Tokyo Ramen Street: Which Shop Is Worth the Queue?

One Corridor, Ten Styles

The official guide's idea is simple: so many kinds of ramen in one place that you could wander the street for a week without running out of options. On one floor you find tsukemen, miso, shoyu, shio, tonkotsu, iekei, seafood tonkotsu, a fish broth with chicken and an Aomori dried sardine broth. One of the ten slots is a limited-time guest shop, so the line-up rotates.

JNTO describes Tokyo's classic bowl as is a dark shoyu on a pork bone or chicken base. For that Tokyo bowl, Soranoiro Nippon is the shoyu shop here. Hanamichian covers miso, Shio Ramen Senmon Hirugao shio and Tonkotsu Ramen Oreshiki Jun tonkotsu.

Every Way In

The address is First Avenue Tokyo Station B1, 1-9-1 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo. The table compares the three ways in, from the mall's own directions and the Chiyoda City tourism page.

Next Door and Late Arrivals

Tokyo Character Street, another themed shopping area, is next door, so a souvenir stop fits the same walk. On a late train, check the last orders in the shop table below before you queue.

All Ten Shops at a Glance

The table lists the ten shops First Avenue Tokyo Station names on its B1 floor, with each shop's style from the Tokyo Ramen Street official guide and its hours and last orders from the mall's shop pages.

If You Want a Michelin-Listed Bowl

Two shops carry a Michelin Guide listing in the official guide. Hanamichian was selected by the Michelin Guide Tokyo two years running for its miso ramen. Soranoiro Nippon is the Michelin-listed shoyu shop, and its shoyu ramen uses Amakusa Daio, which the official guide calls Japan's largest local breed of chicken.

Both suit a morning train: Hanamichian opens at 8:00, Soranoiro Nippon at 9:00.

If You Want a Bowl From Outside Tokyo

Tsugaruniboshi Hirakoya comes from Aomori, and Tokyo Station is its first restaurant outside its home prefecture. Its soup uses four types of dried sardines cooked in three stages. It opens at 10:30 and takes last orders at 22:00.

Shokudo Hasegawa, from Kitakata City in Fukushima Prefecture, holds the limited-time guest slot, open 11:00-22:30. The slot rotates, so check the official guide before planning around it.

If You Want Pork Bone or Seafood

Tonkotsu Ramen Oreshiki Jun cooks its pork bone soup for 24 hours straight and lets you pick noodle firmness from super hard to soft. Kakushinka TOKYO serves iekei. Tokyoeki Ikaruga brings seafood into tonkotsu, and Tokyo Niboshi Ramen Gyoku pairs fish broth with chicken.

Shio Ramen Senmon Hirugao builds its shio on chicken, kelp, scallops, dried sardines and vegetables with yuzu peel.

Rokurinsha's Two Sittings

Rokurinsha splits its day into a morning sitting and a day-and-night sitting, with a short break between them. The times come from First Avenue Tokyo Station's shop page.

How to Fit It Into a Ramen Day

The morning sitting is the only window on the street before 8:00. Buy the ticket, eat and give the seat back: JNTO notes ramen shops are not places to linger, especially when people are lined up outside.

If Rokurinsha's line does not fit your train, Hanamichian, Kakushinka TOKYO and Tonkotsu Ramen Oreshiki Jun open at 8:00 on the same floor.

Early and Late Cut-Offs

Five shops serve before the street opens at 10:30, led by Rokurinsha at 7:30. Shokudo Hasegawa is the last to open, at 11:00. At night, order by 22:00 to keep all ten shops open to you, or by 22:30 for eight of them.

Order the Dishes Sold as Vegan

JNTO warns that dishes without visible meat or fish often hide meat or bonito flakes, so asking for a vegetarian meal may not be enough in Japan. Order the dishes Soranoiro Nippon sells as vegan or gluten-free rather than asking another shop to adapt its bowl. The other nine build on pork, chicken or fish.

Ramen Tours for Vegans

The Ramen Tasting Tour with 6 Mini Bowls ($119 per person, plus a train ticket on the Shinjuku route only) uses broths with chicken, pork and fish. The Tokyo Night Ramen Crawl ($88 per person, train fare not included) is not sold as vegan-suitable. Its first shop can serve vegan and gluten-free ramen, and at the second, vegans get a rice dish instead.

To make a vegan bowl yourself, Small-Group Ramen & Gyoza Cooking with Tokyo Mom (Vegan OK) costs $130 per person for 2.5 hours. Vegan options are on request at booking, and transport to the kitchen is not included.

The Ticket Machine in Four Steps

Decide your order before you reach the machine, then:

• Insert your money.
• Press the button for your ramen and any sides.
• Take your change.
• Hand the printed ticket to the staff.

Payment and Manners

Barcode and QR payment cannot be used at Tokyo Ramen Street, so a QR app will not cover the bill. Have yen ready for the machine. Slurping noodles is not rude in Japan, but lingering is: do not stay long after you finish, especially with people lined up outside.

A Private Tasting From Tokyo Station

The Private Ramen Tasting Tour, 2 Bowls runs 2 hours with a local guide and two full bowls at ramen shops the guide selects. Pick the Tokyo Station option at booking, or Shinjuku, Asakusa or Ikebukuro. Transport to the meeting point, extra food and drinks and personal expenses are not included.

Free cancellation runs up to 24 hours before.

More Bowls in Another Neighborhood

For range, the Ramen Tasting Tour with 6 Mini Bowls serves 6 mini bowls at 3 shops in 3 hours on a Shibuya, Shinjuku or Ueno route. It costs $119 per person, plus a train ticket on the Shinjuku route only. Every guided option sits side by side on the Tokyo ramen tours comparison.