Tora Shokudo

Little knownBarely documented in English. This is the kind of place the site exists for.

Researched and written by Hinato

Shirakawa ramenTora Shokudohand-cut noodlesshoyuShirakawa

Fukushima · Shirakawa

37.1121°N, 140.2599°E

You don't need to speak the language to order well at Tora Shokudo — you need to know when to go and what to expect.

Shirakawa ramen is a soy-based bowl on a stock of chicken bone, pork bone and vegetables, with flat hand-cut noodles that are wavy because they are rolled and cut by hand rather than machined. Tora Shokudo is where the modern version was established, and it is the shop other shops came from.

The founder trained in Tokyo, came back to Shirakawa and set the template; a long line of apprentices went out from this kitchen and opened their own places, several of them in the Tokyo area, all identifiably in the same lineage. The noodles are still cut by hand daily, the broth is clear rather than heavy, and the chashu is grilled. It sits away from the town centre on a country road, and there is usually a queue before opening.

Before you eat

Serving hours

Confirm by phone — hours are not consistently published

Closed: Confirm by phone before travelling

What it costs

¥800–1,200 per bowl

Best time to go

Year-round

Time to allow

45–60 minutes including the queue

Access route

Getting there in detail

Sooroshi Takinojiri 1, Shirakawa, on a rural road outside the town centre. Car recommended; from JR Shirakawa Station. Phone. Hours and rest days are not consistently published and queues form before opening — confirm by phone before making a special trip. Bowls are in the ordinary ramen price range.

Beyond the guidebook

**Ring before you go.** Opening hours and rest days for this shop are not reliably listed online and it has been known to close for extended periods. It is a country road twenty minutes out of town; arriving on spec is a real risk. **Queue before opening.** The line forms in advance and the shop is small. Arriving at opening time means waiting behind the people who arrived earlier. **The noodles are hand-cut.** Flat, irregular and wavy because of it. That texture against the clear soy broth is the whole of Shirakawa ramen. **Its apprentices are everywhere.** Shops in the Tokyo area openly identify as Tora lineage. Eating the original is the point of coming to Shirakawa for it. **Combine with Komine Castle.** The restored castle in the town centre is fifteen minutes away and is the other reason to stop in Shirakawa.

View on Google Maps