I stopped here on my cross-country hitchhiking trip for one reason in particular Ramen

Asahikawa Ramen is very famous but I'm not sure what makes this place different from Sapporo Ramen

and any of the other Ramen around Japan

Fukuoka's Hakata Ramen is famous for "Tonkotsu", thick pork bone broth

very filling and very good

Sapporo Ramen nearby is known for Miso Ramen

slightly nutty and sweet thick but not too heavy

the Miso is added to different soups stuff depending on the store

Sapporo Ramen typically uses yellow egg noodles

and Asahikawa Ramen? welcome to the world of "Shouyu", soy sauce Ramen

like the others it's found everywhere in Japan

but many argue Asahikawa does it best

so where exactly is this Shouyu Ramen paradise?

We'll have to head to Hokkaido in Japan's north city of Asahikawa

It's a 3 hour drive from Sapporo next to "Daisetuzan National Park" meaning

the city has some of the cleanest water in the country

Asahikawa is easy to navigate with a perfect grid system

We'll visit "Baikoken", "Aoba" and "Tenkin"

so get ready for some slurping

a lot of famous Ramen shops in Asahikawa are right around the station area

Our first Ramen shop is along the shopping street

So I got a map at the tourist office that lists all of the Ramen places in Asahikawa around the station

this one right here is also the one that I went to 14 years ago last time in Asahikawa so

let's try that first

Yeah I've been here before so I know what I'm getting into

Welcome to "Baikoken" Ramen's main shop.

At lunch be ready to queue up, it's famous

the kitchen is busy with non-stop chefs at peak times serving mighty bowls of Shouyu Ramen

I was last here in 2003 during my first hitchhiking trip across Japan

Now I'm back for my second bowl and I'm sure the taste hasn't changed a bit

"Baikoken" is the classical bowl of Shouyu Ramen

There are no hidden bells and whistles with this bowl

Unless of course you order a topping like "Ajitama"

That delicious half boiled egg that I can never pass up

You can see the Shouyu Ramen is lighter than "Tonkotsu" and "Miso"

just the right amount of oil to load up that richness

"Baikoken" uses wavy noodles that collect more of the salty soy sauce broth

It hasn't changed in 14 years, For ol' faithful, complete!

I moved on to Aoba which was just a minute away from Baikoken

It came highly recommended to me by a friend

the owner let me eat during his break to avoid the lines

They're all the kinds of Ramen on the menu

but come on! we've come here for Shouyu Ramen exclusively

Aoba uses straight noodles, a healthy piece of "Cha-shu" pork steak

the winking octopus on the "Nori" seaweed a nice touch

This "Shouyu" soup is perfectly balanced

The atmosphere at Aoba is authentic

that the family feel of it all added to the flavor which is

simple chicken and pork based stuff with soy sauce, light, salty and also good

by far one of the friendliest place

I've ever visited with a long history

The Murayama family has run Aoba for three generations

Here is the founder

His son is the second generation chef and

Now his son "Yu-ichi" who's behind the counter today

I was in China until the 5th grade of an elementary school

In Beijin

When the war was over, I returned to Japan together with my grandparents

and started this shop in 1947 and this year we celebrate the 70th aniversary

My son has succeed this shop as the third generation owner

Can you still keep the same good taste as that of the 70 years ago?

Certainly!

The shop's good taste is in the decades of cosistency

"Aoba" is one place simply can't miss when visiting Asahikawa

but it's not the last place on this tour of Ramen

so not far away from "Aoba" is a "Tenkin", another really famous place in Asahikawa

I can eat one more "Tenkin" is a five minute walk from "Aoba"

This shop is consistently at the top of Ramen critics and reviewers lists

which explains this line took an hour to get in

waiting just makes you hungrier

many celebrities' been here

''Tenkin''s ramen is no longer secret

I got to "Shouyu" Ramen with a side of gyoza

right away I could see the attraction, the soup

I had a lot of oil the temperature of Asahikawa in winter is well below zero

so it said extra lard keeps the soup hot for a longer time

It's like insulation

there's a lot of good stuff in there too

and the taste? Divine

but I couldn't get over that broth

it reminded me of Van Gogh's masterpiece, The Starry Night

a galaxy of flavor swiring on the canvas

or bowl! ..if you're at "Tenkin"

So there you have it! Asahikawa is soy sauce ramen paradise

Where you get an amazing bowl just about anywhere you go

So try them all! These three shops are excellent starting points

the big and delicious world, that is Asahikawa Shouyu Ramen

Next time, Tokyo or a side of it that you're never seen before

This is Aogashima, an island that reminds me of Jurassic Park

Minus the Velociraptors of course

the venture starts with a helicopter ride before descending into the jungle around the volcano

inside another volcano

in other words, adventure of a lifetime

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