The opening hours have been extended, and they have added morning ramen for the first time at this store. I don't think there are any other places in Shibetsu City where you can have a meal from this early. I hope to support them by visiting regularly so that they can eventually become a 24-hour store.

Started the day with nothing to do due to work closure. Bought Suffolk lamb at Iroha Butcher Shop and came here. I had been wanting to visit Yamagata family for a few days, and decided on the special miso ramen. Entered the restaurant at 11:15. Purchased "special miso negi ramen" and "hosaki menma" from the ticket machine, and sat at the counter in the middle. As usual, I ordered the noodles firm, with less fat, JAF coriander, and extra chashu. The order arrived in about 6 minutes. It had been a while since I had the special miso ramen. It was delicious with a rich flavor! The soup coated the noodles well and it was really tasty! I did notice that the chashu was slightly smaller than the one at the Wakkanai store... but it was still delicious! Thank you for the meal!

It's just delicious, plain and simple. Just ordinary. However, the seasoning they use can be a bit strong for my taste buds... I think it's good to eat there occasionally. As for Yamagoya, I've only ever had their miso ramen, so I can't speak for the rest of their menu. I wonder when Yamagoya first expanded to Asahikawa? I think I was in my early to mid-twenties at the time. Wasn't there a small store near Takasago-dai entrance along Route 12 that opened back then? When I first tried it with a few friends, I remember thinking, "What is this? The noodles are so thick and chewy!" Let me look it up... Oh, I can't find anything, it's too much trouble, so I'll leave it as unknown haha. But for some reason, I occasionally crave Yamagoya. I go fishing in the Monbetsu area a few times a year, and it's nice to have it as a late-night meal. This time I went to the Shibetsu store, but since it's a chain, I feel like the taste is almost the same no matter which store you go to. The thick straight noodles, strong chewiness, and rich soup can become addictive or not. I think of it as ramen-flavored soup pasta when I eat it.

Wife had some business in Asahikawa early in the morning. Finished the errands in the morning and drove to Shibetsu around 11:30. The limited-time boiled shrimp and pork bone ramen from last time had ended after a month, and this time they had shrimp salt ramen. Purchased the shrimp salt ramen for ¥910 from the ticket machine and sat at a table in the back of the restaurant. As usual, I ordered the noodles firm, with less fat, and extra JAF roast pork. It arrived in about 6 minutes. It may be just me, but it seems like this shrimp ramen has the strongest shrimp scent of all the shrimp series that have been served before. Not bad at all. The flavor of the seaweed also goes well with this soup. I realized that I had accumulated more than 13 service tickets, so I might use them to get a free salt ramen in Wakkanai sometime. It was delicious! Thank you for the meal!

【First visit on February 8, 2021】Sapporo, which had experienced heavy snowfall late into the night before, woke up to about 20cm of snow in the morning. On this day, I had a business trip to Rumoi, Fukagawa, Shibetsu, Nayoro, and Asahikawa, with an overnight stay in Asahikawa, so I quickly got ready and before heading out, I used a snow blower to clear the snow in front of my entrance. Although I left a bit later than planned, around 6:40 am, due to the sun briefly shining when I left home, the day was mostly characterized by snow or ground blizzards causing whiteouts wherever I drove, making for a nerve-wracking journey. (*_*) Thanks to this, I'm about 30 minutes behind schedule, but I decided to take a break and have lunch in Shibetsu to avoid rushing and risking an accident. (laughs) I visited the "Ramen Yamaokayasho Shibetsu branch" for the first time and decided to have a short break and lunch there. During this season, you have to try the limited-time delicious motsu miso ramen. I don't consider myself a heavy mountain climber, but in my memory, I have visited Yamaokayasho's Ootaniichi branch, the strong-smelling Nishi 2-jo branch from my younger days, as well as the Tsukisamu branch, Tahei branch, Chitose branch, Tomakomai Funami branch, Takikawa branch, Nopporo branch, Fujino branch, and Rumoi branch. Except for the Ootaniichi branch, Nishi 2-jo branch, and Nopporo branch, all the others were visited for lunch during work or after late-night shifts. Looking at the number of Yamaokayasho branches registered on Tabelog, it seems that I would pass by one of their branches almost anywhere I travel in Hokkaido by car. Due to the pandemic, it seems that some branches are not open 24 hours, but based on my past experiences, the taste remains consistent no matter which branch I visit at any time, indicating that they must have a solid manual in place. When I visited the Shibetsu branch during the lunch rush, two women were efficiently handling the cooking and cleaning amidst a fairly busy atmosphere. The taste was as good as I remembered, with no major changes, and I thought it was a taste and texture that Motsu lovers would adore. Thank you for the meal. (^-^) #ShibetsuGourmet #ShibetsuLunch #RamenYamaokayashoShibetsuBranch #YamaokayashoShibetsuBranch #LimitedTimeDeliciousMotsuMisoRamen #DeliciousMotsuMisoRamen #MountainClimbing #Hiking #ConsistentTasteStable24HoursAllYearRound

