Located at the corner of the "Mejima Bridge West Intersection" on National Route 3 in Higashi Ward, Fukuoka City, near Hakoizaki and Tataragawa, is a ramen restaurant called "Ichiraku Ramen". Founded by Terumitsu Nakamura, born in 1943, the restaurant originally specialized in dining before transitioning to a ramen-focused establishment in 1970 in Koshigumaoka, Higashi Ward, near Kyushu Sangyo University. It quickly gained popularity and became a thriving establishment. Currently, there are five sister stores in the eastern district of Fukuoka, all operated by relatives and associates of Nakamura, rather than being franchise branches. The original store, "Ichiraku Ramen Kyusan Daigaku Mae Store", which was featured as the protagonist's favorite spot in the popular ninja action manga "Naruto", closed in 2014, and the current "Ichiraku Ramen Mejima Store" was renamed to "Ichiraku Ramen Mejima Main Store" and operates as the flagship store. "Ichiraku" offers two popular types of ramen: the classic "Ramen (Tonkotsu Ramen)" which focuses on a simple taste using only pork bone broth without adding extra fat, and the unique "Miso Ramen (Miso Tonkotsu Ramen)" which is made with a blend of original miso based on pork bone soup. Both types are equally popular and are the restaurant's specialties, created through trial and error by Nakamura himself. Each store also has other popular menu items, with the "Plate Udon" and "Chanpon" at the Mejima Main Store receiving high praise. Interestingly, the popular gyoza, ramen, and chanpon restaurant "Ittek" in Ropponmatsu, Chuo Ward, was founded by Kenji Kamitori, who trained at "Ichiraku Ramen" before starting his own business. I used to work in Higashi Ward, Fukuoka City about ten years ago, and during that time, I frequented this restaurant. Despite its popularity, the restaurant has its own parking lot in front and across the street, making it convenient to visit. This time, I had some business in Higashi Ward in the evening and decided to have an early dinner here alone. I parked my car in the restaurant's dedicated parking lot and entered the two-story building with an orange roof. The first floor is the restaurant. As I opened the door, the four staff members in the kitchen greeted me warmly. Although the founder, Terumitsu Nakamura, still works at the restaurant, he mainly operates the "Ichiraku Ramen Matsushima Store" now, so I did not have the chance to meet him this time. The restaurant has a central kitchen surrounded by a counter in a U-shape with about 10 seats, as well as tables along the walls, totaling around 30 seats. The spacious interior had about 10 customers dining early for dinner. I headed to the ticket machine on the left side upon entering. I love the rich yet light taste of the "Tonkotsu Ramen," but my favorite is the unique "Miso Ramen (Miso Tonkotsu Ramen)" that cannot be found in other restaurants, so this time, I decided to indulge a bit with the "Miso Char Siu Ramen." I also purchased a ticket for "Small Rice" and placed my order at the counter seat near the ticket machine. While waiting, I helped myself to the "Pickled Ginger" and the free-flowing "Spicy Takana" typical of Hakata, and enjoyed a cold glass of water. After a short wait, the senior male staff member served me the "Miso Char Siu Ramen" and "Small Rice" elegantly arranged in a bowl.

I had some business in Higashi-ku, Fukuoka, so I visited Ichiraku for the first time in over 10 years! It's a bit of a hassle to get there without a car. Now they have a ticket machine where you can choose your menu. This time, I ordered ramen with an extra serving of noodles. The popular dish seems to be the plate udon, but I chose the ramen with extra noodles. They also offer a larger portion of ramen, but I prefer the extra noodles because it's cheaper than the large portion. I like my noodles firm, so the large portion tends to get soggy. Also, I have a sensitive tongue, so I can't finish a large portion in one go (laughs). The flavor is a salty pork bone broth, not too heavy but rather light. The pickled mustard greens in the photo are complimentary! ☺️

I met up with my classmate to stay at their house for the night before heading back to Tokyo for a visit. We decided to have ramen for lunch, a dish I had heard of but never tried before. Even though it was past 2pm, the parking lot was full but the restaurant was empty. I heard their miso champon was famous, but I decided to start with their basic ramen. I ordered the ramen with just chashu and green onions as toppings. The soup was thick and flavorful, a delicious tonkotsu ramen that I love. The noodles were a bit clumped together, but that just added to the charm. I realized afterwards that you could also ask for garlic, but I'll have to try that next time. I don't know when I'll be able to visit again, but when I do, I definitely want to try their miso champon. It was incredibly delicious. Thank you for the meal!

