Did you know that Hokkaido is the birthplace of Japanese ramen? Amp up your knowledge with this ultimate Hokkaido ramen guide! You’ll learn about the major types of Hokkaido ramen as well as other unique local ramen. Take your chopsticks, and let’s dig in!
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Big 4 - Sapporo, Asahikawa, Kushiro, Hakodate
Origin of Ramen
Hakodate in Hokkaido is said to be where the first ramen originated in Japan. There were many Chinese people living in Hakodate after the Hakodate port had opened. One of them started a Chinese restaurant and served a Chinese soup noodle, which eventually evolved into ramen today, for the first time in Japan. Ever since then, ramen has been modified to what it is now in Japanese style and become one of the most popular Japanese food around the world!
Hokkaido Ramen
Hokkaido is the best place for ramen lovers. There are nearly 2,000 ramen shops in Hokkaido, which is the highest number after 3,300 in Tokyo (whose population is 2.5 times bigger than Hokkaido!). Hokkaido people love having ramen, especially in cold winter to keep the warmth, which revolved into a huge ramen culture. There are Big 4 of Hokkaido Ramen - Sapporo miso ramen, Asahikawa shoyu ramen, Kushiro shoyu ramen, and Hakodate shio ramen. From here, you will explore each of them.
Sapporo Miso Ramen
Sapporo is the birthplace of miso ramen. Back in 1955, an owner of a local ramen restaurant tried putting miso into ramen, inspired by miso soup. Then boom, it became a huge hit. Today, a number of shops in Sapporo are specialized in miso ramen. Thick, wavy egg noodles are often used to match the nutty, sweet flavor of miso.
In addition to regular ramen toppings such as roasted pork slices (char siu) and bamboo shoots, many shops in Sapporo offer different kinds of toppings - for example, butter, corn, seafood, and beansprouts. Try whatever you feel like, and find your best combination! My absolute favorite is a piece of butter, adding nice creaminess to the soup.
Popular Ramen Brands in Sapporo
Ramen Shingen - Long-loved by locals. Be prepared for a long line. Their miso ramen and fried rice is the best combo.
Sumire - The classic of Sapporo miso ramen, quite famous across Japan.
Saimi - Their signature miso ramen has a lighter taste with a refreshing kick of ground ginger.
Keyaki - Dedicated to miso ramen, serving no other flavors. Light and tasty with veggie toppings and clear soup cooked for over 10 hours.
Ramen Street in Sapporo
Photo: Sapporo Plus
Ramen Street (“Ramen Yokocho” in Japanese) is located in Susukino, one of the busiest night-out areas in Sapporo with many restaurants and bars. This little street started with 8 local ramen restaurants over 70 years ago, and now is home to 17 ramen shops, making it a popular tourist destination in Sapporo. It has a nostalgic feel of the good old times. Make sure to stop by if you are around!
Ramen DoJo at Chitose Airport
Photo: New Chitose Airport
Flying in or out at New Chitose Airport? Then make sure to check out Ramen Dojo on the third floor of the Domestic Flights Terminal Building. This is a fun place to spend time until your flight, where you can find 10 popular shops in Hokkaido. They are not only from Sapporo, but also from Asahikawa, Hakodate, and others. Don’t miss out on a chance to try different flavors!
Where to stay in Sapporo
- JR Tower Hotel Nikko Sapporo
⭐4 stars ♨️Hot spring 🏢Excellent Location
An urban city hotel with a great location directly connected to JR Sapporo station, shopping malls nearby, and a natural hot spring spa. Only 10 min walk to Odori Park. - ONSEN RYOKAN Yuen Sapporo
⭐3.5 stars 👩❤️👨For Couple ♨️Hot spring
A modern onsen city hotel with simple and stylish rooms, located just 5 min away from Odori Park. - Mercure Hotel Sapporo
⭐4 stars 🏢Excellent Location 👟Fitness Room
A city hotel conveniently located in Susukino, a popular spot for local restaurants and bars.