Before heading to Otaru for various errands, I stopped by for lunch. I decided to go to Yamaokaya today instead of going to Takanotsume, as it has been a while since I last visited. I entered at 11:20. The counter seats were spaced out for COVID-19 measures. I purchased a limited-time miso ramen for ¥910 and extra bamboo shoots for ¥120 from the ticket machine. I ordered the noodles firm, with less fat, and JAF Char Siu as usual. It arrived in about 6 minutes. The combination of leeks and miso soup was great. The tripe was tender and delicious. The crunchy cabbage was also good. The bamboo shoots seemed a bit saltier than the ones at the Wakkanai store, but still good. I realized once again that I really like Yamaokaya. It was delicious! Thank you for the meal!

After leaving Otaru, I headed back home and arrived in Shibetsu a little after noon, around 12:30. The restaurant was quite busy with many customers. Since I had tried the limited-time black sesame tantan mazesoba in Asari the day before, I decided to order the other limited-time dish, clam shoyu ramen for 900 yen, from the ticket machine and sat at the counter in the back of the restaurant (I wasn't sure when I would be able to visit Yamaokaya again, so two days in a row it is). I ordered the ramen with less oil, firm noodles, and an extra two slices of JAF chashu, as usual. Since I had forgotten about the service ticket for gyoza the day before in Asari and accidentally bought them, this time I made sure to order 5 gyoza. It took about 10 minutes to arrive because the restaurant was busy, but both the gyoza and ramen arrived together. The gyoza were perfect as always. The soup, with a strong shrimp broth flavor, was delicious. The pork fat soy sauce base was also great! The soup paired well with the seaweed from Sanriku. Although the clams didn't stand out much, it was better to have them than not. Overall, it was delicious! Thank you for the meal!

On the way back from Otaru, I stopped by Shibetsu around lunchtime. I noticed that the limited-time premium soy sauce tonkotsu ramen was available on the Yamagokaya website the day before. I purchased the premium soy sauce tonkotsu gyoza set for ¥1,210 at the ticket machine. I sat at the counter in the back of the store and ordered the noodles firm with less fat. The ramen arrived in about 4 minutes. It was quick (maybe because there were few customers). Just 1 minute later, the gyoza arrived. The pork bone base with the scent of dried fish was delicious. The crunchy texture of the seaweed from Sanriku also matched perfectly. The gyoza was also undeniably delicious. Oh, Yamagokaya is still the best! It was delicious! Thank you for the meal!

I visited this place with my daughter, but I can't remember when it was. People say there are likes and dislikes, but I don't mind the strong smell. Pork bone ramen hooray! However, I'm not a fan of thick noodles. Also, the chashu pork was a bit disappointing because it had an oddly flavored seasoning. I think it would be better if it just had the natural taste of the meat that blends with the pork bone broth.

On the way back from Otaru, I stopped by in Shibetsu around noon. I entered the restaurant around 11:30 and purchased a soy sauce green onion ramen for ¥770 from the ticket machine. I sat at the counter in the middle and ordered the noodles firm, with less fat, and a stronger flavor, with an extra 2 slices of JAF chashu. It arrived in about 8 minutes. Ah, as expected, it was delicious at Yamaokaya! Maybe my taste buds were off today because the stronger flavor tasted a bit salty to me... I think the regular flavor would have been better. It was delicious! Thank you for the meal!

This is Ramen Yamaoka-ya. Since it's New Year's Day and many places are closed, I decided to have Yamaoka-ya for the first time in a while. Their flavor is addictive. However, I made a mistake at the ticket machine. I usually only eat shoyu ramen, so I tried to select shoyu but accidentally pressed "Negi Shoyu" instead. Well, it's okay, I'll go with Negi Shoyu this time. The taste of Negi Shoyu is different from the original shoyu. I'm not sure when I'll be able to visit Yamaoka-ya again, but next time I'll make sure to press the right button. It was crowded because it's New Year's Day and it's located along a main road.