Located at 7-4-2 Hako-saki, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture, "Ramen Ichiraku" is a restaurant that is a 10-minute walk from Kaizuka Station on the Fukuoka City Subway and is situated along Route 3. This place, which used to be the now-closed Kyushu Sangyo University store, was frequented by the author of the manga "NARUTO," Masashi Kishimoto, during his university days. Amazingly, this restaurant is the model for the Ichiraku Ramen that appears in the NARUTO story! For fans of NARUTO like myself, I couldn't pass up the chance to visit. I arrived just before noon and entered the bustling restaurant. Inside, there were figures of Naruto and Sasuke! I ordered the standard ramen, purchased a meal ticket, specified my noodle firmness, and took a seat. After about 5 minutes, my ramen arrived. The soup was a rich and creamy tonkotsu broth that was surprisingly easy to drink and delicious! The noodles were thin and straight, a classic style for tonkotsu ramen in Hakata! This is the ramen that Naruto enjoyed with his mentor and friends in the series. Whether you're a ramen fan or a NARUTO fan, this is a must-visit restaurant!

I visited a ramen shop where the author of NARUTO used to frequent because I was nearby for work! NARUTO is really interesting, isn't it? I tried the "miso ramen" here because it is recommended, and it was delicious. The miso ramen had a generous portion and the soup was not too heavy, so I could drink it easily. Next time, I will try the regular ramen!

I went for a casual stroll during lunchtime. I visited a park nearby called Kaizuka Park to see a passenger car called "Nahane F22 Series" that was used for a sleeper train. This type of passenger car was introduced in 1958, and it was restored through crowdfunding led by a elementary school student named Sakai. After walking around, I passed under a viaduct for freight trains and saw a ramen shop at the intersection. I entered the shop and sat at the counter. Although I originally planned to have ramen, I saw an elderly person next to me enjoying miso ramen, so I decided to try that. I started with a beer and pickled ginger as a side dish while waiting for the gyoza. The gyoza arrived with a nice sear on top, making it look beautiful. Gyoza and ramen are a classic combination. The gyoza didn't have any outstanding features, but the perfect sear added a great flavor. Then, the miso ramen was served with a lot of bean sprouts on top and no chashu (pork slices) in sight. Personally, I'm not a fan of bean sprouts in ramen. The soup was a miso tonkotsu style, slightly sweet, which seems to be the Fukuoka style of miso. It paired well with the richness of the tonkotsu broth. The noodles were straight and medium-thick, with a texture that reminded me of champon noodles. This type of noodle is not common in Fukuoka, but it worked well with the miso broth.

We shared a ramen for 680 yen and fried rice. The ramen was delicious! The noodles and soup were top-notch, among the best I've had outside of tonkotsu ramen. The chashu was also delicious, my personal favorite. The red tables were clean and well-maintained, almost looking like white tables. Everyone's ramen preferences vary, so I don't always trust ratings above 3.4, but both the fried rice and ramen were incredibly tasty. The combination of soup and fried rice was excellent. The texture of the chopped onions left a lasting impression. The soup didn't leave any strange aftertaste. I wish other popular ramen shops in Tenjin or Hakata would follow their example (just my personal opinion). Overall, it was a long time since I had such delicious ramen. Thank you for the meal!

I came here after a long time. Although Ichiran Ramen has other branches, I have only been to this one. The Miso Champon was a bit on the salty side with strong miso flavor. The fried rice portion was unexpectedly large. It operates on a food ticket system, so make sure to purchase your ticket as soon as you secure a seat. If you are coming from Kokura direction, you can use the traffic lights for entry and exit, but be cautious as there is a railroad crossing nearby. Thank you for the meal.

I had never heard of miso champon ramen before, so I was expecting miso champon here. Oh, there were a lot of green peas, haha, not a fan. It was not a rich miso flavor, but rather a light miso flavor. I ended up craving regular ramen!