Asahikawa Shoyu Ramen
Shoyu (soy sauce) ramen is the favorite ramen among Japanese people! Asahikawa is especially famous for its shoyu ramen. Not as heavy as Sapporo miso ramen, Asahikawa ramen is nice and simple with soy sauce-based soup and medium-thick, wavy noodles.
Many ramen shops in Asahikawa tend to use a mix of seafood, pork, chicken, and vegetable broths to add the complexity of flavors. Another unique thing about Asahikawa ramen is adding lard to the soup. A layer of oil covers the entire surface of the soup, which keeps the temperature of the bowl hot. Winter in Asahikawa could get to as cold as -30 degrees - lard is a key ingredient to adapt to the harsh winter there.
Popular Ramen Brands in Asahikawa
Ramen Aoba - Long-established in 1947. The soup has mild soy sauce and seafood flavors, cooked over a day.
Hachiya - Rich and strong flavor with a special topping of burnt pork fat and dried bonito flakes. The broth is a mixture of tonkotsu (pork bone) and different kinds of fish, using mineral-rich underground water.
Tenkin - Rich tonkotsu-based shoyu ramen in traditional style with simple toppings to fully enjoy the taste of the soup and noodles.
Asahikawa Ramen Village
Photo: Asahikawa Ramen Village
8 local ramen brands gather in Asahikawa Ramen Village (“Ramen Mura” in Japanese). Here you can try Ramen Aoba and Tenkin, two of the popular ramen brands mentioned earlier. The village is open from 11 am to 8 pm.
Where to stay in Asahikawa
- HOTEL AMANEK Asahikawa
⭐4 stars ✨Modern Design 🏢Excellent Location
A newly-built modern hotel located 5 min walk from JR Asahikawa offering a public bath with a view - Dormy Inn Asahikawa
⭐3 stars ♨️Hot Spring 🍴Great Breakfast
A city hotel located 10 min walk from JR Asahikawa, with a natural hot spring and great breakfast buffet
Kushiro Shoyu Ramen
Kushiro shoyu ramen gained its fame nationwide later than the other three major areas. Since Kushiro ramen does not use any additives or preservatives in its noodles, it was difficult to expand its reach outside of Kushiro back in the time. However now, it’s proudly one of the biggest Hokkaido ramen destinations.
Kushiro ramen is defined as using simple, light soy sauce soup and thin wavy noodles. With the mild flavor and quality ingredients, you will never get tired of it.
Popular Ramen Brands in Kushiro
Uocchi (魚一) - Been listed on MICHELIN Guide Hokkaido. Their signature ramen is using homemade fish sauce from saury. Many other seafood-flavored menus available.
Kawamura - A classic shoyu ramen with a mild soy sauce taste, using special broth made with seafood and onions.
Maruhira - Extra thin and wavy noodles and light, clear soup with a rich bonito flavor. Always crowded.
Where to stay in Kushiro
- ANA Crowne Plaza Hotel Kushiro
⭐3 stars 🏢Excellent Location ✨Modern Design
Conveniently located near JR Kushiro Station, offering great guest services and a breakfast buffet using fresh local ingredients. - Comfort Hotel Kushiro
⭐3 stars 🍴Free Breakfast 🏢Excellent Location
A modern city hotel just a 2-min walk away from JR Kushiro Station
Hakodate Shio Ramen
Hakodate’s signature ramen is shio (salt) ramen. It has a lighter taste than miso and shoyu ramens, but is no less than flavorful. It uses clear mild soup made with pork and chicken broth as a base, adding a salt-based sauce. Noodles are from medium thickness to thin, and less wavy than the other three cities mentioned earlier.
Shio ramen is actually my favorite - the flavor is simple but deep. Since the soup is not strongly seasoned, it allows you to enjoy the pure taste of broth and toppings better.
Popular Ramen Brands in Hakodate
Ajisai - Established over 80 years ago, famous across Japan. Rich clear soup using Hokkaido kelp, pork and chicken, with a hint of ginger.
