When you think of Sano, the first thing that comes to mind is Sano ramen. It is a case of a regional ramen earning nationwide fame, the way Sanuki, Mizusawa and Inaniwa udon have in the udon world. I hear some ramen fanatics make the trip from far away just to eat it. To take care of the first item on my Sano agenda, I walked about 2 km along a country road through rice fields and arrived at Hinataya, one of the famous Sano ramen shops.
The line before opening
There is really nothing around here, yet plenty of people were waiting. Probably weekend day-trippers. I got there about 10 minutes before opening, but still ended up waiting around 20 minutes after they opened. Should have hurried a bit more.
The green bamboo on display
This big green bamboo pole is what made Sano ramen famous nationwide. Kneading the dough with a big green bamboo pole and then hand-cutting the noodles is the hallmark of Sano ramen. That day I only saw it hanging there and did not get to watch the actual kneading.
The kitchen
The young staff were hard at work getting ready. You could feel the energy.
Chashu-men
At last it arrived. The hot soy-sauce-based broth is clean, without a single off note. It would be great for a hangover. Inoue in Tsukiji has this style of broth too, but this place is tastier. Worth the long trip.
Ramen
This one is the version without extra chashu, and even without it the portion was more than generous.
The noodles
The noodles are springy, with a lively chew like Sanuki udon, and they went surprisingly well with the clean broth. Being hand-cut, the thickness is uneven, but that is part of the charm. When it is this satisfying, it makes sense that a dish as common as ramen became famous enough to carry the town’s name. If you are a ramen fanatic, this is a taste worth going out of your way for.
Gyoza
Ordering only ramen felt a bit bare, so I got a plate of gyoza too, but the flavour lacked impact. I could have done without it.
Rice fields
After a moving meal, I stepped outside and took a shot of the scenery in front of the shop. Lovely weather. My next stop, Sano Outlet, was a fair way off, so I called a taxi, and the driver ripped me off a little: the fare came to over 3,000 yen. Whatever he pocketed will end up boosting the local economy anyway, so I did not begrudge it too much, but if I come to Sano again I will probably go to a ramen shop near the outlet rather than a famous one far out of the way.