Today I had work near the station. It was quite busy and tiring. I decided to have a proper lunch, and since I was near the station, I wanted to eat delicious ramen. There are many famous ramen shops around the station, and this time, I chose UmeKouken, which I visited over 10 years ago when I entertained a famous person. I live locally, so I usually choose a shop where I can park my car in front, which has led me to not visit the shops around the station for a while. I'm really looking forward to it. It's been a long time, but I remember the taste being very delicious. It's simple yet delicious. I think it's a ramen that is very valuable but difficult for the maker to create. Memories tend to make the taste better. So, I'm a bit worried that I might feel that "the taste has dropped more than the memories" this time. With such concerns, I head to the restaurant. I walk through the shopping park and soon see a sign. I go down the stairs to the basement of the building. There is no line today. Maybe because it's past 1 PM? I disinfect my hands at the entrance and go inside. As expected, it's almost full. There is a constant stream of customers coming in after me. I am guided to the counter. I put my clothes and bag in a basket on the floor. The menu is on the wall, but there is also a booklet. There is an explanation of the "BunBun Club" on the wall. If you show the card (Hokkaido Shimbun membership card), you apparently get an extra slice of chashu. So, today I decided not to order chashu noodles and go for the shoyu ramen with the BunBun Club. After ordering, I look around the restaurant. I tried to find the autograph of the famous person I came with a long time ago, but I ended up avoiding it because it felt like I was staring at other people. The restaurant is very lively. There is a lot of energy and it feels very nice. It arrives in less than 10 minutes. Hmm, it looks good. It seems a bit lighter in color than other traditional Asahikawa shoyu ramen. There are three slices of chashu (with an extra slice for the BunBun Club). The shinachiku, unlike other UmeKouken shops, has a slightly brownish color. First, the soup. It's piping hot!! And it's light but unmistakably shoyu flavor. The quality is amazing. After the gentle aroma of shoyu, there is a solid and rich aftertaste that is indescribable. Next, the noodles. They are piping hot. They have a good firmness and a wonderful wheat flour flavor. There is a generous amount of green onions, which serves as a palate cleanser. And the shinachiku is as expected, with a flavor that is more solid than other UmeKouken shops. This seasoning, a level of richness that doesn't interfere with the soup's flavor, seems calculated. The chashu is mainly lean meat. It may seem a bit light, but it is delicious enough. The BunBun Club gives a sense of value. There are ramen shops where the first bite is delicious, but the taste becomes unclear as you eat, but that's not the case here. I ate the ramen until the end with my full attention. When I realized it, only the soup was left. I slowly savor the remaining soup and drink water alternately. In Asahikawa, there is a mix of new Asahikawa ramen and traditional Asahikawa ramen. Perhaps because I am over 50 years old, I prefer the traditional Asahikawa shoyu ramen that is filled with memories from my younger days. UmeKouken Honten, which is at the top level even among the traditional Asahikawa shoyu ramen, is exceptional. It's so light that I feel like I'll want to eat it again in a few days. I definitely want to visit again. Thank you for the meal!

After enjoying food and drinks at the Ooyukid Beer Hall, we ended the night with Asahikawa Ramen at Umegahataken Asahikawa Honten. I ordered the "Shoyu Chashu" with a medium-sized draft beer. The chashu had 6 slices and the menma had 3 thick pieces. I was a little drunk and couldn't give a proper evaluation... Sorry about that. Thank you for the meal.

I returned to Asahikawa to end my Hokkaido trip with a bowl of ramen. Unfortunately, the main place I wanted to visit, Aoba, had run out of soup by the time I arrived around 4:30 pm and had closed. As a backup plan, I headed to Umekouken. Since they opened for dinner at 5 pm, I passed the time at the nearby Komeda coffee shop and arrived at Umekouken just 5 minutes before opening. There were about 5 groups of customers ahead of me, but I managed to secure a seat for the first round. The interior of the restaurant was typical of a ramen shop, with a red color scheme. I ordered the Shoyu Butter Corn ramen (1,050 yen). The bowl arrived in about 10 minutes. The soup was not as soy sauce-heavy as I expected, with a light and mild flavor. On the other hand, the chashu pork was well-seasoned and had a rich taste, creating an interesting contrast with the soup. It was my first experience with Asahikawa ramen, and it was a satisfying way to end my trip.

I visited the restaurant around 8 pm, just before closing time. There were 6 people ahead of me in line, but I was able to be seated in about 10 minutes. I ordered the famous soy sauce ramen with extra chashu, and it arrived in about 15 minutes. Since it was a large portion, I didn't order rice, but I think it would go well together. It was rich and delicious.

