ハイマウント

Oh baby, oh baby, oh baby! Welcome to the amazing world of junk-style ramen. High Mount’s lineage is none other than Junk Garage, the Saitama-based originator of this style. Junk-style takes Jiro ramen, removes the soup, and adds a plethora of “junk” to the top. It’s a bowl best described by just showing a photo, so gaze upon the above and either fall in love or be sickened to the core.

High Mount is very out of the way. It takes around two hours by train from Tokyo. Time is cut down a bit if you drive. This is Ibaraki Prefecture, famous for not a whole lot. Not a whole lot and now some wild noodles.

Most junk shops also serve Jiro-style ramen. Actually, quite a few of the Jirorians at the 14-seat counter were enjoying some mashi mashi noodles with soup. Junk style is looked down upon, very looked down upon, by quite a few folks in this scene. Yes, Jiro is a scene. I’m the opposite. While I only crave a dirty bowl of Jiro a few times a year, junk is always on my mind.

Thick, wheaty noodles with a shoyu tare sauce. We say shoyu tare but it should be called MSG tare. It’s intense. The whole thing is topped with, going counter-clockwise:

fatty chashu pork
katsuo fish flakes
a slice of processed cheese
raw minced garlic
crunchy baby star noodle snacks
spicy shrimp mayonnaise
fried onion
globs of pork backfat
a raw egg

You can, of course, customize your bowl how you like. Get more or less of each topping by adding mashi (more) or tsukoshi (less). A word of advice, be ready with your topping choices in your head. The staff will ask you and you are expected to answer. If you stumble when the staff asks, you are instantly seen as a Jiro imposter. Best case, you’re a rookie. Worst case, you’re holding up the shop’s pace and inconveniencing everyone there.

For reference, when the staff asks “Niniku hairimasuka?” you should just answer “zenbu iri” if you want a bit of everything. Mix the whole thing up and go to town. You’ll stink for 24 hours, but you’ll feel pure joy for 30.

You should also order the small size and no extra pork chashu whenever possible. As with toppings, if you know what you are doing do it. Don’t get caught with two kilograms of junk in front of you and a stomach only capable of one.

There are a dozen more shops like this on my list.

Enjoy!

Ramen Adventures

ハイマウント (High Mount in Ibaraki)

たけちゃんにぼしらーめん (Takechan Niboshi Ramen in Chofu, Tokyo)

自然派ラーメン花の季 (Hananoko in Utsunomiya, Tochigi)

ハイマウント (High Mount in Ibaraki)

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たけちゃん にぼしらーめん (Takechan Niboshi Ramen in Chofu, Tokyo)

自然派ラーメン 花の季 (Hananoko in Utsunomiya, Tochigi)

たけちゃんにぼしらーめん (Takechan Niboshi Ramen in Chofu, Tokyo)

自然派ラーメン花の季 (Hananoko in Utsunomiya, Tochigi)