Horan - Most loved by locals, light and mild classic soup. Add their popular siu mai dumplings to the side!
Jiyoken - Simple, mild shio ramen with homemade noodles. Recommended to pair it with gyoza or fried rice. Gets full as soon as the shop opens.
Where to stay in Hakodate
- Century Marina
⭐4 stars, ♨️Hot Spring,🍴Great Breakfast
A high-end hotel with an infinity outdoor onsen and a high-quality breakfast buffet. Great access to the major tourist attractions in the town. - Hakodate Kokusai Hotel
⭐4 stars, 🍴Great Breakfast, ✨Modern Design
A mid-range hotel with onsen and seafood breakfast buffet - Tokyu Stay
⭐3 stars, 🏢Excellent Location, ♨️Hot Spring
All rooms have a laundry machine & microwave, offer a breakfast ticket for the morning market
5 Unique Local Ramens You Should Try
Don’t stop only with the Big 4! There are many interesting flavors across Hokkaido. Here are 5 unique ramens you don’t want to miss out on.
Clam Ramen in Kitami
Men-ya Nanashigure in Kitami in Eastern Hokkaido offers delicious ramen using clams from Abashiri, which is a port town nearby along the Okhotsk sea. The soup is super clear, mild and smooth, but packed with the clam flavor. This is the locals’ go-to quick meal after drinking, as it’s easy on the stomach.
Another signature menu here is onion miso ramen. It comes with different kinds of onion toppings - chopped, deepfried, and calamerized onion!
Shrimp Ramen in Sapporo
Photo: Ebisoba Ichigen
One of the most popular ramen restaurants in Sapporo, Ebisoba Ichigen makes an incredibly rich soup using shrimp. The broth is made with tons of shrimp slowly cooked for many hours, creating a very distinct and intense flavor. In addition to that, shrimp-flavored tempura butter crumbles and grilled shrimp shell powder that come as toppings add extra layers of flavor to the bowl.
Ebisoba Ichigen has a branch in Ramen Dojo at New Chitose Airport. If you love shrimp, this is a must-eat!
Curry Ramen in Muroran
Photo: Muroran Kanko
Curry ramen is a thing in Muroran in southern Hokkaido. As Muroran is one of the biggest industrial cities in Hokkaido, the rich and strong taste of curry ramen has been popular among many blue-collar workers. You can find this curry ramen at more than 50 shops, which accounts for 60% of the ramen restaurants in Muroran. The soup is not as thick as the curry sauce you would usually have with rice - it’s a mixture of broth and curry paste.
The first curry ramen in Muroran was made by Ajino Daio. They use chewy homemade noodles that perfectly match the spicy, flavorful soup. Don’t forget to put rice into the soup at the end.
Seafood Shoyu Ramen in Teshikaga
Photo: Teshikaga Ramen
Teshikaga is a small town in Eastern Hokkaido, blessed with rich nature including Lake Kussharo and Lake Mashu. A local restaurant, Teshikaga Raman is famous for its signature shoyu ramen packed with seafood flavors.
The dashi is made from scallops from the Okhotsk region and other kinds of seafood, together with the triple amount of pork bone that is usually used for average ramen. The pork bone is cooked on low heat for 20 hours to extract all the umami. A secret ingredient? They use underground water coming from Lake Mashu.
They also have an interesting ramen with deer meat cha siu. Would you try it? There are a few branches in Sapporo as well.
Instant Crab Ramen - Never Underestimate Instant Noodles!
Photo: Tsurara
This packaged instant crab ramen is a hidden gem. It’s a flavor bomb. Powdered crab is used in the soup as well as kneaded in noodles, boosting the rich crab flavor. This is actually perfect as a souvenir to bring back home a little bit of Hokkaido taste. One pack costs less than 300 yen ($2).
This specific instant ramen is produced in Yubetsu in Eastern Hokkaido, but is widely available at shops across Hokkaido. There are also other instant noodle brands that make not only crab but also other fun flavors, such as kelp and squid ink. Many of them are only available in Hokkaido, so make sure to try them there!
