There’s nothing quite like a bowl of piping hot ramen to warm oneself up on a cold winter’s night. However, there are some ramen styles better built for winter than others.
These 3 Japanese regional ramen are exactly that – deliciously perfect for winter!
Hearty Miso Ramen in Sapporo, Hokkaido
Sapporo is the largest city in Hokkaido, Japan’s northernmost island. Every winter, it’s buried in deep snow. Perhaps these were the perfect weather conditions to create miso ramen. This filling ramen style was born in the 1950s at a little ramen shop called Aji no Sanpei. They’re still around today!
The miso ramen they serve is relatively mellow in flavor. Many Sapporo shops nowadays serve a heavier bowl, with richness coming from more pork bones or pork lard. But regardless of the shop, you’re bound to see certain miso ramen trademarks.
This includes a beautiful miso seasoning, a relatively rich soup, stir-fried vegetables, and thick / wavy noodles. Does that not sound like ramen designed for winter?
Places to grab Miso Ramen in Sapporo: Aji no Sanpei, Keyaki, Ame wa Yasashiku, Junren
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Spicy Tantanmen in Tokyo
Tantanmen is derived from dan dan noodles, a dish originally from Sichuan province, China. Let’s just say that Sichuan is all about spicy food… this includes dan dan noodles.
But Tokyo’s take on this dish is less spicy. Spiciness from chili oil is often paired with sesame paste in Tokyo style tantanmen. This gives the soup a smoother and milder flavor. Ramen shop Nakiryu is considered by many Tokyoites to be the pinnacle of Tokyo tantanmen. Maybe they’re right – Nakiryu even has a Michelin star!
But today you also have Tokyo shops recreating classic, spicier tantanmen. Just like the original Sichuan versions, they include numbing pepper (sansho) – which leave a tingly sensation in your mouth.
In summary, tantanmen is an explosion of flavors that’s hard to forget. This is especially the case when it’s cold outside.
Places to grab Tantanmen in Tokyo: Nakiryu, Kisurin, Gold Scorpion, La Show Han
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Punchy Soy Sauce Ramen in Asahikawa, Hokkaido
Our final, winter beating ramen style is again from Hokkaido. But we’re going even further North – to Asahikawa City. This city is even colder than Sapporo, with temperatures hitting as low as -25 during January and February.
Asahikawa Shoyu Ramen – this ramen style started in the 1940s at a ramen shop called Aoba. Today, each Asahikawa ramen shop does their bowl a little differently. Aoba, for example, prepares a relatively light soup. Hachiya, on the other hand, serves a soup topped off with burnt pork lard.
But you can be sure of several commonalities in Asahikawa ramen – a relatively bold soy sauce (shoyu) seasoning, a soup that usually includes fish and a thick layer of pork grease. This grease is a tasty way to trap heat in the soup. Think of it as clever ramen engineering in the winter!
Places to grab Shoyu Ramen in Asahikawa: Aoba, Hachiya, Tenkin, Tsuruya
