Kyoto ramen is often mistaken for being light and delicately flavored, due largely to the prevalent image of Kyoto-style kaiseki cuisine and a Tokyo area chain called Kyofu Ramen, which literally translates to "Kyoto-style" noodles and which specializes in a light soup. In reality, Kyoto ramen soup is highly kotteri and often made from chicken bone or torikotsu, which actually produces a thicker, richer soup than the much more popular tonkotsu (pork bone).

A lot of Kyoto's ramen shops originated in the yatai tradition. There are three major styles of Kyoto ramen, all of them feature a thick shoyu-based soup and are pretty viscious in nature. Kyoto ramen consistently leaves a lasting impression on Japanese diners, as its emphasis on the use of chicken or chicken bone is wholly distinctive within Japan. Kyoto-style noodles are moderately thin or average in diameter, straight, and cooked to a notable softness, similar to many Chinese-style noodles.

Perhaps the most well-known, authentically "Kyoto-style" ramen chain is Tenka-Ippin, which has branches throughout Japan and even one in Honolulu, Hawaii.


photo by ビクター

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