Ramen Hunter – Details, episodes & analysis

In the Ramen Hunter annual tradition,  we get Frank from 5AM Ramen and Brian of Ramen Adventures back on the pod to discuss the Ramen Walker 2024 Tokyo guide. This is the 15th edition of the Ramen Walker Tokyo Guide, and there are some new things to check out in this issue.

First we get to hear about Brian's recent Germany/Poland trip. He brought some well regarded Ramen Masters to run pop-ups out there, so we get some cool stories. We also touch on Ramen Festival season and highlight some that are happening now, or coming up.

The guys break down the Ramen Walker 2024 Tokyo issue. Frank and Brian touch upon some recent trends and new shops highlighted in the Walker. We also run through the annual Grand Prix and New Rookie lists. Do you agree with the rankings? Who would you put in?

Shops mentioned in the pod:
Maikagura　らーめんMAIKAGURA
Koike　らぁめん小池
King Seimen　キング製麺
Yatagarasu　八咫烏
Food Technique Berlin
Kodawari Ramen
Nagi　すごい煮干ラーメン凪新宿ゴールデン街店 本館
Gokan Japanese Ramen 五感
Sakura Josui Funakoshi　桜上水 船越
Watanabe　渡なべ
Mochiko　

Grand Prix
Takano　中華そば 多賀野
Ramen FeeL
Shichisai　麺や 七彩八丁堀店
Tengokuya　超純水採麺 天国屋
Benten　中華そば べんてん

Top New Shops
there is ramen
Napoleon Ken　釜玉中華そば ナポレオン軒
Kamei　手打麺祭 かめ囲

Tokyo Ramen Festa
Dai Tsukemen Haku
Hokuriku Ramen Expo
Ramen Expo

Guest links:
Ramen Adventures
5AM Ramen

Ramen Pharmacist's most recent hunting expedition took him to Wakayama, an underrated spot in the Ramen wilderness. This was a great chance to get him and other fans of Wakayama Ramen on the pod.  Joined by Keizo Shimamoto as well as first time guest and Kansai based hunter, The Gourmet Bear.

Keizo shares some updates, including a rare appearance of the Ramen Burger. We dive deep into the OG shops in Wakayama, and the fellas share some tips for navigating your way in this part of Kansai

Shops mentioned in the pod:
Ide Shouten　井出商店
Marutaka　本家アロチ 丸高 中華そば

Urashima Shokudo　うらしま食堂
Seino　和dining 清乃本店
Marutaka Kobe Branch　丸高中華そば神戸二宮店
Birdman BIRDMAN
Fukumimi 中華そば ふくみみ
Shibata　中華そば しば田
Macchibo　紀州和歌山ラーメン まっち棒溝の口店
Noriya Shokudo　のりや食堂
Yamatame Shokudo　山為食堂
Marumiya　元車庫前まる宮本店

Guest links:
Ramen Pharmacist
Keizo Shimamoto
The Gourmet Bear

On a car ride through Modesto recently, I decided to grab a bowl at Konfucious Eats. I paid my respects to the chef Ernie and lo and behold he is a listener of Ramen Hunter! After staring at his Yamato Richmen Noodle Machine sitting in the restaurant floor, I knew I had to hear his story.

Earnie got some of his friends to join the pod, so we're also blessed with the presence of Ryan from Oniyatai Ramen (Salem, OR) and Alan aka gamer.ramen, an up and coming Ramen creator. Hear their respective Ramen journeys, and how Ernie and Ryan got their hands on their Noodle Machines.

I was blown away by how much all the guys accomplished in such a short time, and their passion for all things Ramen. 

I saw an interesting tweet announcing a new Ramen Noodle company in the San Francisco Bay Area, and I had to investigate. Figured this would be a good time to talk specifically about noodles and give the listeners a taste of how complicated this rabbit hole is.

I enlisted Mike Satinover aka Ramen Lord to help me in our discussion with Shotaro Uchida-san of Iseya Craft Noodle. Uchida-san is gearing up to launch in April this year, and we wanted to hear his story.

Learn about the definitive ingredients that belong in any ramen noodle. Listen to Uchida-san and Ramen Lord discuss the different styles and techniques required. Learn about what equipment is involved. Learn the role of a "Seimenjo" or Noodle Producer in the Japan market.

Here's hoping you leave this episode with a deeper appreciation for the noodles in your bowl.


Ramen Lord
Iseya Craft Noodle

I got hit up by Shawn aka Ramen Fiend asking why I don't do an episode about Ramen Hunters in the US? This Schmoe was at a loss, and asked him to round up some friends to educate me on the Southern California Ramen scene.

Ramen Fiend is joined by Ramen Zac, and Raphael (aka Yolo), and they drop knowledge on the evolution of Ramen in Southern California.

Learn about the first dedicated Ramen shop that started in the 70's, along with the different trends that defined SoCal Ramen through the decades. The fellas share their top three must visit shops in the greater Los Angeles area, with the notable exclusion of Ramen Shack since that should be obvious to any self-respecting hunter.

All in all, a good chance to nerd out on an area I need to visit.


