[Special]“Reliable Ramen Shops” in Ota City, a True Hotspot for Ramen Introduced by Area (Vol. 2)

The combination of the tasty and spicy mapo and the sweet vegetables is exquisite!


Miso mapo noodles
Noodles: medium-thickness noodles, straight, original composition
Sauce: miso sauce with an exclusive composition
Broth: chicken bones, pork feet
Toppings: mapo tofu/vegetable stir fry (cabbage, Chinese cabbage, Chinese chive, garlic sprout, cloud ear, onion, green onion, pork belly)

Umakara Tanmen Arakiya takes tanmen with a miso base and plenty of vegetables, then puts delicious and spicy mapo tofu on top of it, creating their signature dish: Miso mapo noodles

It’s been a while since the super-spicy trend arrived in the ramen world, but Arakiya’s dishes are actually a bit different than standard spicy stuff. First, the high quality of the mapo tofu shines since it could be a dish by itself, almost seeming to prioritize the mapo-style umami over spicy flavor. In fact, since regulars often order set dishes that include extra mapo or a small mapo-don, you can see how well Arakiya’s mapo is loved.

They’re also particular about the noodles and vegetables. Although putting mapo paste on top of sizzling tanmen keeps it from getting cold, the shop knows that can make it take a long time for some people to eat, so they carefully compose the noodles so that they have a firm texture and don’t get soft easily.

And because the vegetables are stir-fried one serving at a time after the order is placed, they’re nice and crispy! Since the sweetness of the fresh vegetables joins the spiciness, people who have trouble with spice can surely also enjoy it. Since it offers a sizable serving of vegetables, women also love it!

A word from the shopkeeper!

“We adjust the spiciness to match each menu item, so whether you love spiciness or not, I think you’ll be able to find a bowl you’ll enjoy. Also, I’d recommend the tire-shaped chashu as a topping.
We make our ramen every day with the hope that we can bring a smile to the faces of our customers. We’re waiting for you!”
(Mr. Masaharu Araki, Shopkeeper, and his wife, Konomi)

Shop Information

The “ushio” (tide) rises with the umami of scallops and shiitake

Ushio ramen
Noodles: thin noodles, straight
Sauce: salt from kombu and shiitake
Broth: raw scallops, shiitake
Toppings: scallops/seaweed/chashu/fried shiitake/green onion

The concept of Menba voyage was built around having a deep focus on the ocean. With one look at (taste of?) the scallop and mushroom ushio ramen—the most popular dish, you’ll understand. The broth gives off the pleasant fragrance of the beach and has the special umami of seafood melted into it. And it matches very well with the firm, thin noodles, which are boiled to just the right stiffness, giving it a texture similar to somen or hiyamugi noodles.

The secret to that full umami lies within the scallops and shiitake used in both the dashi and the toppings. It doesn’t even need to be said that scallops have especially high umami content even among shellfish, and shiitake has uncommonly rich levels of umami among things that grow in the forest. The saltiness is there precisely because these two delicate umami types can be tasted.


The exclusive oil used as a hidden flavor is made from two oils: also coming from the raw scallops and from the mushrooms. For toppings, there are scallops with dried seaweed, shiitake deep fried without batter, and grilled chicken —a selection of ingredients that preserves the salty flavor. We hear that the scallop-shaped wafer crust originates from a specialty dish from the shopkeeper’s hometown, Kanazawa.

Incidentally, we hear it may be a good idea to put rice in the broth in the “ochazuke” style. That seems sure to work well! The flavor of the ocean itself, packed into one bowl!

A word from the shopkeeper!

“The origin of this flavor was meeting fishermen from Ishimaki after the earthquake and re-recognizing the wonderfulness of ocean ingredients.

We also serve limited-run ramen irregularly but frequently, and the a la carte menu is also packed. Some of our regulars don’t even eat ramen (laughs). We put menu information on social media so please take a look and come visit anytime! (Mr. Kaibara, Shopkeeper)

Shop Information