- Keika Ramen Honten: The Kumamoto Pioneer That Brought Tonkotsu to Tokyo
- Keika Ramen pioneered Kyushu tonkotsu in Tokyo since 1968. Visit the original honten in Kumamoto for authentic ma-yu garlic oil ramen.
Supreme Tonkotsu Ramen at the Birthplace in Fukuoka
When it comes to legendary tonkotsu ramen shops, ICHIRAN is the first name that comes to mind. Their headquarters flagship store is located in Nakasu-Kawabata, Fukuoka City.
I visited this flagship store, the birthplace of ICHIRAN, to savor authentic tonkotsu ramen.
ICHIRAN Souhonten
ICHIRAN Souhonten is the flagship store of ICHIRAN, a natural tonkotsu ramen specialty shop located in Nakasu-Kawabata, Hakata Ward, Fukuoka City. The menu features only one item: the “Natural Tonkotsu Ramen,” which has preserved its original recipe since the restaurant’s founding. With its consistent taste and service, ICHIRAN has gained devoted fans both domestically and internationally.
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Hours | 24 hours (Late - night surcharge from 10:00 pm to 6:00 am) |
| Closed | Open year - round |
| Phone | 050-3733-2600 |
| Seats | 1F: 14 seats (ICHIRAN Yatai), 2F: 26 seats (Flavor Concentration Counter), Total: 40 seats |
| Parking | None |
| Address | 5 - 3-2 Nakasu, Hakata - ku, Fukuoka - shi, Fukuoka 810 - 0801 |
| Website | https://ichiran.com/ |
Entrance on the 2nd Floor: Start by Purchasing a Meal Ticket
The ICHIRAN flagship store occupies an entire building.
However, the restaurant entrance is on the 2nd floor. Start by climbing the stairs to the 2nd floor.
On the 2nd floor, you’ll find ticket vending machines where you can purchase your meal ticket.
Extremely Popular: Expect a Queue!
ICHIRAN’s tonkotsu ramen is so popular and famous in Japan that practically everyone knows about it. Being the flagship store, ramen lovers from all over the country come here to enjoy the ultimate bowl. While the store operates 24 hours, long lines are inevitable.
As your turn approaches, a staff member will hand you an order form to fill out while you wait.
One of the enjoyable aspects of ICHIRAN ramen is the ability to customize your bowl to your preference—flavor intensity, richness, amount of garlic, green onions, chashu, and noodle firmness.
Before long, my turn came. Time to enter the restaurant.
The Flavor Concentration Counter
Inside, there are only 26 counter seats.
Each seat is separated by partitions, allowing you to fully enjoy your ramen without worrying about the people around you.
As soon as you sit down, a staff member comes to collect your meal ticket and the order form you filled out while waiting. The entire ordering process is completed without speaking a word.
Rich Yet Perfectly Balanced Supreme Tonkotsu Ramen
In about 5 minutes, the tonkotsu ramen arrived.
The presentation is impeccable, with a beautiful color balance—a truly stunning bowl of ramen.
The soup is clear with no unpleasant odor and delicious. It’s a clean-tasting broth with no off-flavors.
The noodles, soup, and all other ingredients come together in perfect harmony. You won’t find such a well-balanced tonkotsu ramen anywhere else but ICHIRAN.
Needless to say, I finished it in no time.
The Quintessential Tonkotsu Ramen: Once You Try It, You’ll Never Forget ICHIRAN
“Quintessential” generally refers to methods or concepts that are traditional yet stable and well-established. It also implies being widely popular and adopting excellent forms and methods that are accepted by many.
Indeed, ICHIRAN ramen has a massive following. Yet ICHIRAN’s tonkotsu ramen is distinctive. It possesses a strong identity that says “This is ICHIRAN tonkotsu ramen.” It has a unique flavor that resembles no other tonkotsu ramen from any other restaurant.
In other words, ICHIRAN ramen, often called the quintessential tonkotsu ramen, is not the standard of Japanese tonkotsu ramen—rather, ICHIRAN’s taste has become the center of what tonkotsu ramen represents today.
The pork bone soup is a rich, full-bodied broth carefully simmered by dedicated soup craftsmen through extensive research. The noodles are the thin variety traditional to Hakata ramen, which pairs perfectly with the soup. The chashu is made from premium pork, slowly roasted to concentrate its umami flavor.
The ramen at ICHIRAN Souhonten offers a simple yet profound taste experience. When you visit Fukuoka, be sure to try the authentic tonkotsu ramen at ICHIRAN Souhonten.
