中華そばうお青 (Uosei in Hino, Tokyo)

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中華そばうお青

Light niboshi ramen made with choice ingredients from around Japan. Ueosei was high on my list of shops to try, but also high on my list of shops I just couldn’t make it out to. It’s in Hino, one of Tokyo’s cities on the outskirts, just before Tokyo becomes mountains and nature. It’s not even on a major train line. You’ll have to transfer to the Tama Monorail, a fun but inconvenient journey. But this shop is one of Tabelog’s Hyakumeiten (百名店), a list of the top 100 shops in Tokyo. Every year there are a couple of shops on this list that I haven’t visited. As a ramen hunter, I feel shame at this lack of slurping.

I should have come out here sooner. It’s a lovely part of town, with green spaces and walking paths along the rivers.

The fresh air from the nearby Tama Mountain Range makes for a semi-nature feel. The concept of forest bathing is trending in Japan and it feels good to escape the concrete jungle.

Another benefit from being so out of the way, you probably won’t wait in line as long as you would in central Tokyo for a good bowl of ramen.

The ramen here is a light niboshi style. A blend of dried fish, dried squid, dried mushrooms, and dried Rausu kelp come together in umami bliss.

Stellar bowl. There are many, many shops that serve this kind of ramen these days. So many that you might not really see the point in hunting into the sticks, the inaka, for another bowl. I can see the argument. But the joy of walking along that river was enough to offset any negatives.

Oh, and the ramen was top level.

Some of their ingredients are displayed on a shelf in the shop.

Ingredients are chosen from around Japan. Oita shitake mushrooms. Uzuwa from Shizuoka, an obscure fish also known as Sodagatsuo (ソウダガツオ).

If you have some time, hop back on the Tama Monorail and head to the Tama Zoo. I’m not a fan of zoos in general, but the Tama Zoo has a few special things.

Best of all are the koalas. These photos are of a new resident. He was at a zoo in Nagoya before coming out to be part of the breeding program at Tama Zoo. There is also a massive butterfly dome. Being a minor zoo, there aren’t many people on a weekday.

Ramen and koalas.

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