Tohoku Ramen Yatai Village: A variety of ramen, from thick to light! A thorough analysis of the 6 most popular ramen shops in the Tohoku area, selected by ramen girls!

• Table of Contents
• The music festival "LIVE AZUMA2024" is coming soon! Keep an eye out for Tohoku Ramen Yatai Village!
• Access to Fukushima Azuma Comprehensive Athletic Park
• Sightseeing in Fukushima
• Six strong competitors gather at this year's ramen area "Tohoku Ramen Yatai Village"
• Ordering Method and Manners

The music festival "LIVE AZUMA2024" is coming soon! Keep an eye out for Tohoku Ramen Yatai Village!

A special stage is about to begin at LIVE AZUMA! 2024 , where popular artists gather every year. Alongside the stage, six popular ramen shops from Tohoku will be lined up as part of the Tohoku Ramen Stall Village . From ramen with thick soup to simple salt and soy sauce ramen, they will be featured as one-of-a-kind ramen with special touches made just for this event! In addition, ramen for those who want something spicy will also be participating. The "pleasure of slurping ramen while listening to music" is also a unique attraction of this event.

Access to Fukushima Azuma Comprehensive Athletic Park

◆ When using public transportation
From JR Fukushima Station East Exit Bus Stop No. 7, take the bus bound for "Sawara Shiki no Sato" for about 30 minutes and get off at the bus stop "Azuma General Gymnasium" (from Fukushima Station: 660 yen for adults/320 yen for children) or "Azuma Athletics Stadium" (from Fukushima Station: 660 yen for adults/330 yen for children)

From Tokyo or Sendai, take the Tohoku Expressway, exit at Fukushima Nishi IC and head towards Tsuchiyu on National Route 115. Turn right at the intersection in front of Minami Tohoku Fukushima Hospital in Arai, continue along Fruit Line (Prefectural Route 5), and you will soon see the entrance to our garden on your left.

From the direction of Yonezawa: Approximately 15 minutes by car from the Fukushima Osao IC on the Tohoku Chuo Expressway. From the Fukushima Osao IC, take the Fruit Line (Prefectural Route 5) towards National Route 115 and Tsuchiyu Onsen, and after a while you will see the entrance to our garden on your right.

From the direction of Inawashiro/Tsuchiyu, take National Route 115. It is about a 5-minute drive from the Fukushima Arai Seven-Eleven intersection in Arai, Fukushima City. Turn left at the Fukushima Arai Seven-Eleven intersection in Arai, Fukushima City, and follow the road until you see our garden on your right.

◆From JR Fukushima Station
About 20 minutes by car from JR Fukushima Station From the west exit of JR Fukushima Station, take Prefectural Route 70 towards Tsuchiyu and Takayu Onsen, turn left onto Fruit Line (Prefectural Route 5), and after a while you will see the entrance to our garden on your right.

Sightseeing in Fukushima

If you've come all the way to Fukushima, we recommend a trip to the Bandai Azuma Skyline, where you can stretch your legs and enjoy a drive while taking in the spectacular views. This large-scale mountain road is unlike anything else in Japan and has been selected as one of the 100 best roads in Japan. Why not take a trip to a scenic spot where you can feel the changing of the seasons while eating ramen and taking a drive?

View from Bandai Azuma Skyline, Makutaki Falls with autumn leaves, Azuma Fuji, Goshiki-numa. Photos provided by Fukushima Prefecture Tourism and Products Association.

Six strong competitors gather at this year's ramen area "Tohoku Ramen Yatai Village"

UENDE/Aizu Mountain Salt Ramen (Aizuwakamatsu City, Fukushima Prefecture)

UENDE, a famous restaurant founded in 1972, is famous for its salt ramen, which uses Aizu mountain salt, a local specialty of Aizu, Fukushima Prefecture. This Yamashio is made from the Oshio Urabandai hot spring waters of Mt. Bandai, and the soup is characterized by its sweetness and clarity. The simple yet deep flavor, combined with the matured, high-hydration noodles popular in Aizu and Kitakata, is loved by ramen fans. The soup, which is made with only pork, chicken, kelp, and scallops, is a bowl that has been carefully designed to be minimalist to the bare minimum. If you come to Fukushima, start with the local ramen♪

