Asahikawa (Hokkaido)
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5 Popular Ramen Shops in Asahikawa You Should Visit Now

Ramen is a classic favorite among Hokkaido gourmet foods. Sapporo's miso flavor, Hakodate's salt flavor, and Asahikawa's soy sauce flavor are known as Hokkaido's three great local ramen styles. Asahikawa ramen is a simple style that focuses on the combination of noodles and soup, characterized by low-hydration, medium-thin curly noodles that hold the soup well. Asahikawa is also the birthplace of salt-marinated offal (shio horumon), and horumon ramen has become a soul food for local residents. The secret to the immense popularity of Asahikawa ramen is that each shop works hard to improve its craft to boost the local ramen culture. The "Asahikawa Ramen Village" features eight famous shops lined up, making it perfect for comparing different flavors. Here, we introduce a carefully selected list of popular ramen shops you should definitely try when visiting Asahikawa.

A bowl with a deep flavor from soup simmered for half a day

The "Ichikura Ramen Soy Sauce Flavor" for 950 yen, packed with green onions that green onion lovers will find irresistible
The "Ichikura Ramen Soy Sauce Flavor" for 950 yen, packed with green onions that green onion lovers will find irresistible

Ichikura's ramen is characterized by its homemade noodles made from 100% Hokkaido wheat and its crystal-clear soup. Their signature soup is made by slowly simmering carefully selected pork bones and several types of vegetables for 12 hours. The noodles are made using natural kansui without any preservatives or artificial coloring, bringing out the natural flavor of the wheat. The most popular item is the "Ichikura Ramen Soy Sauce Flavor." It is a masterpiece where the deliciousness of the dashi spreads throughout your mouth, offering a deep, rich flavor. The bowl is topped with a layer of small green onions, making it visually striking as well.
The "Salmon Flake Ramen" is also a popular menu item. It was featured in the Michelin Guide Hokkaido 2012 Special Edition, and the soup, made with salmon flakes that preserve that flavor, has a clean, savory, and rich taste. It attracts many fans from both within Japan and abroad, as well as local residents.

Ichikura Asahikawa Main Store
  • AddressYamada Bldg. 1F, 3-jo-dori 7-chome, Asahikawa, Hokkaido MAP
  • AccessApprox. 8-minute walk from Asahikawa Station
  • Business hoursSun-Thu 18:00-2:00, Fri/Sat/Day before holidays 18:00-4:00
  • ClosedIrregular holidays
  • TEL0166-24-8887
  • ParkingNone

Enjoy three types of ramen centered on creative noodles

The "Junmen" for 1000 yen, a highly original creative ramen that fans look forward to seeing evolve
The "Junmen" for 1000 yen, a highly creative original ramen that fans also look forward to seeing evolve

An up-and-coming ramen shop that opened in 2020. They offer three types of ramen. Their most popular menu item is the creative "Jun-men," made with luxurious ingredients such as French duck chashu. Jun-men is topped with a paste made from porcini mushrooms and other ingredients, allowing you to enjoy a change in flavor halfway through. It is a highly original dish with a layered depth created by the luxurious ingredients and a double soup of whole chicken and seafood. The basic "Chuka Soba" has a simple flavor with a soup made only from dried sardines. In addition, "Jun-chan Ramen" is a collaboration ramen featuring the Jun-men soup, original back fat, and extra-thick hand-massaged noodles.
New ramen dishes at Jun-men Shokudo are released one after another and continue to evolve daily, so we recommend checking their official Instagram for the menu.

Junmen Shokudo
  • Address3-8 Nagayama 3-jo 5-chome, Asahikawa, Hokkaido MAP
  • AccessApprox. 20-minute walk from Minami-Nagayama Station
  • Business hours11:00-16:00, 18:30-21:30
  • ClosedMondays
  • TEL050-5375-8609
  • ParkingFree

Horumon (offal) ramen and pork bowls are the signature menu items

The "Miso Horumon Ramen" for 800 yen, featuring exquisite offal that is a soul food of Asahikawa
The "Miso Horumon Ramen" for 800 yen, featuring exquisite offal that is a soul food of Asahikawa

A charming ramen shop renovated from an old folk house. It opened in 2019 with the goal of creating a relaxing space. The shop's two signature menu items are "Miso Horumon Ramen" and "Buta-don."
Miso Horumon Ramen features a soup made from a blend of several types of miso and tender, odorless offal. Since horumon ramen is a soul food of Asahikawa, many ramen shops offer it, but the exquisite, melt-in-your-mouth offal at the Heiwa Asahikawa main store is exceptional, and many fans visit frequently.
Buta-don is a masterpiece that luxuriously uses five types of pork. The pork is carefully grilled over charcoal, and four different sauces are used for each cut before being placed on hot rice.
The homey atmosphere of the shop is rare for a ramen restaurant, and you take off your shoes at the entrance. It is a place where you can enjoy the space and time in a relaxed manner along with the food.

