The entrance of Biei feels nostalgic, serving the unchanged Asahikawa ramen with soy sauce chashu. You can choose the firmness of the noodles. The price is 1050 yen. There are 3 counter seats, a 4-seat table, a 6-seat table, a small raised tatami area for 4 people, and a private room. Chopsticks, pepper, shichimi spice, and toothpicks are available on the table. There are about 20 damp towels. The toilet is a Japanese-style toilet.

When I woke up, there was a lot of snow piled up. I shoveled snow for about 30 minutes. Then, I drove to Furano for a business trip, which took about 1 hour and 15 minutes. I worked in Furano from the morning, using up quite a bit of energy, and finished work around 6:30 PM. I was really tired... It's been a while since I felt this exhausted. I drove back home, but my wife and son were out on a trip (for work), so there was no meal waiting for me at home. I wanted to have a proper meal, so I decided to go to a restaurant along the Furano National Highway in Biei. There were two ramen shops, one drive-in, one restaurant, and one soba shop. I chose a restaurant based on whether I had been there before or not. I turned off the national highway towards Biei, and the restaurant was right there. The parking lot was large and shared with a supermarket. I parked in front of the restaurant. It was past 7 PM, and there were no customers inside. I sanitized my hands and entered the restaurant. I was seated at a table of my choice. I looked at the menu and decided to try the miso vegetable ramen for 950 yen. In Hokkaido's traditional ramen shops, miso ramen with vegetables often does not come with chashu. Even though the menu with photos didn't mention chashu, I still like vegetable ramen. The Koguma group is a chain of ramen shops with locations in Asahikawa and Shibetsu. I have a memory of consistently delicious ramen at any of their shops. I usually go for shoyu ramen as my first choice because of its reliable deliciousness. The restaurant was clean and had a sense of hygiene. There was no TV inside, only a radio playing. The ramen arrived in about 10 minutes. The ladle was large, and the portion was generous. The vegetables seemed to be stir-fried and then simmered in broth. It included Chinese cabbage, bean sprouts, carrots, leeks, and wood ear mushrooms. I tried the vegetables first. They were crunchy and delicious, cooked just right. Then, I tasted the soup. It was light with little oil, and the miso flavor was more sweet than salty, with a gentle seafood aroma lingering in the mouth. The sweetness of the vegetables added to the deliciousness. The noodles were the traditional Asahikawa style, perfectly cooked. The only other topping was menma, which was simple yet tasty. The portion of the ramen seemed normal in the photo, but it was actually quite large. The hot soup, noodles, and abundant vegetables made for a satisfying meal. The gentle, low-oil soup is a taste that often makes me crave for more. As I get older, I tend to leave food at many restaurants, but today, I knew I had snow shoveling waiting for me at home. I finished everything except the soup! It was a delicious and gentle ramen. I would like to visit again. Maybe next time I'll try the shoyu ramen. Looking forward to it. Thank you for the meal!

Today, I used it for dinner during my trip to Hokkaido! [Access] It is convenient to walk 15 minutes from Biei Station, and there is a private parking lot, so it is also convenient to go by car, and the access is good! [Atmosphere] I visited without a reservation today, but there are plenty of seats, so it seems okay to visit without a reservation! The exterior has a traditional ramen shop appearance, and the interior also has a traditional ramen shop feel, with a sense of cleanliness and likability! There were table seats and counter seats! [Menu] ◇Koguma Ramen (soy sauce) ¥1,000- Toppings include chashu, corn, Chinese cabbage, menma, nori, pickled ginger, and white leeks. The toppings are plentiful, and the amount of noodles is substantial, so I think the cost performance is good! The lightly flavored soup with plenty of umami is exquisite! [Service] I was served with care, and I was able to enjoy my meal. I highly recommend it to those who want to try Asahikawa ramen in Biei!

I rushed from Memanbetsu to the town of Biei in one go. According to Tabelog, the restaurant was supposed to open at 11 o'clock, so I arrived a bit early and waited in the spacious parking lot in front of the restaurant. However, I couldn't sense any signs of people inside the restaurant. Even after 11 o'clock passed, and 5 minutes went by, the restaurant still didn't open. I decided to explore places like Mild Seven Hill and returned to the restaurant around 12 o'clock, thinking that it might not be open. To my surprise, the restaurant was open, and I entered. There were only three other customers, even though it was lunchtime. I had a bad feeling, but decided to take a chance and ordered the "Katsu Ramen." When it arrived, it looked like frozen tonkatsu. I tried the soup next, expecting a soy sauce flavor typical of Asahikawa, but the depth of the soup base was lacking. It seemed like it was all about the soy sauce seasoning. I didn't request anything specific for the noodles, but they were quite firm. They had a good wheat aroma, but the tonkatsu, although voluminous, seemed like it was from a commercial source, with a weak pork flavor and texture. The only redeeming factor was the hostess's service. Despite my harsh review, maybe I shouldn't have expected much from ramen in this town. Thank you for the meal. (2019.07.11)

I visited after several years and ordered the "shoyu ramen" as usual. The taste was surprisingly strong and salty, but light and easy to eat, with a moderate portion size. The restaurant had around 3 counter seats, 2 table seats, and 2 sunken kotatsu tables, with several more sunken tables next to the entrance.

