Ramen Royalty: Finding the Secrets of Japan’s Treasured ‘Ramen Alley’

① Sapporo’s Ramen Alley in Japan

Sapporo, Japan’s representative winter travel destination, is located in the northernmost part of the country and is famous for its seafood, skiing, and snow festivals. However, for food enthusiasts, the most famous place is the Original Sapporo Ramen Yokocho (Ramen Alley). This tourist attraction is in Susukino, known as the famous Ramen Alley of Sapporo.

There are many opinions about the exact origin of miso ramen. However, everyone agrees that it started in Sapporo, the giant northern island of Japan. In 1972, when the Winter Olympics were held in Sapporo, this city gathered street merchants into one building, today’s Ramen Alley.

Miso ramen was born here and still serves delicious miso ramen today.

For food enthusiasts, Sapporo’s Ramen Alley is the ultimate holy ground. This alley has 17 restaurants, each boasting a different taste. A single chef runs each restaurant.

Customers walk through the narrow alley, looking for empty seats through the windows, and wait in the cold for a delicious bowl of food. The price of a bowl of ramen is generally around 10,000 won (approximately $8.50 in U.S. dollars).

② Ramen that also suit Korean tastes

Sapporo Ramen Haruka, known as the Rock and Roll Ramen Restaurant, is at the northern end of the alley due to its powerful soundtrack and minimal walls adorned with flashy electric guitars. Although it’s one of the smallest restaurants in the alley, accommodating only eight people, it offers the most rich and textured ramen.

Haruka’s chef, Yuya Sasaki, said, “Finding the perfect ramen is my life’s eternal theme.”

Here, you can taste the corn butter miso ramen with a sweet taste of butter topped with cheese. It’s a ramen where you can feel butter’s savory flavor and corn’s texture. The ramen with butter is not greasy, but thanks to the savory taste, you can feel the deep taste of the ramen.

This is also a famous ramen restaurant among Korean tourists. It’s always a place with a waiting list, and you can even find reviews saying that they waited for an hour. It’s a place where you can taste delicious ramen.

At Ichikura Ramen Yokocho, you can meet a chef who has held his place in Ramen Alley for 13 years. He said, “The base of the broth is very important. It brings everything together.”

Here, you can choose a soup base of miso or soy sauce. You can also select the level of spiciness, which is slightly spicier than Shin Ramen.

The Butter Corn Ramen, topped with corn, is famous for its delicious taste. You can taste the harmony of corn, pork, butter, and egg on top of the white soup. The miso ramen has a rich soup that feels like eating doenjang soup.

③ Becoming famous as a tourist attraction in Susukino

As time goes by, more and more foreigners are visiting Ramen Alley. A ramen restaurant chef said, “I’m amazed at how this small alley and ramen became so famous. People from Indonesia, Argentina, Brazil, Italy, and France have already come. I hope the warmth of food and welcome is conveyed in itself.”

Sapporo’s Ramen Alley in Japan, where 17 ramen restaurants are located, is also where you can taste unique ramen. Among foreign tourists, miso ramen and doenjang chashu-topped ramen are popular. Every November 11th, they also hold a ‘half-price ramen event’ at all restaurants.