A local ramen tour of the six Tohoku prefectures! A beloved soy sauce ramen from a long-established ramen shop in Morioka, one of the prefecture's most competitive ramen areas [Morioka City, Iwate Prefecture]

According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications' household survey, Morioka City ranked first in the nation in terms of household purchases of Chinese noodles for four consecutive years from 2021 to 2024

Morioka residents, who eat a lot of Chinese noodles at home, are big ramen fans, and there are many ramen restaurants of various genres competing with each other in the city

Among the ramen restaurants in Morioka city, we will introduce three popular soy sauce ramen restaurants that have been loved by locals for a long time

---

Takamiya (Sakanamachi, Morioka City)

let me introduce you to Takamiya , a very long-established restaurant founded in 1943

This famous restaurant is praised as one of Morioka's two great ramen restaurants, and is characterized by its sweet, rich soy sauce-flavored soup, packed with the flavor of chicken stock

The store was renovated in September 2024, and has since evolved from a "Showa-era ramen shop" into a place that is easy for women to enter alone

Previously, there were many table seats and it was common to have to share a table when it was busy, but after the renovation, the number of counter seats increased, so even solo diners can enjoy their meal without hesitation

Ramen (800 yen)

The rich soy sauce soup is topped with plenty of chicken oil, giving it a strong chicken flavor, while also allowing you to clearly taste the dashi stock made from bonito flakes and kelp

The chewy, curly thin noodles are thoroughly coated in the rich soy sauce-flavored soup, and the toppings are quite simple: roast pork, bamboo shoots, green onions, and seaweed

The bamboo shoots are slightly sweet in flavor, and the pork slices include one slice each of tender, lean loin meat and melt-in-your-mouth belly meat

Other popular menu items include Char Siu Ramen topped with lots of delicious pork slices Umani Ramen delicious hot sauce and plenty of vegetables

You can choose to have the thin, curly noodles boiled to a firm or soft consistency, which allows the soup to cling to your palate, and you can also order the soup to be light or dark (available on all menus)

Wonton (750 yen)

The wontons, handmade in the shop, are popular for their soft, melt-in-your-mouth texture, and many regular customers return just for this

"Takamiya" Miscellaneous Information

This popular restaurant has long queues even on weekdays. You sign your name on a board at the entrance and wait in the waiting area inside the store, but you may have to wait outside, so we recommend taking proper measures to protect yourself from the cold in winter

Please note that there is no parking lot, so please use nearby paid parking lots

Takamiya ＜Information＞

• Store name: Takamiya
• Address: 3-20 Sakanamachi, Morioka City, Iwate Prefecture
• Phone number: 019-656-1898
• Business hours: 10:50-18:00
• Closed: Wednesdays and the third Thursday of every month
• URL: Takamiya official website

Google Map

---

Nakagawa (1-chome, Honmachi-dori, Morioka City)

Founded in 1955 Nakagawa is one of the two long-established ramen shops in the city, reigning alongside Takamiya as one of Morioka's two great ramen restaurants.

The interior of the store has a tasteful exterior and a clean feel, exuding a Showa-era retro atmosphere

The menu only has "Chuka Soba" (Chinese noodles), and there are no options for extra portions or extra toppings, nor are there any side dishes, and no ladles, which are now a must-have at ramen shops

The simple ramen is loved by locals of all ages and genders, and this restaurant is recommended for those who want to taste Morioka's traditional light soy sauce ramen

Chinese noodles (650 yen)

The chicken is seasoned with dashi stock made from dried sardines and kelp, and the light, clean, golden-colored soup is low in fat and has no distinctive flavor, and is combined with soy sauce to create a subtle sweetness and depth

The noodles are medium-thin, straight noodles with a low water content that go down smoothly and are boiled firm at first, but develop a chewy texture as you eat them

The ingredients are simple, just like Takamiya's: two slices of pork, bamboo shoots, seaweed, and green onions. The pork is moderately salty and has a chewy texture

This is a light soy sauce ramen that has a nostalgic feel to it, reminiscent of the old days

Nakagawa Miscellaneous Information

Even after entering the restaurant and sitting down, you won't be asked to order, and the ramen will be brought out without you saying anything, because the only item on the menu is "Chuka Soba."

There is an anecdote that back in the day, when there was a parking lot across the street from the restaurant, they would count the number of people getting out of their cars through the kitchen window and start boiling the noodles before the order was placed

The parking lot is now gone and a drugstore has been built, so the store no longer has free parking, but the drugstore's parking lot is an hourly coin parking lot that you can use when you visit

Also, since they don't offer extra-large servings of ramen noodles, many customers order another bowl if one bowl isn't enough

As mentioned earlier, taking photos inside the store has been prohibited since around 2014.

The restaurant closes at 4pm, but often closes earlier if the noodles and soup run out, so we recommend visiting earlier, especially if you're coming from far away

Nakagawa <Information>

• Store name: Nakagawa
• Address: 1-7-37 Honmachidori, Morioka City, Iwate Prefecture
• Phone number: 019-622-5763
• Business hours: 11:00-16:00
• Closed: Sunday

Google Map

---

Hasunoya (Konyacho, Morioka City)

This ramen restaurant is located in a corner of the old town, where a traditional atmosphere still remains, just across the Yonoji Bridge over the Nakatsugawa River that runs through the city from the direction of City Hall

The shop has only eight counter seats and is run by a kind mother on her own

A while ago, comedian Hanawa of the comedy duo Knights posted on social media that this was his favorite ramen shop in Morioka, and ever since then, there have been long lines of people waiting to get in

Chinese noodles (800 yen), meat noodles (1,000 yen)

The soup is based on chicken stock and also has the umami flavor of kelp and dried sardines, with a slight pork bone nuance, making it a very deep soup

The noodles are medium-thin and curly, and are boiled a little soft, but still have a smooth texture

The most distinctive feature of this restaurant is the deliciousness of its char siu pork

The pork belly pork wrapped around it is thick, yet melts in your mouth, and the umami of the meat and the sweetness of the fat fill your mouth

If you have a budget, we highly recommend the Niku-men

Char siu rice (150 yen)

Previously, daily mixed rice dishes were served free of charge (limited quantity), but now the only rice dish available is "char siu rice."

Char siu rice is rice cooked with diced char siu pork and broth

First eat it as is, then sprinkle some pepper on it from the table, and then pour the remaining part over with ramen soup to enjoy different flavors

"Hasunoya" Miscellaneous Information

The system is that you purchase a meal ticket from the ticket machine inside the store, sit at the counter, and hand it over to the mother

The eye-catching item on the menu is the " black noodles " with their jet black soup, which is known for being very spicy and is even featured in Mr. Hanawa's YouTube videos.

I always end up ordering "Chinese noodles" or "meat noodles" after being unsure, so I've never actually tried it

Next time, I'd like to try the spicy "black noodles" with the spiciness of this green nanban

Hasunoya ＜Information＞

• Store name: Mendokoro Hasunoya
• Address: 2-20 Konyacho, Morioka City, Iwate Prefecture
• telephone number:
• Business hours: 11:30-14:45
• Closed: Monday

Google Map

---

summary

The three places we have introduced are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the number of ramen restaurants in Morioka City

There is no specific definition of "Morioka Ramen," and in addition to "Yanagiya," which serves the unique natto kimchi ramen, there are also restaurants that serve Jiro-style ramen, Iekei ramen, tsukemen ramen, and aburamen ramen

Among them, the three "long-established" restaurants introduced in this article all have one thing in common: they serve very simple soy sauce ramen made with chicken or seafood broth

We highly recommend that you try the ramen at these long-established restaurants

---