Sumire Yokohama Shop / すみれ横浜店 - Yokohama

Sumire (すみれ) is one of the legendary miso ramen shops in Japan. At home in Sapporo on the northernmost Japanese island of Hokkaido, it embodies everything that makes Sapporo style miso ramen famous all over Japan. The Yokohama location was opened in 2019, after their stint in the Yokohama ramen museum came to an end. This shop has become a magnet for miso ramen fans in Yokohama and Tokyo, providing one of the few truly great miso ramen in Kanto.

The shop location itself is right within Yokohama’s famous entertainment district “Sakuragicho” and can be accessed via the JR Sakuragicho Station. Make sure to grab a drink in the area after you have finished your bowl of miso ramen at Sumire!

There are a few things at Sumire which make it really stand out and a typical Sapporo style miso ramen place. The first thing everyone notices is the peculiar amount of fat that is swimming on top of the bowl of ramen. The visible fat is actually lard, which is a main characteristic of this type of miso ramen. Also known as fat cap, it prevents the bowl of ramen from cooling down quickly, so make sure to blow on those noodles even if you are half way in. Many mouths have been burned due to underestimating the remaining heat of a miso ramen bowl in Hokkaido. The lard also contributes to the overall heaviness of the bowl, which works very well with the strong aroma of the miso.

The other main feature of Sapporo miso ramen are the wavy and curly noodles, which have a quite unique yellow color. This color, depending on the ramen shop, was originally added via egg yolk. These days, other additives are sometimes used, since egg yolk is a quite difficult ingredient in ramen noodles.

The creation of the addicting miso ramen soup at Sumire involves finishing the soup in a wok, together with lard and sprouts. This gives the soup a slightly burnt and almost bbq-ish aroma, which is unique to this type of wok-finished ramen.

Sumire is not only known for their ramen shops. They have made a name for themselves with probably one of the best, if not the best instant ramen in Japan. If you are curious, you can find them in every 7-11 convenience store all over Japan during your visit in Japan. If you want to try them at home, you can order the Sumire instant ramen at Instantramenshop.com.