Kujira Shokudo / くじら食堂 - Higashi-Koganei

Kujira Shokudo (くじら食堂) is an offshoot of the famous Shokudo Shichisai (食堂七彩), an absolute ramen institution. As such, you will find many similarities between the two shops, with the main feature being their thick and wavy hand massaged temomi ramen noodles.

Front of Kujira Shokudo — *Frontside of Kujira Shokudo*

You can find Kujira Shokudo right under Higashi-Koganei station, which is just a roughly 20 minute train ride with the Chuo Line away from Shinjuku station. There is also a second location called Kujira Bazar just one station over at Mitaka station, however their whole concept seems to be a bit different and their menu more limited, so you really want to go to Kujira Shokudo for the best experience.

Kujira Shokudo Vending Machine — *The full menu of Kujira Shokudo - quite extensive!*

I went for their shoyu ramen, event though their menu is quite extensive, with all kinds of seasonings and forms of ramen being available, including some special time limited items. However, since it was my first time, I went for their classic. The soup of the shoyu ramen is quite light and delicate, definitely not very punching, but rather on the refined side.

Tokusei shoyu ramen (特性正油) at Kujira Shokudo

The chashu wants to fall apart when you pick it up, but has just enough remaining consistency to stay in one piece until you take you bites. Consistency definitely on point, flavor wise also on the mild side though. The eggs are well executed, nothing to complain. If you aren't too happy with the mild flavors of your bowl, there is a wide variety of condiments available on the counter to modify your bowl.

*An amazing piece of pork chashu at Kujira Shokudo*

The big star of every Kujira Shokudo bowl are the hand massaged noodles, so called temomi ramen noodles. You can actually see the staff hand massage every single portion for quite a while with considerable force. The result are extraordinary noodles which alone make the trip worth your while. Thick and thin at the same time, they are a joy to slurp and chew. I will definitely go back to Kujira Shokudo for these massaged ramen noodles, even though the shop is a bit out of the way for me.