Shortly after the rise of Asahikawa-style ramen, Japanese noodle fans, ever in search of a new regional sensation, turned their attention towards Wakayama prefecture. What they found was Wakayama ramen, or what locals in the area simply refer to as "chuka soba" (Chinese noodles).

There are two "strands" so to speak - one is a clear soup shoyu ramen but by far the more distinctive is a shoyu-tonkotsu hybrid prepared in a unique manner, whereby chefs recycle bones into several pots of soup. Once one pot of soup has reached a point of flavor saturation, the chef will transfer the bones to a second pot and start the boiling process all over again. Chashu drippings are often used to prepare a shoyu base for flavoring the shoyu-tonkotsu soup. In some soups, the boiling shoyu and pork bones emulsify into a thick, flavorful brew that, unlike Kyushu ramen, does not create a stench. "Ide ya," a prominent Wakayama ramen shop, won a national TV championship with their shoyu-tonkotsu ramen and put the style on the map.

Wakayama ramen noodles are straight, yellow, and egg-based, most often machine cut. Unlike other styles of ramen, garlic is not a prominent condiment or addition to the ramen; only black peper is added, and in most instances this is done by the chef before the ramen is served.

Moving east across Japan, Wakayama is where one may start to see the use of naruto as a frequent ramen topping. These little pink and white slivers of surimi (whitefish paste) are oft considered emblematic of Japanese ramen, although their usage is far from widespread.

One additional unique aspect of Wakayama-style ramen are the accompanying shoyu-boiled eggs and hayazushi (pickled mackerel sushi). These sides are often available in quantity at the table; diners eat as many as they want but pay for them based on an honor system of informing the cashier how many they consumed.

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