What to know
Like several other places in Hokkaido, Asahikawa is famous for its ramen. While Sapporo is known for miso-based broth and Hakodate for salt-based broth, Asahikawa is known for its shoyu (soy sauce) based broths. Shops serving shoyu ramen can be found throughout the city.
The broth of Asahikawa Ramen is also known for being quite oily, often with a thin layer of oil on top of the soup. Another characteristic is the generally thin, hard, and wavy noodles. The range of toppings is quite typical and includes green onions, pork, bamboo shoots, and eggs.
On the outskirts of the city, there is an interesting collection of ramen shops called the Asahikawa Ramen Village. Eight famous ramen restaurants from Asahikawa have opened small branch stores beside one another in the complex, alongside a gift shop and a small ramen shrine.
Ramen shops can be found throughout downtown Asahikawa.
The Ramen Village is about five kilometers northeast of JR Asahikawa Station and not conveniently accessed by public transportation. It can be reached by infrequent trains (10 minutes, 320 yen from Asahikawa Station, get off at Minami-Nagayama Station, from where the village is a five-minute walk) or by bus (35 minutes from Asahikawa Station, get off at Nagayama-Jujo-yonchome bus stop, from where the village is a five-minute walk). It is more easily accessed by car.
Visitor information
Practical details to check before planning this stop.
- Hours
- Generally 11:00 to 20:00
- Closed
- January 1, occasional closures by individual restaurants
- Admission
- Free (a bowl of ramen typically costs around 800 yen (~$5.12))
- English name
- Original name
- Asahikawa Ramen
Verify details before visiting. Currency conversion is indicative and may vary over time.