◆ Ramen registration number 6104th • 574th in 2023 ◆ Fukurai-ken (Shibasaki-cho, Tachikawa City, Tokyo) ◆ Half Ramen ¥550 ● Instagram tsukasan's Ramen tsukasan777 ● Twitter tsukasan2010

◆Ramen Tour in Tokyo⚫︎Fukurai Ken (Shibasaki-cho, Tachikawa City)Ramen: 680 yenS Set Gyoza: 170 yen◾︎Food Beast Maro

I visited Fukurai-ken for the first time, a long-established restaurant founded in 1912 and currently run by the 4th generation. The interior of the restaurant has spacious table seating, and I was impressed by the joyful lunch atmosphere of the nearby aunties. In addition to ramen and tantanmen, they also offer gyoza sets and fried rice sets. Despite not being very crowded, it took about 20 minutes for my order to arrive. However, the tea served was delicious. I ordered the wonton men for 800 yen, which was beautifully presented with a perfect balance of chashu, menma, greens, boiled egg, seaweed, and naruto. The soup had a gentle umami and sweetness, with a slight presence of chicken oil and dried ingredients. The homemade hand-kneaded noodles had a satisfying chewiness that paired well with the soup. The meaty wontons added a substantial volume to the dish. The lightly seasoned menma and chashu complemented the noodles and soup perfectly. The crispy greens provided a refreshing break between bites. Overall, it was a modern and relaxed dining experience at this restaurant. Thank you for the delicious meal.

Visited in the second week of April. I heard that it was established in the first year of Taisho era, which piqued my interest, so I decided to visit. The seating area has a slightly retro coffee shop atmosphere, which is very pleasant. The kitchen is separated, making it look even cleaner. I entered a little after 12 o'clock. No customers were there yet. As I was placing my order, a total of 12 customers from 4 groups rushed in one after another. Perhaps due to the pleasant atmosphere, the majority of customers were women. Many people ordered tanmen. I ordered the Mini Don Set (half ramen, half don) for 850 yen (changed to regular ramen for an additional 100 yen), totaling 950 yen. A young man and an older man were in charge of the floor. As I was the first customer, I probably waited about 10 minutes for my order to arrive. Well, that gave me more time to take photos. The smell of simmering chashu coming from the kitchen stimulated my appetite. First, the ramen arrived. Toppings included 2 slightly thick slices of chashu, 1 naruto, a little bit of pickled daikon radish, a little bit of menma, a little bit of spinach, and a small amount of chopped green onions. Each topping was delicious. The menma had a fermented smell more like "shinachiku" which I love. It's rare to find menma that smells like this nowadays. The chashu was exquisite. The pork shoulder was skillfully simmered until tender, with a perfectly balanced soy sauce flavor. The soup had chicken oil floating on top and a soy sauce flavor. The light soup was old-fashioned and good! The noodles were medium-thick noodles that seemed hand-made. They were closer to udon than Chinese noodles, with a firm texture and a unique chewiness. It was almost like thick tsukemen noodles. Did everyone eat this kind of ramen in the past? It was a retro-style ramen with a strong sense of nostalgia. (Different from the hand-made Chinese noodles in Mitama-ya in Ome and around Hakone Yumoto) The tray came with ramen, half fried rice, and pickles. The pickles had a ginger aroma and were delicious. The half fried rice had 7 edamame beans on top, which was cute. It was subtly stylish. The ingredients included chashu slices, naruto, scrambled egg, and green onions, and it was surprisingly delicious with a fragrant and light saltiness. This longstanding neighborhood Chinese restaurant was a place where people of all ages and genders gathered, serving delicious food in a stylish setting.

