ちゃんぽん亭総本家彦根駅前本店

Holy smokes! I discovered a minor Japanese ramen style that I had no idea existed!

I make it no secret that I am a big ramen nerd, and thusly try and know as much as I can about not just the Tokyo ramen scene, but the fascinating world of local ramen throughout Japan. So when I rolled into Hikone Station, on the banks of Lake Biwa, and saw a famous-in-our-town poster at the station, I was shocked to see something new.

Omi champon. I had heard of omigyu, the locally raised cattle with well marbled meat, but had never heard of a locally branded ramen. I had also heard of champon, the famous ramen style from Nagasaki. Gotta grab a bowl.

According to the champon wikipedia page, 近江ちゃんぽん dates back to the 90s, when local shop Champontei wanted to expand their brand and become a franchise chain. By creating a local style, they could count on a minor influx of tourism, and things like the previously mentioned train station poster calling them out by name.

Yeah, this one isn’t looking to good.

But then I dug into it. Omi champon is defined as having a light broth made with konbu seaweed and katsuo fish. Top with a hug pile of crisp vegetables, and give the customer lots of vinegar on the table to hit it with. This bowl was, shockingly, quite good. Although I think the concept of making this a local dish is corny, in the end I recommend it to anyone who is in this area and needs an affordable bowl.

Not worth a huge detour, but Hikone is a quaint little castle town that might be worth a trek for someone living in the Kansai area.

Of course, B-list celebrities put on their best faces for the cameras, as always.

Official Site Here

滋賀県彦根市旭町9-6
Shiga-ken, Hikone-shi, Asahimachi 9-6
Closest station: Hikone

Open 11:00-23:00

Ramen Adventures

Ramen Shop Reviews from Japan and Abroad

ちゃんぽん亭 (Champontei in Hikone, Shiga)

武蔵坊 (Musashibo in Hiroshima)

KABOちゃん (Kabochan in Komagome)

大勝軒淵野辺店 (Taishoken in Fuchinobe, Kanagawa)

ちゃんぽん亭 (Champontei in Hikone, Shiga)

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武蔵坊 (Musashibo in Hiroshima)

KABOちゃん (Kabochan in Komagome)

大勝軒 淵野辺店 (Taishoken in Fuchinobe, Kanagawa)

大勝軒淵野辺店 (Taishoken in Fuchinobe, Kanagawa)