支那ソバかづ屋

Tokyo has its fair share of shinasoba spots. How is this style different from chukasoba? The internet abounds with theories, but if you ask history buffs, it is a matter of the era. Ramen from before the war was called shinasoba and ramen from after the war took the name chukasoba. Although the differences in ramen from before the 50s and modern ramen can be quite dramatic, it really comes down to the shop. That said, I can’t think of a shinasoba that didn’t have an option for wonton toppings.

The two different words here are shina and chuka. Both refer to China, with the former being considered an un-PC word. Japan is still years behind the West in terms of wokeness, and I don’t think ramen shops will be getting canceled anytime soon.

Kaduya opened in 1989 by Kazui Yutaka (數家豊) after training at Shinasoba Tantantei (支那そばたんたん亭). Many famous ramen shop masters trained at Tantantei, and many more did their training at Kaduya. Kaduya has a fascinating blog on their website with little tidbits about restaurant life if you want to read more. By the way, here’s a list of some of the shops that came from Kaduya (copied form Osaki-san’s writeup on his Ramen Database here):

はやしまる（高円寺：2004年）Hayashimaru in Koenji
なかじま（高崎：2008年）Nakajima in Takasaki
松波ラーメン店（松陰神社：2009年）Matsunami in Setagaya
しなてつ（荏原町：2010年）Shinatstsu in Ebaramachi
穀雨（渋谷：2012年）Koku in Shibuya
すずき（大和：2013年）Suzuki in Yamato
小むろ（行徳：2014年）Komuro in Chiba
薫風（梶が谷：2014年）Kunpu in Kanagawa
かでかる（与那原：2015年）Kadekaru in Okinawa!
麺屋悠（大久保：2016年）Yu in Okubo
くろ松（高崎：2016年）Kuromatsu in Takasaki
HACHI（会津若松：2019年）HACHI in Aizuwakamatsu, Fukushima
おさだ（大山：2021年）Osaka in Oyama

I removed some from this list that have since closed. It looks like I have my work cut out, having only been to five. More ramen goals for the ramen nerds out there.

The menu is big here. Shinasoba, tsukesoba, tantanmen. Side menu gyoza, menma plate, and rice bowls. You could easily just come here for a beer and snacks. Some shops offer a wonton-only option. Wonton soup if you will. Sometimes I’ve had my fill of noodles for the day, and a protein-rich bowl of meat dumplings is all I want. Sometimes just a beer and some wontons is a great meal.

Dried and fried green onion as a condiment can make the soup pop. I know some ramen lovers will scoff at my order of wonton soup, deeming it unworthy of a notch on my ramen belt. I don’t care, I love this stuff. Maybe I’ll visit all Kaduya’s disciples and have the wonton soup at each. It would make for a fun YouTube video.

How to describe the soup at a shop like this? It’s a classic flavor, meaty and deep. Aromatic vegetables in the broth mellow everything out, letting the wontons shine. I think the Chinese got breakfast right, if this was a typical Chinese breakfast (I have no idea, I’m making up words here). I’ll take a feel-good bowl of wonton soup any day.

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Ramen Adventures

Ramen Shop Reviews from Japan and Abroad

支那ソバかづ屋 (Kaduya in Meguro, Tokyo)

狼煙〜NOROSHI〜 in Saitama Prefecture

ZUND-BAR in Atsugi, Kanagawa

中華そば無限 (Chukasoba Mugen in Osaka)

支那ソバ かづ屋 (Kaduya in Meguro, Tokyo)

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狼煙 〜NOROSHI〜 in Saitama Prefecture

ZUND-BAR in Atsugi, Kanagawa

中華そば 無限 (Chukasoba Mugen in Osaka)

支那ソバかづ屋 (Kaduya in Meguro, Tokyo)

狼煙〜NOROSHI〜 in Saitama Prefecture

中華そば無限 (Chukasoba Mugen in Osaka)