- Shop Introduction - Established in the first year of Taisho era (1912), this is, as far as I know, the oldest ramen shop in Japan. They offer a variety of menu items including noodles, rice dishes, set meals, and gyoza. The interior of the shop has a nostalgic atmosphere reminiscent of an old coffee shop, allowing you to feel the "Taisho romance". The background music is jazz, creating a calming space. The shop has 32 seats, all of which are table seats. [Order] Ramen (¥620) - Soup: Chicken bones, aromatic vegetables, dried fish - Sauce: Soy sauce - Aroma oil: Floating on the surface - Consistency: Light - Saltiness: Slightly strong - Noodles: Homemade wavy hand-made flat noodles - Toppings: Char siu, green onions, seaweed, bamboo shoots, narutomaki [Impressions] - The mild soy sauce flavor was well balanced with a gentle taste of chicken bones. - I also enjoyed the spiciness of the pepper, which added a nice accent. - The noodles were delicious, very chewy with a good firmness. - The char siu had a moderate amount of fat, a firm texture, and was juicy.

The year has begun and it is now 2021, so I visited the local Suwa Shrine for Hatsumode (first shrine visit of the year). There was an announcement encouraging people to spread out their visits due to the coronavirus, but I tend to be lazy and usually visit the shrine a bit late each year. However, this year, the crowd felt smaller as expected. Suwa Shrine in Tachikawa is a long-established shrine that has been around for 1200 years, so it's quite prestigious (laughs). As for the fortune drawing, I got Daikichi (the best luck)!! Maybe they increased the good luck rate by about 30% due to the difficulties caused by the coronavirus (laughs). After Hatsumode, there was a shooting gallery nearby, but I decided to have a late lunch at Fukurai-ken, a long-established Chinese restaurant founded in the first year of the Taisho era, with a very auspicious name, located right near the shrine. It was past 3 pm when I arrived, so it was a late lunch. It's about a 10-minute walk from Tachikawa Station South Exit. The interior is more like a cafe than a Chinese restaurant, with jazz music playing in the background. Since it was the New Year's season, they had a limited menu, so I ordered the Wantanmen (800 yen) and my partner ordered Ramen with 6 dumplings (980 yen). The Ramen alone costs 620 yen including tax. The soup was a gentle chicken and vegetable broth with a soy sauce flavor, and the chashu was well-seasoned. The noodles were thick and firm, which I liked. The dumplings had a chewy skin and a generous filling with shiitake mushrooms, making them delicious. Although it falls under the category of a typical local Chinese restaurant, it didn't feel that way. Maybe it's because of the atmosphere inside the restaurant that doesn't give off a Chinese vibe. The bill was settled in cash. It was a delightful meal. I heard that Tachikawa Daiichi Elementary School, located across from the restaurant, was established in the third year of the Meiji era and is the oldest elementary school in Tokyo. I'll visit again on a day when they have their regular menu. May the epidemic be eradicated! (o▽n)

I had the Chahan Gyoza for 980 yen at "Fukuraiken" in Tachikawa. It's a local Chinese restaurant near Suwa Shrine. The fried rice had edamame instead of green peas, with ingredients like naruto, onion, char siu, and egg, stir-fried with less oil. The seasoning was light, but it came with a side of seasoned glass noodles with kimchi and chili oil to add flavor, making it overall decent. The gyoza were slightly larger, with a meaty filling that had a texture like a meat bun. The skin was a bit soft, which was a bit disappointing, but it wasn't greasy, making it easy to eat and of decent quality.

After work, I made a detour to a place I had been curious about for a while, Fukurai Ken. It is quietly nestled near Suwa Shrine, a little away from the bustling Tachikawa Station. The location near the shrine provides a serene and pure air. It's about a 10-minute walk from the station. [Taste Test!!] I had the ramen and half-fried rice set. The ramen is a traditional Chinese restaurant style, with a gentle soup that is deeply delicious. The noodles are hand-made, with varying thicknesses from thick to regular flat noodles, which is interesting. The fried rice has dried small shrimp as an accent, making it delicious!! It's fluffy, with a base similar to a typical Chinese restaurant fried rice, but the small shrimp makes a big difference in the atmosphere. It was quite delicious. [Data from a herbivorous man's perspective] Ramen and half-fried rice set for 850 yen ◆ Quantity: Normal ◆ Noodles: Flat noodles with random thickness ◆ Soup: Gentle soup typical of Chinese restaurants ◆ Char siu: Two small pieces of char siu that resemble braised pork ◆ Ingredients: Green onions, narutomaki, and bamboo shoots ◆ Fried rice: Fluffy, with a good impact from the small shrimp ◆ Service: An old man was serving us. I was a little worried at first, but he kept refilling our water and showed consideration. Thank you. ◆ Cost performance: Normal ◆ Quality: Normal ◆ Overall review: There is no outstanding impact or cost performance, but it is a relaxed space where you can enjoy a leisurely meal. I recommend it because the fried rice was delicious.