A long-established ramen shop in Asahikawa. It seems to have been founded in 1969. The shop, although old, had a sense of cleanliness. I visited at 2 pm on a weekday. There was no line. There were only 2 groups inside the shop. Solo diners were seated at the counter. It was nice that they were open until 3 pm, as there aren't many places open at this time. After me, 3 groups of 4-5 people arrived one after another. It might be an oasis for lunch refugees at this time. Soy sauce ramen for 900 yen. They also have a half size, which is nice for women. I had imagined Asahikawa ramen to be a very dark soy sauce ramen, but it wasn't that dark here. It's not too light either, as it has a somewhat rich animal-based flavor. It was satisfying to eat. It made me feel like having a beer.

"Half size of Salted Vegetable Ramen♪ The vegetables are cut in chunky pieces and have a natural sweetness♪ The soup is not clear broth style, but has a gentle and tasty flavor✨ 'Miso Butter Corn' in half size, the butter goes well with miso♪ The sweetness of corn adds a nice touch‍♀️ Conveniently located near the station, easy to find on the shopping park street✨"

I went to Asahikawa and had soy sauce ramen at Umekouken on Kaimono Park Street. For those raised in Hokkaido, this is the smell of lunch. The portion is generous and it's a bit challenging to eat, but when you add the spicy garlic miso on the table and eat it, it goes down easily. When you come to Hokkaido, make sure not to come into contact with the Ezo red fox.

I had miso butter corn ramen for lunch. There was a long line stretching from the underground entrance to the first floor at night, but during the day, there were only about 10 people and I was able to get in quickly in about 5 minutes. It's a popular place. The ramen had Asahikawa-style noodles (thin, curly noodles) that were well coated with the soup, and the miso was not too sweet or heavy, with no lingering aftertaste. It was delicious. I later found out that Asahikawa ramen is soy sauce-based. I'm heading to Sapporo next, so I plan to try Sapporo ramen (thick, straight noodles) with miso to compare the flavors.

The main branch of the famous Asahikawa Ramen, which has several outlets in Japan and overseas. The soup is not too rich, but the overall quality is high. I wish they served the soup piping hot. The double soup, combining animal and seafood flavors, is refreshing. The layer of lard on top is typical of delicious Asahikawa Ramen. The slightly curly noodles have a low water content, making them easy to soak up the soup. The melt-in-your-mouth chashu is very tasty. The thick menma (bamboo shoots) is lightly seasoned. Each component is delicious, but I wish the soup was hotter.

I was asked by a family of Asahikawa ramen aficionados to visit this restaurant, which I really like, so I finally went after a long time, around 7 PM. The restaurant was quite full, but I was seated at a table at the right time. Since I wasn't driving today, I started with a cold draft beer, which was perfectly chilled. The soy sauce here is more balanced compared to Tenkin or Hachiya, with a lighter oily taste. The double soup combining animal and fish flavors has a rich umami without being too overpowering, and the chashu and shinachiku have a great flavor and texture. The bowl was meticulously crafted, maintaining its taste and not getting boring from start to finish. When I lived in Asahikawa, I mainly frequented restaurants with parking lots due to my car lifestyle, so I overlooked the charm of this place.

Visited on January 17th, Soy Sauce Ramen for ¥800, with extra noodles for ¥120, flavored egg for ¥120, and bamboo shoots for ¥120. Cash only. For dinner on the second night in Asahikawa, I had Asahikawa Ramen again. This place is also very famous. The restaurant and the bowl have a retro atmosphere. The extra bamboo shoots were a nice touch, but the flavor was a bit on the light side. Thank you for the meal.

I tried to give off a DAIGO-like vibe. M=miso, B=butter, C=corn, R=ramen (lol) The menma is standing out, maybe a bit too much haha. When it comes to miso ramen in Asahikawa, Yoshino-san is well-known, but this place has just as much impact. It's like, "Wow, this is so delicious!" Each one has a perfected taste. The butter corn makes the miso flavor milder. It was really delicious. Thank you very much ^^

I stayed in Asahikawa in December 2022 for a few more days. I decided to have Asahikawa ramen again, so I went to Umekouken's main store. When I entered, it was not crowded. I sat at the counter and ordered salt ramen. The young staff members were working in pairs. The soup was delicious, with a mild taste of tonkotsu and seafood without any fishy smell. The menma tasted better than the one I had at the roadside station. Overall, I found this ramen to be more delicious. This was the last day I had Asahikawa ramen, but I would like to eat it again at this restaurant. Thank you for the meal.

I had to make a stop at Asahikawa Station, so I decided to try Asahikawa ramen. The popular old shop was closed, so I visited the second most popular Asahikawa ramen shop, Umekoken. Although their miso ramen seemed to be more popular, I stayed true to my original plan and ordered the shoyu ramen for 800 yen. The place was constantly busy with mostly people ordering miso ramen, but my shoyu ramen was served in a large bowl after about 5 minutes. The hot soup was flavorful and the medium-thin noodles paired well with it. The toppings were also delicious and well-balanced. Overall, I enjoyed a tasty and satisfying bowl of ramen.

