Yokohama Ramen Toraibu / 横浜らーめん渡来武 - Jiyugaoka

Yokohama Ramen Toraibu (横浜らーめん渡来武) is an iekei style tonkotsu-shoyu ramen shop. That means, the soup served here is in essence a mix of Hakata style tonkotsu and Tokyo style chicken shoyu ramen. This type of ramen was invented at the famous Yoshimuraya in Yokohama in the 1970s and has since then spread all over Japan, with a still strong base in Kanagawa and Tokyo. Toraibu itself draws its roots from another famous iekei ramen franchise called Musashiya (武蔵家), of which dozens of shops can be found all over Tokyo.

*An overview of the tons of topping options at Toraibu. Everyone will have their own favorite!*

The ramen at Toraibu is a thick and slightly funky tonkotsu soup, which does not have the "clean" tonkotsu taste that some white Hakata tonkotsu places aim for. But it is also not on the same level as places like Torakichiya, which turn the pork funk up to eleven. The soup is combined with a strong soy sauce seasoning and a healthy helping of chiyu chicken fat. The noodles are relatively thin for iekei style noodles, but have their typical short length.

*Noodle pull at Yokohama Ramen Toraibu.*

Toppings include great pork chashu, which is less fatty than the pork belly people have come to expect and works really well with the already quite rich soup. Spinach is also a very typical iekei ramen topping and helps to break the richness of the bowl somewhat. Lots of nori leaves are also a must with this style of ramen, which can be soaked in the soup and then eaten as is, wrapped around some noodles or eaten together with the rice on the side.

*Free rice with iekei tonkotsu ramen is a must get.*

The rice on the side is free and a must get, when you are eating iekei ramen. There is not really a wrong way to eat the rice with the soup, eating it spoon by spoon with some soup or just dumping it into the soup bowl at the end, anything goes.

*Do you have preference? Modify your bowl when handing over the ticket.*

Like at most iekei ramen shops, Toraibu offers several ways to modify your ramen to your liking. First, you can choose the firmness of your noodles, from soft to hard (al dente). Second, you can choose if you want less or more chicken fat added, which creates a nice fragrant layer on top of the ramen. Lastly, you can decide if you want less or more tare seasoning, which dictates how salty and aromatic your ramen will be. Of course, there is a "normal" option for all these as well. The modification of the ramen has to be announced at the time of handing in the ticket which you received from the ticket vending machine. Beyond this, you can further modify your bowl with a variety of condiments which can be found on the counter. My personal recommendation is to add a good heap of garlic to your bowl after you are around half into it.

Toraibu currently has 3 locations along the popular Toyoko line, which connects central Tokyo, including Shibuya, with Yokohama. All 3 shops are basically right outside of their stations and therefore really easy access for all hungry travelers.