九ツ家

Hachioji is, yes, a bit out of the way. I was working out here for the day, and wanted to go to En, one of the highest rated shops in Japan. But the soup had run out, and I was turned away at the door. Such is the life of a ramen adventurer.

Instead, I went to the nearest shop, a Yokohama style ramen shop just around the corner. I like the name. Counting in Japanese is confusing. Though kyu means nine, if you are asking about 9 objects, you should say kokonotsu. Confusing, yes. But when you are drinking with a group at the 150yen beer joint, screaming out “Coconuts!” will get you another round of 9 beers. Try it sometime! I’m not sure what this ramen shop has to do with kokonotsu, or coconuts for that matter.