I went to Ramen Yamaoka-ya Shibetsu store. It is located along Route 40. I didn't know it was a nationwide chain because there are few stores in Kansai. I had the soy sauce flavor, but you can also choose miso or salt flavors, and there are many variations in the menu like chashu and green onions. The soy sauce flavor was rich and delicious. My companion said the noodles were also delicious.

Left Sapporo and headed back home. Stopped in Asahikawa with my wife for errands and arrived in Shibetsu City right at noon. Entered the restaurant at 12:00. Bought the Soy Sauce Green Onion Char Siu ramen for ¥970 as usual from the ticket machine. Sat at a table in the back of the restaurant and ordered the ramen with extra rich broth, less oil, and firm noodles, with a JAF seasoned egg as usual. It arrived in about 6 minutes. Ended the trip with Yamakoya! It was delicious! Thank you for the meal!

Among the chain ramen restaurants, I used to really like Yamagoya, a nearby ramen shop that I sometimes visit. However, recently, for some reason, it has become extremely salty and doesn't suit my taste anymore. I used to enjoy the taste without making many changes, usually ordering normal or firm noodles, but for the past few visits, it's been different. It's disappointing that it no longer agrees with my taste buds. I wonder if it would taste better if it were less salty.

It was simply delicious.

My wife and I finished shopping at Aeon Asahikawa West and got on the highway, arriving in Shibetsu at 11:00. Since neither of us had breakfast, we decided to go to Yamaoka-ya (my wife seemed prepared to visit Yamaoka-ya this time). We bought a limited-time premium soy sauce tonkotsu ramen for ¥860 and 5 slices of chashu for ¥310 from the ticket machine. We sat at a table and ordered our ramen with firm noodles, less fat, and extra seaweed (5 sheets) as a JAF benefit. It only took about 10 minutes for our order to arrive. The fish broth soup with back fat and chopped onions was a great combination. The noodles were straight and medium-thin, and they were delicious. The chashu, as always, was delicious at Yamaoka-ya. However, perhaps because we had eaten the rich soy sauce ramen at Kasui at 3:00, the flavor of the ramen at Yamaoka-ya seemed a bit light. Next time we visit Yamaoka-ya, I plan to order it with a stronger flavor.

Had dinner in Shibetsu City. Couldn't decide on a restaurant, so I researched on Tabelog. Ended up choosing Yamakoya because I wanted to try their Premium Soy Sauce Tonkotsu ramen. It was around 6:30 pm and there was only one customer when I arrived. I was a bit worried, but soon more customers started coming in. Ordered the Premium Soy Sauce Tonkotsu ramen for 850 yen, with less fat and extra spinach as a JAF discount. The seaweed looked delicious. The soup was mild and both the tonkotsu and soy sauce flavors were mild as well. Maybe that's what makes it premium? The regular soy sauce ramen has more punch to it. The flavor intensity was just right for me. The seaweed was really good, thick and crispy. The chashu was tender with a slightly sweet seasoning. I liked the texture variation from the onions. Overall, it was quite delicious! Personally, I prefer the regular soy sauce ramen for its stronger flavor. I will definitely visit Yamakoya again! I want to try more of their ramen. Thank you for the meal!

On my way back to Asahikawa from Wakkanai, I stopped by "Yamaokaya Shibetsu-ten" on Odori Nishi 16-chome in Shibetsu City to try their limited-time menu item, "Tonkotsu Shio-Koji Ramen" (850 yen). The ramen was topped with green onions, chashu, seasoned egg, and seaweed, but there was no menma. It also had bean sprouts, and salt koji was sprinkled on top of the chashu. Yamaokaya Shibetsu-ten is a relatively new store that opened in 2015. They are open from 11:00 to 03:00, not 24 hours. The noodles were thick like their default noodles, but they felt very smooth due to being whole wheat with high water content. The soup was sweet and salty, with a strong saltiness, but the mildness and umami of the salt koji were also present. Interestingly, when I moved from Asahikawa to Chitose in 2012, I also had salt koji ramen at Ooyoshi in Asahikawa. It seems like I always have salt koji ramen when moving. Here is the link to the review of the "Original Salt Koji Ramen" at Ooyoshi in Asahikawa: [link]. Thank you for the meal.