Located about a ten minute walk from Ikebukuro station is the legendary Taishoken (大勝軒 ) tsukemen noodle shop.
For those interested, tsukemen (つけめん) is a type of dip ramen. Cold noodles are dipped in warm soup that is highly concentrated. The dish was invented by the late Kazuo Yamagishi in 1961. Why is this important? Taishoken is his restaurant. That's right. These noodles are a piece of Japanese culinary history! Click "Read More" to learn more about my time at the legendary Taishoken!
For 750 yen, one can try morisoba (もりそば). They have an English menu, so it is a completely stress-free journey for beginners at Japanese. Give the workers the ticket and have a seat to taste the delicious tsukemen.
The broth is absolutely fantastic. The only way I can describe it is a combination of everything I find delicious. It is salty, a little sweet, and smoky. The portion size is also huge, which is exactly what Yamagishi-san was going for with his recipe. A documentary about the life of Yamagishi was created in 2013. Many call him the "god of ramen." I would have to agree with them. While I love Bones, the Taishoken is what inspired modern noodle shops to acquire the great portions and amazing flavor they have today. To Chef Kazuo Yamagishi, thank you for your amazing contribution to one of my all-time favorite foods. Travel Channel Asia has a nice (slightly dated) video introducing the Taishoken:
HOW I GOT THERE:
Saitama University: I took the bus to Minami Yono station (南与野駅). Minami Yono Station: The Saikyo line toward Shinjuku at Minami Yono will stop at Ikebukuro station. Ikebukuro station: Walk ten minutes to the Taishoken (enter it in on Google Maps for more precise navigation) MY RATING: The noodles were made fresh, as was the broth. The dish is a part of Japanese culinary history and created what we know today as tsukemen. I rate the overall bowl a 10/10 and advise everyone who enjoys Japanese noodles to pay their respects at this shop. とてもおいしい!
1 Comment
Ann Marie Park
6/6/2017 12:00:32 pm
YUMMMMMMMM.............
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AuthorI am a student from the University of Nebraska at Kearney who studied abroad at Saitama University in Japan. I want to share my experience to inform future students about the program. Archives
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