I visited the oldest ramen shop in Japan after reading some reviews. The taste was simply the best.

Located in a not-so-prominent spot.

The curly noodles and dumplings were delicious.

Old-established ramen restaurant

- Deep-fried Yakisoba ¥860 tax included This is a Japanese-style Chinese restaurant located a 10-minute walk from JR Chuo Line Tachikawa Station South Exit, on the outskirts of a bustling area. It seems to cater more to local residents rather than station users. The interior is not typical of a Chinese restaurant, with a wood-themed decor more reminiscent of a cafe. It has a clean and casual design, but not overly modern. It appears to be a family-run establishment, with even elderly staff working hard to serve customers. However, during weekday lunch hours, it was quite crowded and I had to wait over 25 minutes for my order... I recommend coming here when you have some extra time to spare. The menu offers various classic Chinese dishes like ramen, fried rice, dumplings, and other home-style dishes, but I decided to try their popular dish since establishment, the Deep-fried Yakisoba. The thick noodles were fried to a crispy texture, topped with a generous amount of sauce and ingredients such as egg, cabbage, pork, and carrots. The portion was quite substantial, almost too much to finish. The noodles were so firm that it required a lot of chewing, making my jaw tired. Overall, despite the long wait and rushed meal during my lunch break, I thought it was delicious. It was a satisfying meal.

☆Fried Rice #349☆ Inspired by the "JR Nanbu Line Curry Journey" project by follower adap, I decided to do a similar project with fried rice. Starting from Tachikawa to Kawasaki, I will try fried rice at all 26 stations along the JR Nanbu Line. The goal is not to find the best fried rice at each station, so please keep that in mind. For the first stop at Tachikawa Station, I searched for Chinese restaurants on Tabelog and found 45 options. I chose to visit "Fukurai-ken" as I haven't been there before. It's a bit of a walk from the south exit, near Tachikawa Central Hospital. The area used to be a shopping district, but now it's a bit off the main street. It was just before 2 pm when I arrived, and the restaurant was not too crowded, with mostly families dining. I ordered a small bottle of beer (Heartland) for 420 yen and fried rice for 820 yen. The prices were a bit higher than expected. The beer came with a snack. The fried rice arrived in about 10 minutes, with a nice touch of green peas. The portion was decent, with a moist texture and just the right amount of salt. The standout element was the delicious char siu, which elevated the dish. It came with pickles and small side dishes, making it worth the price. Despite the location, the restaurant was quite busy, which speaks to the quality of the food. Overall, the fried rice at "Fukurai-ken" in Tachikawa was a great start to this project. Next stop, Nishi-Kunitachi Station. If you have any recommendations for delicious fried rice at any of the stations, please let me know!

After the entrance ceremony, we visited Suwa Shrine to pray and also to buy the "randoseru-style amulet" that we had been talking about for a while. We were hungry, so we decided to stop by a restaurant nearby. The place had a traditional and cozy atmosphere, with manga books available for customers. We ordered the fried yakisoba (extra large) for 860 yen + 200 yen, and the fried rice (extra large) with dumplings (3 pieces) for 980 yen + 200 yen, totaling 2,240 yen. We like to eat until we're full, so we opted for the extra large portions to share with our son. The food was delicious and satisfying. It's great to be able to learn about recommended dishes from other customers' reviews in advance. I chose the fried yakisoba, which had thick noodles and plenty of ingredients. The fried rice had a simple and comforting flavor. The young chef in the kitchen seemed to be carrying on the tradition of the restaurant's taste while keeping up with the times. Even though we stumbled upon this place while visiting Suwa Shrine, I would definitely come back if it were closer. It's amazing how long-standing restaurants like this one continue to offer timeless and delicious dishes. Thank you for the meal.