Most likely, you already know that we love ramen. It is a Japanese staple, and every region of Japan has its own version or flavor. In Japan, you don’t go out for ramen in the sense of going out for dinner. Ramen is fast food, Japanese style. You order your bowl, sit down and eat it, and leave. As a result, local Ramen Shops are not fancy. They are simply a place to grab a quick bite. Which is ideal if you are o the go, or simply don’t feel like cooking. Since we did not feel like cooking tonight, we decided to stop by Ramen Kagetsu Arashi, one of our local Ramen shops.
This local Ramen shop is only a short walk from our home. Conveniently located on our way home from downtown Sendai. It is also across the street from several stores we frequent. Which makes Ramen Kagetsu Arashi a convenient place for us to grab a quick bite.
Ramen Kagetsu Arashi is part of a chain; they have three locations in Sendai, and several hundred more all across Japan, and around the world. The chain is pretty famous. This Ramen Chain is supervised by Yuki Onishi, the owner of “Japanese Soba Noodles Tsuta,” recognized as the first-ever Ramen restaurant winning a Michelin star. Maybe there is a location near you!
We discovered Ramen Kagetsu Arashi more or less by chance soon after our arrival. We were out shopping for necessities at Daiso and Tsuruha Drug one cold January evening. Cold and hungry, we also looked for a place to eat. We noticed the Ramen sign across the street and decided to check it out.
Our first visit was not off to a promising start. Like most Ramen shops, Ramen Kagetsu Arashi has a ticket machine where you pick out your order, pay for it, and receive individual tickets for your order. These you give to the cook, and a short time later, yummy food appears in front of you. At least that is the way it is supposed to happen. But this proved sufficiently confusing for Coco that we had to ask for help.
Once the ordering part was over, things quickly got better. Piping hot bowls of ramen appeared in quick order. The shop specializes in Arashi Genkotsu Ramen, based on a rich broth made of pork fists (Genkotsu) with added pork back fat, and simmered for a long time. This makes the broth extra rich and creamy. It comes in Miso or Shio (salt) flavors. For the daring Ramen Kagetsu Arashi also offers Barikara (Super Spicy) Ramen.
We love the Genkotsu Shio Ramen; it has a smooth, creamy texture and rich, satisfying taste, perfect for cold winter nights. But Ramen Kagetsu Arashi also offers other dishes, such as Gyoza (fried pork dumplings) and spicy fried rice with egg. If you need more garlic, they will gladly provide you with a few extra cloves and a garlic press!
Ramen Kagetsu Arashi also offers unique monthly flavors. These are mainly based on other regional varieties of ramen. Today we tried Hakata Tonkotsu Ramen. This ramen is the local specialty from a little mom-and-pop Ramen shop from Hakata on Kyushu Island in southern Japan. This is a great way to try different varieties of our favorite food, all without actually leaving our neighborhood.
After a few visits, we pretty much became regulars. We no longer need help with the ticket machine! And even when we just walk by, we get a friendly wave from the cooks behind the counter.
Yes, there are other places for Ramen in Sendai. And we have tried lots of them, and we have several other favorites. Stay tuned, and we will tell you about them in upcoming posts. But the convenient location, excellent ramen, and other dishes, and the friendly service make this our local favorite Ramen shop. And we will be back just as soon as we don’t feel like cooking.
If you would like to join us on one of our food tours or get a personal guide to Discover Sendai, please feel free to contact us for rates and availability.
Happy Travels!
Ramen Kagetsu Arashi
5 Chome-7-24 Kamisugi · 022-395-6686
Opens 11AM ⋅ Closes 12AM
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