Aomori

There are many types, from the well-stocked but light-tasted soy sauce ramen to rich ramen soup with dried sardines simmered until they fall apart.

（Ken）

I’ve been eating it often for a long time. I like Niboshi-Ramen, with its light-tasted soup, but my favorite is Gokunibo, with a rich dried sardine flavor. My recommendations are the “Nagao” and “Maruyama Ramen” restaurants.

（Moruyama）

Tsugaru Ramen is the best! I recommend the “Marutetsu Nidaime” restaurant. They only have two types of Niboshi-Ramen on the menu: an ordinary Chinese noodle dish and a Niboshi-Ramen called Gokuniboshi. They are both good, but the Niboshi-Ramen is especially significant. It has a beautiful, clear broth with no chemical seasonings but contains plenty of dried sardine powder. You can choose either light or thick soup. The noodles are their original wavy noodles, which you can choose between thin or thick. The best part is how superb the seasoned eggs are; I’ve never had seasoned eggs this delicious. “Gokuniboshi in thick noodles and light soup with extra green onions and a seasoned egg” is what I always order.

（Atomu）

The one with niboshi dried sardines is the popular type of broth in Aomori! The ramen I had in Asamushi Onsen town, which my uncle took me to, was excellent.

（Tomomi）

The Niboshi-Ramen at “Tsugaru Ramen Nagao.” You can eat it at the restaurant chain or purchase their dried noodles to cook at home. The intense flavor of the dried sardines can be savored even with the dried noodles. I buy them every once in a while.

（Mamoji）

The ramen at “Marukai Ramen” in Aomori is more than just a local dish. “Marukai” is what the locals call them.

（Ryo）

I couldn’t believe my eyes when I first saw the name “Miso Curry Gyunyu-Ramen” on the ramen shop banner after we moved to Aomori for my husband’s job. I was still eating plain soy sauce ramen (which is also good; Aomori’s ramen has wheat gluten in it) even when I went to a Miso Curry Gyunyu-Ramen restaurant with a friend from Tokyo. I finally took a sip of my friend’s ramen soup after the friend told me how delicious it was, and I realized that it was tastier than I had thought. Since then, I quickly switched to being a Miso Curry Gyunyu-Ramen eater. It has been several years since I left Aomori, but I still miss it.

（Kaakan）

It is a local specialty. The restaurant in Aomori City called Onishi is excellent.

（Ikeda Asari）

During my trip to Aomori, I tried it out of curiosity and was surprised to find it delicious!

（MIO）

It’s a yakisoba, but with soup poured over the yakisoba noodles. It is a Kuroishi specialty, and the restaurant “Kurayoshi” is famous for it. Derived from Kuroishi, sauce-flavored soup noodles have spread throughout the Tsugaru region. They all have an obsessive taste, whether it’s somen, ramen, or soba.

（Mamoji）

The yakisoba with soup is the comfort food for the local students.

（Ikeda Asari）

I’ve wanted to try it ever since I heard they often had it at my husband’s parent’s house, but I forget to do so every time I visit the area. I wonder when I can have my first dish!

（Harakomeshi）

The soba has long been eaten in Hirosaki, which is well-known for its cherry blossoms. The dark-colored noodles use soybeans instead of wheat flour as a binder. The broth has a sweet and salty flavor with a strong soy sauce aroma, unique to Tsugaru. Adding kamaboko fish paste, white onion, and red pepper makes it taste even better. You can enjoy it at home and at some restaurants and noodle makers, making it a must-try dish for tourists. The “Sanchu-Shokudo” restaurant was even made into a movie.

（Chupi）

I have fond memories of this soba; when I first met my partner’s parents in Aomori, they served it for lunch. It has a tender, heartwarming taste. Reading the novel Tsuragru’s one-hundred-year-old diner makes me want to eat it again.

（Mii）

The soup is made with plenty of local ingredients, such as chicken bones, green onions, and garlic, and the broth is made from dried sardines. Finished with specially brewed soy sauce, it has a refreshing taste with the flavor of dried sardines. The homemade thin and curly noodles go well with the soup, making it a nostalgic ramen that warms you up inside and out. My recommendation is “Aji No Mensho” in Miroku Yokocho, Hachinohe Yataimura. Their ramen is perfect to finish your day.

（Ramen susurenai）

“Nakamiso” is a ramen shop in Hirosaki’s Nakasan Food Court. The sweet soup with plenty of vegetables and thin noodles is the best. It is delicious in summer and warms up your chilled body in winter! The shop is always crowded with customers regardless of gender and age.

（Yukisan）

The Chinese noodle dish at the soba restaurant “Kamenoya,” also known as the one-hundred-year-old diner in Goshogawara. The tempura here is kakiage tempura with scallops. The “Tenchuka” is a dish with Chinese soba noodles topped with this tempura. The extra thin and curly noodles, gentle broth, and the kakiage tempura with chunks of scallops in it; I couldn’t help but smile when I had my first bite. Since then, I go all the way to Goshogawara to eat there every time I visit Aomori. To make the experience even better, I sometimes ride the “Resort Shirakami” train, which costs an extra 500 yen, and enjoy the view of apple fields and the majestic Mount Iwaki on the way. Don’t forget to visit the “Tachineputa Museum” near Kamenoya, too!

（poppo）

Hachinohe’s seaside restaurant, “Kofunato,” is located on the coastal wall and has a strong visual impact. Their ramen is a gorgeous dish full of seafood broth.

（Hachinohe no yome）