A Thousand Miles from Kansas

The often cold and chilly weather here in Misawa, Japan is a perfect excuse to slurp down a steaming hot bowl of ramen. And that is exactly what my friend Phillip and I did yesterday. We slurped down some spicy ramen for lunch! As we headed out, I asked Phillip which ramen place he had in mind. “Trust me, we’re going to one of the best ramen places in town,” was all he would say.

When we arrived at our destination, I was surprised to learn that I did know the place. I knew of it, but had never taken the time to stop and try the food. On this day, that changed and I am very glad it did! The ramen was simply delicious!

The ramen restaurant is called Ho-Oh Ramen. It is right on the edge of town past the toll road entrance. When we walked in, we were greeted at the door and the very friendly hostess explained that we had to choose our meal and then buy the ticket for that meal from the vending machine. Then she handed us an English menu. Easy enough! We both chose the #2 ramen, which was Spicy Chashu Ramen. Once the vending machine spit out our tickets, we took them to the only empty table in the place. The same waitress that explained the ordering system at the vending machine came to our table with water and then took our tickets. In a matter of a few minutes, she returned with steaming bowls of spicy ramen!

Oishi desu! Delicious! Spicy too! But just the right amount of spicy. The spice came through with every slurp of noodles and bite of pork, and it was a generous amount of pork! 

It was spicy enough to get your attention, but not so much that it turned you away. This bowl of ramen  is the second best I’ve eaten in Japan! The best was the Miso Curry Milk Ramen in Aomori, but man this Ho-Oh ramen was close! The only negative about this lunch is the fact that Phillip waited so long to introduce me to this deliciously spicy dish. I will definitely return to get my spice on. Arigato Ho-Oh Ramen. I can’t wait to slurp up another bowl!

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