Hello everyone, what's up? It's MoriP, who loves to explore food in Fukuoka! Today, I visited 【Ichiraku Ramen Noshima Main Store】. Their specialty is the Miso Ramen. It features a rich pork bone soup with their homemade miso, creating a miso ramen that is not too heavy and easy to drink. It doesn't have a strong pork bone smell but has a good umami flavor. You can feel not only the miso spiciness but also a hint of ichimi spice. The noodles are medium-thick straight noodles, which is unique for a miso ramen. They are chewy and go well with the pork bone miso soup. At first, I thought there was too much bean sprouts, but as I soaked them in the soup, I realized their importance and enjoyed them in the second half. It's like a ramen that combines the best of miso ramen and pork bone ramen in a ratio of 8:2. It's quite different from miso ramen at other shops, so even if you're not a fan of miso ramen, I think you'll enjoy it if you're from Hakata!

I suddenly felt like eating Champon, so I headed to Ichiraku "Myojima Store"! Although I aimed for the pole position, I ended up in second row... I didn't let it bother me and went to the ticket machine. I ordered Champon and Yakimeshi. First, the Champon arrived. I sprinkled some pepper and took a sip of the soup. It had a consistent taste. Next, the Yakimeshi arrived. I prefer it a bit moist, but it was a bit dry. However, the taste was good so it was okay. It was delicious!

I had my usual order of Tonkotsu ramen with firm noodles and a small portion of fried rice. The ramen had a light broth and delicious noodles. The fried rice was also hot and I could change the flavor with ginger and sauce. However, the fried rice took a while to be served, so I ended up finishing most of my ramen before it arrived, which was a bit disappointing.

In Higashi-ku, Fukuoka City, there is Ichiraku Ramen Meijima Main Store, a ramen shop that is not part of a chain but rather a family-run business. The Meijima Main Store is known for its unique and delicious ramen, different from other locations. I visited the store to verify these claims and found that the appearance and taste of the ramen were indeed exceptional. The Meijima Main Store has a cozy atmosphere and their champon ramen, priced at 680 yen, is a standout dish. Unlike other locations, this ramen does not contain a mix of vegetables, resulting in a more concentrated flavor. The ingredients include pork, seafood, carrots, and onions. Overall, I would consider returning to the Meijima Main Store and look forward to trying out other locations in the future.

Hakozaki in Higashi-ku, Fukuoka City, is a traditional ramen shop. It would be great to have one nearby. The recommended dishes are miso ramen and champon, both packed with vegetables. They also offer gyoza, fried rice, yakisoba, and more. Some days the taste may vary a bit, but it's still worth a visit.

On October 13, 2022 (Thursday), after finishing work in Fukuoka and before heading to the airport, I visited this restaurant for the first time. This popular restaurant has 5 locations in Fukuoka, and the now closed "Kyusan Daigaku-mae" branch is famous for appearing in the manga "NARUTO". I first learned about this place when my business associates recommended it as a place with delicious champon. I arrived at 1:03 PM, and about 70% of the seats in the restaurant were occupied. I purchased a ticket for "champon" first, and when I sat down and handed over the ticket, the champon arrived in about 4 minutes. The soup was meticulously cloudy with little oil floating on top, and on top of the round thick noodles were stir-fried ingredients. The ingredients included cabbage, bean sprouts, pork pieces, squid, finely shredded carrots, narutomaki, hanpen, and onions. When I tried the soup, I tasted a slightly defined light soy sauce saltiness along with a rounded flavor of aged pork bone broth spreading in my mouth. I felt a strong aged smell in Fukuoka's champon, surpassing the Kurume pork bone broth, as I did when I ate at "Nagasaki-tei" before. Initially, the saltiness was slightly sharp, but as I continued eating, the sweetness of the vegetables increased, and the sharpness of the saltiness subsided. Next, I tried the noodles, and the moderately hard noodles, closer to high hydration, had a very soft chewiness and a clear wheat flavor. The noodles seemed to be made with traditional champon noodles made with lye water, as there was hardly any trace of alkaline water flavor. As I ate the noodles with the ingredients, the various flavors and textures of the ingredients added a more complex depth to the taste. After finishing the meal, I felt that while the taste was undoubtedly good, it gave me a somewhat familiar feeling. However, I understand that it is very difficult to differentiate the taste in pork bone-based champon. If I have the chance to visit again, I would like to try the "miso ramen," which is not commonly seen in Hakata pork bone broth restaurants. Thank you for the meal.