In the evening with no lines, there were six solo diners at the Asahikawa Shoyu Ramen restaurant. One customer, named Mairebi, confirmed the order of a half-sized Shoyu Ramen for 600 yen. The thin noodles with low water content and the soup made from chicken and pork had a traditional look with a slight cloudiness. Although the pork flavor seemed strong visually, it was not overpowering. The soup was reminiscent of old-fashioned goodness. In the Asahikawa Ramen Tour, this ramen may rank as number one or two, with the soup being the determining factor (with a slightly stronger pork presence).

I shouldn't laugh, the staff at the restaurant are always serious. Looking back at my past reviews, I noticed that I often ordered salt-flavored ramen. Even though I thought I would try miso ramen next time. But somehow, I ended up ordering salt chashu. I wonder why (laughs). But the salt soup is really delicious. It's so good, regardless of the region. And there are boldly six slices of chashu in it. It's just classic. I left satisfied once again. Thank you for the meal! Next time, I'll try miso ramen (etc. lol)

(Visit on September 21, 2022) This restaurant is known for originating the W soup with animal and seafood flavors, and even on a weekday night, there is a constant line of customers. We had to wait a few minutes to get inside the restaurant. We wanted to have ramen and gyoza, but unfortunately, there was no gyoza on the menu. So, we decided to try the limited quantity warm egg and minced meat bowl for 400 yen, along with soy sauce ramen for 800 yen (both including tax). After ordering, the bowl arrived in about 5 minutes. The egg was not very neatly presented as it was falling apart. Then, after about 2 minutes, the ramen was served. The soup was cloudy. When I tasted the soup, it wasn't to my liking. The flavor of the thick menma was weak, or was it even necessary? The minced meat bowl had a pretty strong flavor, almost too strong to eat alone. This restaurant is one of the famous ones in Asahikawa, located close to Asahikawa Station, so we decided to give it a try. However, the taste was disappointing for us. Thank you for the meal.

I went to Asahikawa to visit my parents' house after a long time. My son loves Estar's Ramen Republic, especially Umekouken, and wanted to try it at the main store. We visited this location near the shopping park. On that day, there was a festival at the shopping park with many stalls and a lot of people. Most of the parking lots around the shopping park were full. After circling around a few times, we finally found a parking spot and headed to Umekouken. We were seated without any wait. My family ordered soy sauce ramen, while I ordered miso ramen with a boiled egg. The miso ramen at Umekouken was delicious, with a strong garlic flavor. The noodles were also tasty, soaking up the soup well. The bamboo shoots were soft and delicious. It had been a while since I had Umekouken, and I was very satisfied. As for my son, he said he still prefers the ramen at Ramen Republic, so he wants to go to the Suehiro store next time. When we left Umekouken, there was already a line of about 20 people waiting. It's still popular. Thank you for the meal.

I ordered soy sauce chashu ramen! The first bite, the soup was a rich soy sauce with a hint of pork bone and maybe some chicken flavor. However, I noticed that the soup was a bit lukewarm from the start. The slightly firm, curly noodles were delicious as they soaked up the soup. The chashu was average, but tender and complemented the ramen well. After finishing the meal, I couldn't help but be bothered by the lukewarm soup and the overly strong flavor. I tried a bit of my friend's salt ramen, and it wasn't as lukewarm, so I think it was specific to the chashu ramen. This is a significant downside, especially for a restaurant that represents Asahikawa ramen. They should definitely make improvements.

I heard that salt ramen with a flavored egg on top is delicious, so today I decided to try it. The salt ramen soup is surprisingly cloudy, probably a blend of chicken-based white broth with lard and seafood. I thought it would be light, but it actually has a strong flavor. The noodles are medium-thin curly noodles, which go well with the salt flavor. The bamboo shoots are the soft type, which I have only had at this restaurant and they are delicious. They would make a great snack with beer. The chashu is the standard pork shoulder simmered in soy sauce, tasty but not necessarily worth ordering a chashu ramen. The flavored egg is creamy and delicious, definitely a good choice. Thank you for the meal!

I came with the intention of trying the salt ramen that I haven't eaten yet, but ended up ordering the cold noodles (limited to the summer until the end of August) for 1000 yen. Today happens to be the 28th. I thought if I missed today, I wouldn't be able to eat it, so I ordered it. The noodles are smooth and chewy, different from the usual ones. The presentation is different from the usual cold noodles, but what's on top is almost the same. The jellyfish on top looks a little different. Other than the noodles, there are no distinctive features, and there is no local gourmet element, especially on a hot summer day. It was filling, so I'm satisfied. Thank you for the meal!