For a focused noodle crawl in Tottori, start with this selection of seven classic ramen and teppan yakisoba spots. It is a handy way to discover beef-bone broth and long-loved local flavors.
Tottori Noodle Guide: 7 Classic Ramen and Teppan Yakisoba Stops
Kamitoku: A 60-Year Beef-Bone Ramen Institution Ramen is one of the foods Taiwanese travelers love most in Japan, and Tottori has more than just Michelin ramen. It also has the uniquely local su ramen and beef-bone ramen famous enough to reach Tokyo. This guide starts with Kamitoku, a 60-year shop that represents Tottori's beef-bone ramen culture. 小虎食夢網 (Xiao Hu Shi Meng Wang) Read the article Ramen Koga: Rich Beef-Bone Broth Simmered for 20 Hours Ramen Koga is a local B-grade favorite. In Japan, B-grade gourmet means everyday food that is inexpensive, approachable and loved by locals. Unlike the density of pork-bone tonkotsu, Tottori's beef-bone ramen is lighter and cleaner, yet it carries a beefy aroma that Taiwanese diners may find close to beef noodle soup. At mealtimes, office workers and neighborhood regulars seem to fill the place all at once. Angelababy 享樂日記 (Angelababy Xiang Le Ri Ji) Read the article Hot Air: Tottori's Michelin-Selected Ramen Tottori may be rural Japan, and Hamamura Onsen may be a rural onsen town inside Tottori, but it hides the prefecture's only Michelin-recognized ramen shop. Even better, Hot Air used to be a secondhand car dealership. Come for a modern bowl built from local Tottori ingredients, then soak your feet at one of the free onsen footbaths nearby. 小虎食夢網 (Xiao Hu Shi Meng Wang) Musashiya Shokudo: The Century-Old Shop Loved by Solitary Gourmet If I could choose only one bowl of noodles in Tottori, it might not be Hot Air, the only Michelin ramen in the Sanin-Sanyo area, or Mikazuki's beef-bone ramen in Kurayoshi. It would be su ramen, the noodle dish that best represents Tottori and even appeared in both the manga and TV versions of Solitary Gourmet. To understand su ramen, start at Musashiya Shokudo, a century-old restaurant regarded as its birthplace. Menya Mikazuki: A 60-Year Kurayoshi Classic Kurayoshi's Shirakabe Storehouse district has 300 to 400 years of history. Just outside the old streets, Mikazuki is a retro Japanese-Western restaurant with the mood of an old neighborhood institution. The menu includes teppan dishes as well as beef-bone ramen. Mikazuki Address: 3 Chome-2334 Shinmachi, Kurayoshi, Tottori 682-0861, Japan Phone: 0858-22-3586 跳躍的宅男 (Tiaoyue de Zhainan) Matsuya Horumon: A 60-Year Shop Full of Tottori Character After waiting for Japan to reopen, I chose Tottori partly because of Matsuya Horumon, a 60-year local favorite. One of the creators of Solitary Gourmet is from Tottori, a prefecture proud of its manga culture, so this visit felt like a proper return to the series' real-life food trail. I hope the show keeps going until I write about my hundredth stop. Daisen Makiba Milk no Sato: Ramen with Daisen Milk Some travelers love Japanese milk as much as I do. My personal top three are Aso volcanic milk from Kumamoto, Yoro milk from Hokkaido and Daisen White Rose milk from Tottori. If you feel the same, go to this ranch on Mt. Daisen for its White Rose milk soft serve and a bowl of ramen enriched with Daisen milk.