I slurped noodles at the long-established popular restaurant "Ichiraku" in the Higashi Ward area. This place is famous for being the model for the ramen shop in the manga "NARUTO" ☑️ I ordered the Miso Chashu Ramen for ¥950. I was torn between Champon and Yakimeshi, but ended up choosing the popular Miso Chashu. The visual with Chashu covering the entire bowl was amazing, underneath there was a large amount of bean sprouts, and below that was a large amount of medium-thick noodles. It was incredibly delicious and I left feeling very satisfied.

This is the Strong Showa-style ramen. It is located along Route 3 near the mouth of the Tataragawa River in Higashi Ward, Fukuoka City. Although the building of the restaurant is familiar, I haven't been to Ichiran Ramen Nabeshima Branch for about 30 years. The location of the restaurant is on the Hakata side of the Tataragawa River, so strictly speaking, it doesn't seem to be Nabeshima, but maybe it was considered Nabeshima back in the Showa era. I visited around 1 pm on a weekday. The parking lot in front of the restaurant was almost full, so I had to wait a bit. There was no line, but the place seemed lively and very popular. The interior has a Showa-era vibe with AM radio playing, which I found quite nice. The staff also exuded a Showa-era charm, providing a sense of comfort. I tried the large serving of tonkotsu ramen. It looked like a traditional tonkotsu ramen and the chashu had a good amount of fat in the traditional style. When I first started eating, the soup seemed relatively light but had a good tonkotsu flavor. As I slurped the soup and mixed it while eating, I felt a strong Showa-era vibe. I enjoy this Showa-style, but this ramen had the most powerful artificial flavoring I've encountered this year (2022), which was a bit concerning (in a Showa-era sense). Normally, at regular ramen shops, I tend to enhance the artificial flavoring with the soup base when I get a refill or towards the end of a large serving, but here, there was no need for that at all. Despite being an old man, I ended up leaving about two-thirds of the soup, which might be due to my age. Nevertheless, I was able to regain a Showa-era feeling and leave the restaurant feeling rejuvenated, so it was a good experience. I plan to visit again in about 30 years.

First visit. Purchased food ticket system. Ramen for 600 yen. The ramen has a nostalgic feel. The soup is reminiscent of Maru Star ramen, but the chashu is delicious and refined. The thin noodles go well with the firm texture, it's delicious. I don't usually rely on high ratings for ramen, but I really like the ramen here. It feels nostalgic. I'm also curious about the fried rice. Finished the soup too. Thank you for the meal.

I couldn't forget the taste of the fried rice I had last time, so I visited the restaurant again. This time, I ordered a large portion of fried rice for takeout, along with pork ramen and dumplings. The pork ramen was served first, with a soup that had a strong garlic punch - it was delicious. However, the thin noodles were just okay. Next, I tried the dumplings, which were decent. But, for me, the best dishes here are still the champon and fried rice.

Ordered miso champon and yakimeshi. When I visited the store in Shime, I thought it was too salty and might not come back, but the one in Nagashima was a bit stronger in flavor but had a rich taste and was delicious. They also have miso ramen, but I prefer miso champon. The yakimeshi was a bit on the salty side but still within acceptable range. It was tasty. The menu is slightly different from the one in Shime. I would like to try dishes like plate udon as well. - Parking available - Ticket system (located at the back, not at the entrance of the store)

After moving to Fukuoka, I couldn't find a Champon that really satisfied me. However, I found out about Ichiraku Ramen Nabeshima on YouTube and immediately went there. I ordered the Champon regular and a small portion of fried rice from the ticket machine. The Champon was filled with ingredients like squid legs and cabbage, and the soup was rich with a sweet and savory flavor that lingered. The fried rice was moist and not too dry. In my opinion, it was the best.