Local people in Biei seem to go to Yamatouge for ramen, but for me, I prefer to go to Koguma Ramen, which you can only find here. Despite the heavy snow, the restaurant was packed. Koguma Ramen may seem a bit pricey, but the portion size and quality make it worth it. The regular size at Koguma Ramen is like a large size in Kanto, so women might be satisfied with a mini ramen. The curly noodles are perfect for those who like thin noodles, and they go well with the soup. With a variety of ramen options available, I'm thinking of trying something different next time.

Family visited this restaurant on the way to a grave-visiting event. I chose the spicy miso ramen for 850 yen to recover from the drinking the day before. The soup was not too spicy and easy to drink. The restaurant was crowded, so we ate quickly.

When I visited Biei, I parked in a commercial facility parking lot and saw a ramen restaurant, so I decided to dine there. Later I found out that this group has three locations. While their recommended dish seems to be the Koguma Ramen with various toppings for 1000 yen, I opted for the regular soy sauce ramen at 700 yen. It was just average, nothing special. Compared to the Koguma Ramen, it seemed to have fewer toppings. The 700 yen price tag may be a bit on the expensive side for what you get. Overall, it was a standard soy sauce ramen.

Visited on February 26, 2015, and ordered soy sauce ramen with firm chashu, menma, and green onions. The noodles were medium-thin straight noodles cooked just right. The flavor was relatively strong but quite delicious. The restaurant has around 3 counter seats, 2 table seats, and 2 sunken kotatsu table seats. Address: 2-6-31 Kitamachi, Biei-cho, Kamikawa-gun, Phone: 011-784-2181, Opening hours: 11:00-20:30, Closed on unspecified days, Parking available for about 3 cars in front of the store.

I visited Furano and Biei for sightseeing and was looking for something to eat at lunchtime when I came across a sign that caught my eye! It said "Koguma Group". If you're from Niigata, you might get the reference haha. I decided to check it out and made a U-turn with my car to enter the restaurant. The interior had a local diner or ramen shop vibe, and it felt cozy. The menu was quite extensive, making it hard to choose, so I ordered soy sauce ramen and miso ramen. The bowls arrived in a few minutes! The appearance was simple, and the soup had a clean taste with a nice depth of flavor, providing a comforting and satisfying experience. It was a delicious ramen that was gentle on the stomach after a tiring journey. Thank you for the meal!

During a break from work in Biei, I had an early lunch at Asahikawa Ramen Biei Store. Located in Biei-cho Kitamachi 2-chome, open from 11:00 to 20:30, closed on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays. They have parking available and smoking is allowed. Inside the restaurant, there are several autographs from famous people. Like other restaurants in the "Koguma Group," they offer a variety of dishes including rice bowls, curry, and fried rice. I ordered the Gyoza Ramen with miso for 900 yen and added rice for 150 yen. It has that familiar taste that locals love. The standout was the gyoza, which was large and delicious. It paired well with the miso ramen soup. I enjoyed taking a bite of the gyoza, soaking it in the ramen soup, and then finishing the rest. The restaurant provides a large ladle, so you can scoop up plenty of gyoza and soup to enjoy.

This restaurant also allows smoking in all seats. I think it's common sense nowadays to refuse smoking. Do they understand the smoking rate among Japanese people? They should realize sooner that they are actually losing customers by allowing smoking!

As the title suggests, the appearance of the restaurant is not exactly new, and the atmosphere inside is neither good nor bad. However, the taste is surprisingly solid and delicious. Perhaps it's because of the quality of the water. Access-wise, you can walk from JR Biei Station, but it's a bit of a distance, so it's easier to access by car. The parking lot is shared with a supermarket, so there are no worries about parking. Biei doesn't have many dining options, and this restaurant is one of the few noticeable ones along the national highway. I stopped by because I was hungry during my travels, but to be honest, I underestimated it a bit. I ordered the miso ramen. While Asahikawa is known for soy sauce ramen, the miso ramen here was delicious too. The fact that even suburban restaurants like this can offer such a solid taste makes me think that the overall level of the region is high.