[Message from the owner, Kazuyuki Sato]
UENDE was founded in 1972 and is celebrating its 53rd year this year. I took over as the third generation owner seven years ago, and while cherishing the taste that my grandparents had preserved, I have been pursuing new flavors. I believe that by developing products using local Aizu specialties, we can make local producers happy and local customers can rediscover the greatness of the specialties. We also want to convey the charm of Aizu to tourists. In Aizu/Kitakata, where soy sauce ramen is mainstream, we decided to focus on Aizu Mountain Salt and developed this Aizu Mountain Salt Ramen with the desire to provide a bowl of ramen that is not eccentric and timeless. We aim to create a taste that will be loved by many people. If you come to Fukushima Prefecture, please try UENDE's Aizu Mountain Salt Ramen. We would like to work hard to make it a local ramen.

MEN-YA KESHIN/Thick Pork and Shrimp Ramen (Fukushima City, Fukushima Prefecture)

MEN-YA KESHIN is a popular restaurant that is making its first appearance in the ramen area at LIVEAZUMA, known for its rich soup. They are particularly proud of their super rich shrimp ramen, which combines pork bones and seafood in a 9:1 ratio, and the soup is thick like potage. They make four days' worth of soup at once, using 100 kilos of bones, adding dried sardines, mackerel, and bonito flakes, and stirring for a long time. They also use flavor oils and powders to accentuate the shrimp flavor, making the ramen rich and distinctive even in the aftertaste. Be sure to enjoy the flavors of this famous restaurant, which was the first runner-up in the National Ramen Grand Prix, at the festival.

[Message from the owner, Sakuma Suguru]
At MEN-YA KESHIN, we put our customers first, and we want to create a comfortable space where everyone can enjoy delicious ramen with peace of mind. We want to make as many customers as possible smile with a big smile! And we want to make improvements as much as possible to ensure their satisfaction, so if you have any comments or thoughts, please feel free to contact us or speak to our staff. In the future, we aim to become a restaurant where everyone, even people from Hokkaido and Okinawa, knows the name Menya KESHIN.

MENYA-NIBOSUKE/ Homemade Hinai chicken ramen with dried sardines and soy sauce (Misato Town, Senboku District, Akita Prefecture)

"MENYA-NIBOSUKE", which won first place in the Akita Ramen General Election for two consecutive years, will make its first appearance at LIVE AZUMA with limited-edition noodles! Some people may think that niboshi (dried sardines) have a strong flavor, but "Nibosuke" uses white-mouthed sardines from Ibuki, flathead sardines from Chiba, horse mackerel sardines from Sakai Port, and Rausu kelp, and while it is light, the flavor of the sardines is concentrated. It is an elegant soy sauce ramen that tastes just like a bowl of ramen from a traditional Japanese restaurant.
In addition, "Homemade Wonton with Hinai Jidori Chicken" will also be available exclusively at LIVE AZUMA 2024. This luxurious dish is made by hand from the skin up, with a focus on smoothness. This ramen, which allows you to enjoy the combination of the umami of dried sardines and wonton, can only be tasted at the event. Please come and try it for yourself!

[Message from the owner, AKIHIRO KASHIO]
We use carefully selected ingredients and our noodles, soup, and pork are all lovingly prepared. We put our passion and feelings into each and every bowl. Please enjoy this flavorful bowl.

Ramen HIDEYOSHI/Yamagata Spicy Miso Ramen (Kaminoyama City, Yamagata Prefecture)

Yamagata Prefecture, the prefecture with the highest ramen consumption in Japan, will be making its first appearance at LIVE AZUMA 2024 with its local ramen, "Spicy Miso Ramen"! The owner of "Ramen HIDEYOSHI" opened the restaurant after 20 years of experience in the food and beverage industry, in order to popularize the "Akayu Spicy Miso Ramen" that he fell in love with as a student. The restaurant carefully prepares dried sardines from Yamagata and Kyoto, and adds a unique blend of miso sauce to the double soup made from chicken and pork stock to bring out a deep umami flavor. The noodles are hand-kneaded, specially thin and curly noodles, developed in collaboration with Yamagata City's "Sakai Seimen". Once you try it, you'll never forget it, so be sure to enjoy this addictive bowl.