Heiwa Asahikawa Main Store
  • Address1-7, Suehiro 1-jo 1-chome, Asahikawa City, Hokkaido MAP
  • AccessApprox. 15 minutes by bus from Asahikawa Station
  • Business hours11:00–15:00
  • ClosedWednesdays and the 3rd Tuesday
  • TEL0166-76-7008
  • ParkingFree

Inheriting the taste of generations as a pioneer of Asahikawa ramen

The "Soy Sauce Ramen" for 800 yen, one of the origins of Asahikawa ramen passed down from the first generation
The "Soy Sauce Ramen" for 800 yen, one of the origins of Asahikawa ramen passed down from the first generation

Founded in 1947 (Showa 22), Aoba is a pioneer of Asahikawa ramen. The first-generation owner, Kichiya Murayama, started from a food stall and created a soy sauce ramen with the goal of making a flavor beloved by the common people. Aoba's ramen, finished with a double soup of seafood and land-based ingredients, has been passed down through the second and third generations. Characterized by a soup that stays hot and noodles that do not easily get soggy, they continue to provide ramen in a way unique to Hokkaido, ensuring that even on the coldest days, customers can enjoy a piping hot bowl until the very last bite. While their soy sauce ramen is a staple, their salt ramen, where the quality of the ingredients truly shines, is also highly acclaimed. The toppings are simple—chashu pork, menma bamboo shoots, and green onions—but they perfectly complement Aoba's soup-focused ramen.
The third-generation owner's motto is, "To sell a hundred bowls of ramen, focus on the very first one." Please come and taste a bowl crafted with heart and soul.

Asahikawa Ramen Aoba Main Store
  • Address2-jo Building Meitengai, 2-jo 8-chome, Asahikawa City, Hokkaido MAP
  • AccessApprox. 10 minutes on foot from Asahikawa Station
  • Business hours9:30–14:00, 15:00–17:20
  • ClosedWednesdays (if Wednesday is a public holiday, Thursday may be a regular holiday) *Please contact in advance
  • TEL0166-23-2820
  • ParkingNone

A popular restaurant where you can eat classic Asahikawa soy sauce ramen

Tenkin's signature menu item, the "Soy Sauce Ramen" for 800 yen, which continues to be deeply loved by everyone
The "Soy Sauce Ramen" for 800 yen, Tenkin's signature menu item that continues to be deeply loved by everyone

They opened a branch in Asahikawa Ramen Village in 1996. Since then, they have continued to protect the traditional taste of Asahikawa soy sauce ramen. Tenkin aims for a "flavor that never changes." Their deep, rich, pork bone-based soup is so delicious that even ramen connoisseurs say it is "tasty down to the very last drop." To serve piping hot ramen in the harsh cold of Asahikawa winters, they add lard to create an oil film on the surface, preventing the heat from escaping. They use low-hydration, medium-thick curly noodles that cling well to the soup. We also recommend the "yama-wasabi (mountain horseradish) rice" side dish. The unique, pungent flavor of the mountain horseradish pairs perfectly with rice.
The owner's commitment is to "create ramen that looks simple and makes you want to eat it." Enjoy to your heart's content a bowl that brings together the harmony of their signature soup, perfectly matched low-hydration medium-thick curly noodles, and toppings.

Ramen-ya Tenkin Shijo Branch
  • Address1704-31, 4-jo-dori 9-chome, Asahikawa City, Hokkaido MAP
  • AccessApprox. 10 minutes on foot from Asahikawa Station
  • Business hours11:00–20:30 (L.O. 20:00)
  • ClosedTuesdays
  • TEL0166-27-9525
  • ParkingFree
*The information provided is current as of the date of the article's update. Please check in advance as it may be subject to change.