Yakumo / 八雲 - Nakameguro

Yakumo is one of the top shoyu ramen shops in Tokyo, confirmed year after year by landing top spots in every ramen ranking out there. Many name it the best shoyu ramen in Tokyo and it is easy to see why.

Yakumo strips shoyu ramen down to its core. A rich and well balanced broth and two choices of shoyu, a light shoyu soup and a dark shoyu soup. The light shoyu ramen almost looks like a shio ramen, but has the distinct shoyu flavor in the background. Admittedly though, it is much lighter in flavor and punch than many other shoyu ramen out there. On the other hand, the broth base flavors come through much better.

The dark shoyu ramen bowl is more pronounced in the shoyu profile, but still delicate. I am personally a big fan of the blend of soy sauces they use here, since it is really difficult to pin down and just feels so balanced.

The noodles are thin and very slurpy with a mild profile and match perfectly with the broth. Toppings include great chashu, delicate crunchy menma, some mild green onions, a leaf of nori and wantan. Wantan are offered with both pork and shrimp fillings, which are both absolutely top notch and should not be missed. Definitely get a bowl with both as topping.

Yakumo is really easy to reach from Shibuya, either via Den-en-toshi line to Ikejiri-ohashi station or via Toyoko line to Nakameguro. It can easily be said that Yakumo has the best shoyu ramen that is quickly reachable from Shibuya station. Other competitors for that title are found in different corners of Tokyo.