Distinctive customer’s file tells the story of a ramen dish that continues to be unchanged for many years.
“Tsukihi wa hakutai no kakaku ni shite, yukikau toshi mo mata tabibito“. These are the phrases that got here to thoughts when our reporter Seiji Nakazawa was ready to get a seat on the most important department of Ramen Home Aoba, a long-established ramen restaurant in Asahikawa on Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido.
These phrases kind the well-known opening line from “Oku no Hosomichi” (“The Slim Street to the Deep North”) by revered Japanese poet Matsuo Basho (1644-1694), they usually’ve been translated as: “The moon and solar are everlasting travellers. Even the years wander on.”
This poetic outlook on time passing like a traveller sprang to Seiji’s thoughts as he sat in a spot the place his environment had been worn by time, 77 years in actual fact, which is how lengthy the ramen restaurant had been in enterprise.
▼ Ramen Home Aoba
The truth that the restaurant has a ready room, the place Seiji needed to wait earlier than being seated, is a testomony to only how fashionable it’s. Situated within the previous “Femme Stylish” boutique subsequent door, which is vacant now and due to this fact in a position for use as a ready room by the restaurant, the place is staffed by an aged woman who palms out menus to prospects to allow them to make their alternatives whereas they wait.
Seiji wasn’t positive what to order, so he requested the girl for her recommendation, and he or she instructed him the restaurant was recognized for its soy sauce ramen.
▼ Asahikawa is a area that’s well-known for soy sauce ramen in order that’s what Seiji determined to order.
As he waited, an previous, tattered pocket book caught his eye. “Journey Reminiscences E-book No. 1” was written on the duvet, and it was so worn it appeared like some kind of historic doc.
Upon asking the girl about it, she instructed him it was from 1989, and he or she handed him the newest model, which was ebook quantity 114.
She prompt he add his personal word to the data, so he left a easy message that learn: “That is RocketNews24, from Tokyo. It’s superb that the primary pocket book is from 1989! Such historical past!! Seiji Nakazawa”.
After snapping a photograph for reminiscence’s sake, he turned his consideration again to that first quantity from 1989, and he discovered himself excitedly flipping by way of the pages. Again within the ’80s, prospects appeared to have extra time to go away considerate messages and even sketches, utilizing brush pens as a substitute of biros.
▼ This buyer left a sketch of heavy snowfall in Ageo Metropolis, Saitama Prefecture.
The standard had actually modified over time, and Seiji discovered himself in awe of the restaurant’s previous prospects, who all left such spectacular, well-written notes. He felt the passage of time within the enormous distinction between the handwriting used then and now, and felt touched by the file of human historical past tucked away on this humble ready room.
As soon as he was in a position to step into the restaurant and style the ramen, he discovered it had a flavour that was evocative of the lengthy historical past behind it. The soy sauce broth had been made with seafood and rooster bones, with a pork bone inventory offering additional depth of flavour, giving it a wealthy but refreshing style that was instantly addictive.
The agency, medium-thick noodles paired properly with the broth, and in accordance with employees, it’s a dish that hasn’t modified for over 70 years. Once you stumble on a recipe this good, there’s no want to alter a factor, and it’s simple to see why this ramen has remained a neighborhood favorite for therefore many a long time.
It was a deliciously hearty meal, and the eagerness to proceed honouring the flavour inherited from the first-generation proprietor was simply as heartwarming. In case you’re questioning what the precise dish was that Seiji ordered, it was the “Shoyu Chashu Ramen“, priced at 1,050 yen (US$6.84), which was a terrific deal.
▼ The chashu pork was notably flavourful and scrumptious.
There’s numerous good style right here, not solely within the meals however the inside of the restaurant, the kindness of the employees, and the historical past behind the enterprise.
▼ It’s such a well-known retailer that you just’ll even discover advertisements for it at Asahikawa Station.
Seiji was extremely glad to have visited such a hidden gem, which not solely served up a wonderful instance of the area’s consultant ramen, however a complete lot of native historical past as properly. Because the years proceed their journey from the previous in the direction of the longer term, so do Seiji’s life’s travels, and if it comes with ramen nearly as good as this, he appears ahead to what the years will carry.
Restaurant info
Asahikawa Ramen Aoba most important retailer / 旭川らぅめん青葉 本店
Tackle: Hokkaido, Asahikawa-shi, Nijo-dori 8-chome left 8
北海道旭川市二条通8丁目左8
Open 9:30 a.m.-2:00 p.m.; 3:00 p.m.-5:30 p.m.
Closed Wednesdays
Web site
Images ©SoraNews24
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