I really like the ramen here. It's a spicy miso flavor with chashu and wrapped in mentaiko. The building has a handmade feel and there seems to be a strong fan base, with regulars coming from far away. I imagine there have been tough times, but I'm also a fan of this ramen place and I support them. I even took a rare photo of the exterior.

On 23/05/07, during a business trip back home, I had "Soy Sauce Ramen for 800 yen" for lunch. It was the last day of Golden Week. I was feeling the usual gloomy mood as I headed back to my assignment location. As I drove along the roads of Kami-Furano, my stomach growled... and at the same time, I spotted that sign. It was 750 meters away from the road. A little anxious, I finally found the store. The premises were filled with handmade facilities, and I could tell the store was probably homemade too. Just looking around made me feel a bit cheerful (laughs). Excuse me, I'll have the Soy Sauce Ramen, please. Soon enough, the Soy Sauce Ramen arrived. First, I tried the soup. Oh, it's delicious. I heard it was made without chemical seasonings, but it had a rich flavor. The soy sauce soup had a prominent seafood taste over the animal-based one. The noodles were medium in hydration with a wavy texture, perfect for soaking up the soup. The rolled pork slices were slightly salty and tender. The bamboo shoots had a subtle flavor. With my stomach helicopter roaring, I devoured the ramen in one go. Of course, I left the bowl clean. If my stomach growls again during my visit home, I'll definitely come back here.

In the wide field of Furano, there is a ramen shop that doesn't look like a typical ramen shop. The exterior is a bit flashy, but the interior is surprisingly stylish. The soup is made with a blend of pork bones, chicken bones, and seafood, creating a rich and flavorful broth with collagen. The char siu is melt-in-your-mouth tender and can also be purchased separately. I tried the spicy mentaiko ramen and the salt ramen, both of which had perfectly balanced flavors. The mentaiko was wrapped in pork slices, which could be eaten as is or melted into the soup. The spiciness was mild, so no need to worry. I found a delicious ramen here.

While casually driving through Nakafurano, I stumbled upon a lone spot in the middle of a field! I tried the salted chashu, and it was delicious with its tender texture and flavorful meat. The addition of wood ear mushrooms was a nice touch. It was so tasty that I ended up slurping all the broth too.

I was surprised to find a ramen shop in such an unexpected location. I had noticed it before while passing by, and despite being off the beaten path, it was always crowded during lunchtime. I ordered the spicy mentaiko ramen with extra miso and chashu topping. The first bite was delicious and I was impressed, but the overall flavor was a bit weak. They mentioned that they don't use artificial seasonings, but I feel like a bit more flavor would be better. The mentaiko was spicy, but I'm not sure if it's necessary in ramen.

I had lunch at this place and almost without hesitation, I ordered the salt ramen. They also had soy sauce and miso, but this time I went with salt. As usual, the owner was the only one running the place, but the food was served in about 5 minutes. The presentation was nice. The salt level was quite mild, and I liked the addition of wood ear mushrooms. The noodles were slightly thick curly noodles, cooked on the firmer side. The texture was smooth and the portion size was just right. The soup had a salty flavor, but also seemed to have a tonkotsu (pork bone) base. It wasn't particularly creamy in appearance. The price was set at 700 yen, which was on the lower side, and I appreciated that. The inside of the restaurant was a bit steamy and hot. Thanks for the meal once again.

I had soy sauce ramen for ¥700 and gyoza for ¥380 for lunch. It was about a 10-minute drive from the town center of Kami-Furano to a small restaurant located in the middle of fields surrounded by farmers. The recommended dish is mentaiko ramen, but I wanted to try the regular ramen today, so I ordered soy sauce ramen and gyoza. After waiting for about 10 minutes, the food arrived. The soup had a sour taste to it, made with pork bones and bonito flakes. The noodles were medium-thick and chewy. The toppings included chopped wood ear mushrooms, roughly chopped green onions, narutomaki, menma, half a boiled egg, two slices of chashu pork, and a sheet of seaweed. The gyoza had a lot of cabbage and a strong garlic flavor from the generous amount of leeks. Overall, it was a satisfying meal. Next time, I might try the mentaiko ramen and half a portion of fried rice. Thank you for the meal.

I passed by a place called Umakara Mentaiko Ramen Miso, priced at around 850 yen, so I decided to stop by. The building reminded me of the drama "From the Northern Country". I ordered the Umakara Mentaiko Ramen Miso at the counter. It was served after a while. It came with bamboo shoots, chashu pork, green onions, seaweed, and wood ear mushrooms. The taste was mild and not too strong. There were three spicy cod roe wrapped in meat, which added some spiciness. However, when eaten with the noodles, the spiciness became milder.

Phew, finally found it. Last time, I got lost and couldn't find my way here. This time, the road I needed was under construction and I got lost again. But while wandering around, I luckily stumbled upon a sign and found it. I decided to try the "mentaiko ramen" since I don't come here often. Huh? Mentaiko floating in the soup? That's it? Let's try the soup first. Hmm... it's tonkotsu-based but not too heavy. This sweetness doesn't seem like artificial seasoning, probably from the vegetables, refreshing. It also has a nice level of spiciness. The noodles are medium-thin curly noodles, similar to Sangamiya's style. Firm and chewy noodles. The chashu is delicious! No unpleasant smell, anyone can enjoy it. I noticed they sell chashu at the counter and ended up buying some. I think a lot of effort goes into making this ramen. It brings out the umami of the ingredients. Anyone can enjoy it without hesitation, but some might find it lacking in uniqueness.

In late April, I visited "Higashinaka Kitchen Kenzou" located at 18 Higashi 6-sen Kita, Kamifurano-cho, Sorachi-gun, where I tried their soy sauce ramen for 700 yen. The ramen was topped with green onions, bamboo shoots, half a flavored egg, seaweed, and fish cake, along with three slices of pork chashu. The restaurant is situated in a peaceful area surrounded by rice fields in Kamifurano-cho. They recently relocated from Sapporo in February 2019, where they operated under the name "Tojishun" ramen shop. The weather was lovely during my visit, offering a clear view of the Tokachi Mountains. There is a designated smoking area outside with tables, allowing customers to enjoy their ramen outdoors. The interior has 5 counter seats and a couple of table seats, and smoking is prohibited inside. The menu includes soy sauce ramen, salt ramen, miso ramen, spicy mentaiko ramen in miso, salt, and soy sauce flavors, spicy miso kimchi ramen, and more. The noodles are made with Hokkaido wheat and have a firm texture, while the soup is a blend of pork, chicken, and seafood broth. The soft pork chashu complements the soup well. I am curious to try the mentaiko ramen next time. Overall, it was a satisfying dining experience at Higashinaka Kitchen Kenzou. Thank you for the meal.

In late April, my partner and I drove around in circles while trying to find a newly opened ramen shop. A kind gentleman working in the fields helped us find it. The shop was a renovated old farmhouse and looked lovely. It was packed inside, but we managed to get a seat. We both felt like having soy sauce ramen that day, with extra tender chashu topping. We also ordered a half portion of fried rice. When our food arrived, it looked delicious. However, the soup was surprisingly light in flavor, with a hint of soy sauce but not very strong. The noodles were decent, and the chashu was thinly sliced, almost like shabu-shabu meat. The fried rice had a good portion size but lacked flavor. Overall, we felt that the ramen was carefully made with natural ingredients, but it left us wanting more as we are used to ramen with more flavor from additives. Enjoyed the ramen and fried rice!