元祖木灰沖縄そばきしもと食堂

The only blue you could see in Tokyo in December was the blue illumination in Harajuku. Get me outta here!

That’s more like it. Okinawa in November or December ain’t bad. It’s not tropical hot, so don’t think you are going to be sunning yourself on the beach per se. If you do, though, you’ll probably be the only person on said beach. The winter months are the low season in the south of Japan.

Grab some Orion beer and enjoy yourself.

While there are a handful of ramen spots in Okinawa, the ones I tried were always just normal. It makes sense; Okinawa has its own noodle culture in the form of soki soba.

Soki soba (ソキそば) isn’t ramen. The noodles are made without kansui, so they lack that special texture. The soup is a fish-based clear broth. The toppings, though pork, are usually stewed meat and local fishcake.

Be careful with the hot chili seasoning (コーレーグス). Koregus is the local way of saying chili pepper. Local reds are soaked in local sake called awamori. Even just a teaspoon of this will take your bowl from zero to spicy.

The usual cast of foodies and TV personalities have all left their autographed plaques on the walls.

Kishimoto is definitely one of Okinawa’s most famous shops. The location is a bit far from Naha, where the airport is, but just down the road from the Churaumi Aquarium, one of the only aquariums in the world to house a whale shark. It’s a must-visit site, so do yourself a favor and get some rad noodles once you are done looking at the fishies.

I visited a nearby branch of their shop years ago. Both are great, but I think the location of the other shop is a bit nicer, up along the informally named soki-soba road.

Ramen Adventures

Ramen Shop Reviews from Japan and Abroad

きしもと食堂 (Kishimoto Shokudo in Okinawa)

ゲンエイドットワガン (Genei Wagan in Hiro, Tokyo)

麺劇場玄瑛 (Mengekijou Genei in Fukuoka)

鳥そば真屋 (Makotoya in Gifu Prefecture)

きしもと食堂 (Kishimoto Shokudo in Okinawa)

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ゲンエイドットワガン (Genei Wagan in Hiro, Tokyo)

麺劇場 玄瑛 (Mengekijou Genei in Fukuoka)

鳥そば 真屋 (Makotoya in Gifu Prefecture)

麺劇場玄瑛 (Mengekijou Genei in Fukuoka)

鳥そば真屋 (Makotoya in Gifu Prefecture)