with the original Ganja shop. Heavy pork tsukemen. Big fat noodles.



Make sure you get that fried pork ball!



Official Site Here



埼玉県川越市鹿飼1426-6
Saitama-ken, Kawagoe-shi, Shishikai 1426-6
Closest station: Drive (Kawagoe station)

Open 11:30-14:30, 17:30-21:00
Closed Sundays

饗 くろ㐂 (Motenashi Kuroki in Akihabara)

饗 くろ㐂



Kuroki should make any traveler's list of ramen shops. Many amazing shops are a trek away from convenience, and someone with only a few days in the capital city might be hard pressed to spend half a day in search of ramen.



But Kuroki is a short walk from Akihabara, the electronics / video games / otaku center of the universe. Do yourself a favor and head east, towards Asakusabashi, and hit this place up.



The special shio ramen (just hit the upper left button on the ticket machine) just knocked someone off my best-of list. This is a near perfect bowl. You'll see bags and bags of dried seafood scattered around the store, all of which make their way into the soup at Kuroki. Pike, flying fish, mackerel, and bonito all end up in the broth.



Toppings are decadent. Slow roasted pork, chicken chashu, shrimp wontons. The tiny dried fish sitting on the top are the icing on the cake.



Oh, fresh menma and homemade noodles. Don't forget about the homemade noodles.



That kanji, 饗, motenashi, means banquet. A banquet in a bowl.

I made a video here with AKB48 and #TokyExtra!





Official Site Here



東京都千代田区神田和泉町2-15
Tokyo, Chioda-ku, Kanda-Izumicho 2-15
Closest station: Akihabara

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

天外天 (Tengaiten in Kumamoto)

天外天 本店



Despite all of the shops I wanted to visit being closed (who closes their shop at 8pm on a Saturday night!), Tendaiten looked like a winner.



For me, Kumamoto ramen is all about the balance of garlic. It is a battle between the creamy tonkotsu soup and the pungent nature of the stinking rose. Tengaiten delivers with sliced raw garlic marinated in a homemade soy dressing.



If the impact isn't enough, add some more tare. Nice touch!



This was the bowl for me. Every bite kicked you in the face, then let you savor the essence of pork.



This chashu is off the hook. I'm guessing that is a theme with Kumamoto ramen. Tokyo take note! Use more garlic when making your pork!



I wish I could live in some of these cities for a couple months. But, alas, Sunday comes and my flight is booked back to Tokyo.





熊本県熊本市中央区安政町2-15
Kumamoto-ken, Kumamoto-shi, Chu-ku, Anseimachi 2-15
Closest station: Suidocho

Open 19:00-4:00am
Closed Mondays