Thare are many delicious ramen noodle shops at Kagoshima. The competition of those shops has been held since 2015 in order to decide which shop’s noodle is the most delicious. Every shop prepares a special ramen noodle for this championship. This article introduces you how to enjoy the competision and gives you brief introduction of my favorite ramen noodle shops.
CONTENTS
How to Enjoy Championship
You have to buy a ticket to enjoy noodles at the ticket booth. （Door ticket is sold at 700 yen. One ticket is for 1 ramen noodle.)
When you come to the championship place, you can get a guidebook to decide which ramen noodle to eat. （Entrance fee is free of charge.）
Please stand in line of a shop after choosing your favorite ramen noodle. (Popular shop’s line very long and you have to wait for a long time…!）
There are as many as 18 shops!
（I think that shops near the performance stage and tables have more advantages than others.）
When you exchange a tciket and ramen noodle, shop staff gives you a coin to vote.
Please have your noodle in the championship place. If you want to enjoy many kinds of ramen noodles, I recommend you to go there with your family and friends and share noodles. After finishing eating noodles, please bring your tray and chopsticks to eco-station. Before leaving the championship place, choose the best shop for you and vote for it.
The shops are ranked accorfing to the number of coins which they obtained.
Past Ranking Result
Let’s see the result of past championships.
1st Championship in 2015
- Maruchon Ramen (3,622 votes)
- Satsuma Shimuja（2,787 votes)
- Kagoshima Ramen Tontoro（2,500 votes）
2nd Championship in 2016
- Goroya（5,891 votes）
- Maruchon Ramen（4,797 votes)
- Kagoshima Ramen Tontoro（3,668 votes)
- Batten Ramen（3,453 votes）
- Kagoshima Ramen Takeya（2,910)
Maruchon Ramen (Shibushi City)
“Maruchon Ramen” is the champion of the 1st championship in 2015. I had this ramen noodle at the championship and voted for this shop. I took its picture for your reference. Many people were standing in line and I had to wait more than 1 hour before I could finally enjoy this noodle!
Maruchon missed the consequtive champion at the 2nd championship, but it won 2nd prize!
The soup is based on miso (fermented soya bean) and not very oily. Ttaste is relatively plain. It was very cold on the day of the 1st championship and I remember I felt very warm and happy when I had this ramen noodle.
I didn’t find any perticular things about the ramen noodle, but I liked its traditional and simple style. I think that one advantageous thing about the shop is that the shop headquarter is based at Shibushi City and many people in Kagoshima City wanted its ramen because Shibushi City is far from Kagoshima City (more than 2 hours from Kagoshima City).
Kagoshima Ramen Tontoro（Tenmonkan, Kagoshima City）
I voted for this shop at the 2nd championship.
I loved the half boiled egg with soy source flaver. The thick slice of Kagoshima Kurobuta pork is wonderful! Soup is based on pork bones and thick. I remember that many ramen noodles in Fukuoka (north of Kyushu) had the similar taste.
Ramen Kagetsu (Minamikyushu City）
I voted for this shop at the 2nd championship (2016). I was curious about how the taste of Katsuo (English name is skipjack) ramen noodle was. Kagoshima is famous for the production of skpjack.
The taste of the soup is soy-source and plain. I love the ramen noodle generally but sometimes am concerned about oily soup and high calories. But this shipjack soup is very plain and healthy compareted to normal ramen noodles.
I found it interesting to put powdered citrus and peppers on soup after you drink half of it.
In this way, you can enjoy the soup twice. 🙂
Goroya
Goroya won 1st prize at the 2nd ramen noodle championship. The shop is lcated at Yamada-cho (the outskirt of Kagoshima City).
The picture is the Teiban (literally means “regular”) ramen noodle of Goroya. Cabbages are put on Tonkotsu (pork broth) soup on basis of soy source.
I rushed to the Batten ramen and made a brief report!
Batten Ramen
Batten Ramen participated in this ramen battle from 2nd championship (2016). It was first time for the shop to join in the championship, but it won 4th prize!
The main characteristic of Batten ramen is the tremendous amount of green onions on rame noodles. (Picture shows Akamaru ramen noodle of Batten Ramen)
Other Participant Shops of Ramen Noodle Championship
I introduce other favorite shops of ramen noodle shops. Because I go to the following shops so frequently, I didn’t eat their noodles at championship. My wife and I will go to those shops and make reports. So, please look forward to it!
Zabon Ramen
Speaking of Kagoshima’s ramen, I think that Zabon Ramen would spring up in minds of many people in Kagoshima.
My family has come to Zabon Ramen frequently since our childhood.
Ramen Kakinoki
My friend told me about this shop about 10 years ago. This shop is also popular in Kagoshima.
Soup is simple pork broth but taste is relatively thick compared to other shops. I love Kakinoki’s thick pork slice!
Following video shows the atmosphere of the shop.
Bucchomen
Personally I love a ramen noodle of plain salt-soup but many ramen shops of Kagoshima serves oily thick soup of pork brot. On the contrary to those shops, the Bucchomen serves plain soup. My wife and I love the taste of the ramen and often have ramen noodle at Bucchomen.
Stage Events
Various unique events are held at the stage of Championship. When I was having noodles, Kagoshima’s local idle group “southern cross” was on the stage. Many people came to see stage events not only for ramen noodles but also for stage events.
Following video was taken at the 1st championship in 2015.
Ramen Noodle Championship is held at the Dolphin Port. “Kagoshima Food Festival” is also held at the same place. You can enjoy various kinds of Kagoshima local foods and more than 80 kinds of Shochu beverages.
Access to Championship place
Get off a tram at “Izuro” and walk toward Sakurajima 15 minutes.