[Message from the owner, KANOYU]
Thanks to you, we have many customers. However, we are still a newbie, having only been in business for a year. Even if we create a product with a desperate feeling, after a few months we question common sense and continue to evolve every day without fearing change, which is what gives me satisfaction. I would like to grow together with everyone across the country who loves Yamagata Spicy Miso Ramen .

AWARE/ SiroSyouyu Ramen(Izumi Ward, Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture)

AWARE, a famous ramen restaurant in Sendai City, is a ramen restaurant that attracts diners with its beautiful noodles. The owner, who had experience working at a famous restaurant in Tokyo, returned to his hometown and contributed to the development of Tohoku ramen. It is also said to be the restaurant closest to a Michelin star in Miyagi Prefecture.
The double soup, made with seafood stock such as dried sardines and bonito flakes, and chickens from Miyagi, has a flavor that gently seeps into your body. The noodles are made with thin, straight noodles made exclusively by Sugano Noodle Factory. The owner is enthusiastic, saying, "Even at an outdoor festival, we value the harmony between the noodles and the soup, and we've put a lot of effort into making it enjoyable for those attending both days."
Exclusive to LIVE AZUMA 2024, "special wontons" will also be available, adding a variety of textures and flavors to the ramen. Please enjoy this special bowl of "AWARE," which is highly rated by ramen lovers.

[Message from the owner, Tsuyoshi Ito]
Using local Miyagi ingredients, we aim to create unique flavors that cannot be found in Tokyo. If you are in Miyagi, please come and visit us! Having gained a variety of experiences at eight restaurants in four years, we have aimed to grow in different environments. Influenced by the French chef's diverse experiences abroad, we have sought the shortest route to growth and have continued to run at full speed. Once we have the necessary system in place, such as staff training, we would like to try our hand at overseas business. We look forward to welcoming you.

GARIDEBUCHU/Mapo Noodles (Wakabayashi Ward, Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture)

GARIDEBUCHU, a mapo noodle specialty restaurant from Sendai, will be participating for the first time at LIVE AZUMA 2024! The name of the restaurant expresses their desire to deliver the happiness of a full stomach to everyone, whether they are thin or fat.
After 10 years of running a popular izakaya, they have combined mapo tofu and Chinese noodles to create mapo noodles, which they have perfected through extensive research. This is a rare opportunity to try ramen made in a wok.

This restaurant was selected by my student, Miki Nishitani, a super spicy ramen girl who is also one of Japan's leading "Mapo noodle maniacs." "GARIDEBUCHU," which she selected with confidence, offers a menu that can be enjoyed not only by those who like spicy ramen, but also by those who don't like spicy food.

[Message from the owner, Mr. Koto Ito]
Thanks to the support of many customers, we have already entered our fifth year. With this reopening, we have further improved our signature mapo noodles and added new menu items. We have also completely revamped the atmosphere in the store so that you can enjoy our ramen in a more enjoyable and delicious way. All of our staff are full of energy and ready to welcome you, so please feel free to stop by if you are in Sendai!

Ordering Method and Manners

Here we will introduce how to order and proper etiquette.

How to line up and points to note

When there is a line in front of a store, you will have to wait in line. There are a few things to keep in mind when doing so.

1. Please all be present or line up at the end of the line.
2. Don’t cut in line!
3. Please stand in a straight line in two rows.
Please follow the rules so that everyone can have a good time.

How to order

At LIVE AZUMA 2024 Tohoku Ramen Yatai Village, we take orders one by one and make ramen.
Before your turn comes, please decide which menu you would like so that you can order immediately.
We will also ask you about toppings, so please let us know when you order.
You can pay for your order by cash or cashless payment (credit card, electronic money, QR code payment) .
Once you have completed payment, proceed to the delivery counter and wait for your item to be prepared.

Dates and opening hours of Tohoku Ramen Yatai Village

[Dates] Saturday, October 19th and Sunday, October 20th
[Business hours] 9:30-20:30 (ends when sold out)