A new style of Oita-style Ihekei Ramen, a bowl of ever-changing flavor.

A new star in Oita! The Appeal of Iekei Ramen

The ramen scene in the center of Oita City has become a fierce battleground between a number of new restaurants in recent years. We visited "Yokohama Iekei-Ramen Takasakiya," which will be born in 2022 and play a role in Oita's Iekei-Ramen scene. The name "Takasakiya" comes from the name of a restaurant in Oita City. The name of the restaurant comes from the name of Mt. Takasaki, a tourist attraction representing Oita City and famous for its monkeys, and as we passed through the curtain filled with Oita love, the appetizing aroma heightened our expectations.

What is Ihekei Ramen, according to the manager?

I want you to eat it with rice first," says Saori Hasebe, the restaurant manager.

According to Ms. Hasebe, Ihekei Ramen originated in Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture, and is characterized by its thick, pork-bone soy sauce-based soup and thick, straight noodles. Takasaki-ya uses a sweeter soy sauce to suit the palate of Oita Prefecture residents, and short noodles that are easy to slurp.

The best part of Ihekei Ramen is that you can choose the thickness of the flavor, the amount of soy sauce, and the consistency of the noodles, as well as seasonings such as vinegar, soy sauce, and garlic lined up on the table. You can enjoy a bowl of ramen while changing the flavor to your own liking.

Repeat customers of both sexes

One would think that the restaurant's rich soy sauce and pork bone broth would attract mainly male customers, but that is not the case. The counter seats lined up in rows make it easy to come in alone, and the large number of female staff members means that there are many repeat customers of both genders.

The restaurant is popular at lunchtime, when there is often a line of customers waiting in line, but what is nice about it is that it is open at night until 11:00 p.m. It is recommended for a final drink after a night of drinking in the center of Oita City.

Manager's recommendation: egg noodles

The most popular dish is the special ramen with a big nori (seaweed) that can be described as the "family-style" ramen, but Mr. Hasebe recommends the "egg noodles". Hasebe recommends the "egg-kake-men," a dish that is rapidly gaining popularity because it has a punch and can be enjoyed three times in one bowl," he says. It can be eaten simply with an egg, or you can enjoy it with toppings or rice.

Toward a Ramen Loved by the People of Oita

Finally, to those who have yet to experience Ihekei-style ramen, we would like to offer the following words of encouragement: "Kyushu has a strong image of pork bone, but the pork bone soy sauce for Oita is a shock to the taste buds. We aim to make ramen that will be loved in Oita just as much as tonkotsu," he said in a passionate message.

Oita's ramen scene is not limited to tonkotsu. We hope that ramen fans seeking to encounter new flavors will enjoy the unique Oita-style ramen at "Yokohama Ihekei Ramen Takasakiya".