Ramen Fiend
Ramen Zac http://ramenzac.com/
Yolodiabetic

Honored to sit down with Hideyuki Yamashita-san, founder of Yamachan Ramen and a Ramen veteran with over 40 years of experience.

Yamashita-san shares the history of Nagasaki Champon, a style first served in 1907 at a shop called Shikairou. Learn how a chain called Ringer Hut took this style and made it famous across Japan. Hear about Yamashita-san's start in Ringer Hut Japan, and the journey to bring this chain to the US. 

We learn how Yamashita-san pivoted from Ringer Hut to his own brand,  Yamachan Ramen. He also shares details about his wholesale operations that supplies Ramen Shops all across North America. 

A fascinating story that is not to be missed!

*Apologies to Yamashita-san for the audio quality, as I did not get the levels properly adjusted

https://www.yamachanramen.com/

Ringer Hut operations
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kITfTbMyUhg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTjLR9ip-R4

Abram aka Ramen Beast and Cody aka Ramen Guide Japan are back on the pod to discuss another issue of Tokyo Ramen of the Year (TRY) 2021-2022 magazine rankings. 

Before getting into the magazine content, we discuss a recent tweet storm that sent the Tokyo Ramen scene ablaze. What is a Ramen "critic", and what value do they have for shop owners. What happens when critics cross a line?

We also into the new Tokyo Ramen of the Year (TRY) 2021-2022 magazine that dropped on 10/22. What do the fellas think of the rankings? Any controversial omissions? Is it worth your time and effort to visit some of these shops? Hear what Abram and Cody have to say, then come to your own conclusions

https://www.ramenguidejapan.com/
http://www.ramenbeast.com/

Joined by the Frank from 5AM and Brian of Ramen Adventures fame to discuss the Ramen Walker 2022 Tokyo guide. Brian is an annual contributor to the guide, so his input is invaluable.

First we get into recent slurps (1:34). We  discuss an update to the Tokyo Ramen Street in Tokyo Station (9:24). We also touch upon the growing trend of frozen ramen (12:02). I ask the guys their thoughts on the cancellation of the Dai Tsukemen Rahaku Event (17:21).

Brian's kicks off the Ramen Walker 2022 discussion (23:40). We get into the new shops featured (28:00). Later on we get into the various rankings (38:12) such as the Hall of Fame, New Shops, and General Rankings. Learn who made the Ramen Walker lists and feel free to agree or disagree with their choices.

The guys explain other parts of the guide (57:32) including the use of pop idols to highlight different ramen topics. We finish up by discussing how we use the information in the guide to brush up on our shop knowledge and get around town.

Guest Links:
http://www.ramenadventures.com/

https://5amramen.com/
https://www.instantramen.jp

Joined by the Ramen Hunting crew of Noodle Slurp, Ramen Guide Japan, and Nama Japan.  First we discuss recent slurps (1:44). We also get into Nama Japan's story (11:15) and learn about his website and YouTube channel. Later on, Ramen Guide Japan shares some secrets to increasing web traffic and sales on websites (19:49).

We get into the history of Mouko Tanmen Nakamoto (25:11), a Spicy Ramen chain that has a cult following. Noodle Slurp is THE expert in the English speaking world on Mouko Tanmen Nakamoto and he walks us through their story. The guys talk about the charismatic President, Shirane-san (29:40), and describe the bowls (33:10). Cody explains the difference between Tanmen, and Tantanmen (26:41), which some eaters get confused when visiting.

We touch upon Shirane-san's tight control over his Ramen brand (42:11) which includes some legal drama with a franchisee. Noodle Slurp breaks down the limited edition "gentei" bowls for us (46:55), and explains the spiciness levels (51:30). We also discuss the point system and merch you can get (1:01:31). Some customers go to extreme lengths to complete their collections.

Guest Links:
https://www.instagram.com/thenoodleslurp

https://www.ramenguidejapan.com/
https://www.instagram.com/ramenguidejapan/

https://www.namajapan.tv/
https://www.youtube.com/c/NamaJapan

Joined by friends of the pod, Abram Plaut and Keizo Shimamoto!  First we discuss Keizo's new position as Director of Innovation at Myojo Noodle (0:44) Abram also shares updates on MENSHO's activities in the US (9:00). The guys also discuss the new trend in Japan of Ramen Vending Machines with frozen noodle kits (15:13). Will this be a thing??

We get into the background of Kannana (33:40), a 50km road arcing around Tokyo  that is dotted with Ramen shops. This stretch of road heated up in the 80's in 90's, with legendary shops leaving their mark on the Ramen history.

Before jumping into shops on Kannana, we start with Hope Ken Honpo in Kichijoji (39:36), which introduced Tonkotsu Shoyu Ramen to Tokyo. We discuss how shops from the extended tree of Hope Ken Honpo went on to be major players in the Kannana boom. We get into Kannana legends Tosakko, OG Seabura Chacha-kei spot (47:20) and Nandenkanden (56:48). We also discuss present day Kannana and some notable shops (1:08:58).

Guest Links:

https://www.instagram.com/goramen/
https://www.myojousa.com/

http://www.ramenbeast.com/