Kagoshima

This soup is made with a mild, slightly sweet tonkotsu base and is paired with straight, thin noodles for a flavor that’s also popular with women and children. I recommend the restaurant Zabon Ramen. The secret sauce sinks to the bottom of the bowl, so the restaurant’s recommended eating style involves using the chopsticks and spoon to pull up the noodles from the bottom of the bowl and mix it around before eating.

（Kawano）

Ramen Kokinta is famous for its Kagoshima Ramen. It’s made with tonkotsu, yet it’s not greasy, and makes a great final dish after a night of drinking!

（Riwo）

I'm not sure if there is a category for Kagoshima ramen, but Komurasaki is one of the oldest and most popular ramen restaurants in Kagoshima. There’s kurobuta pork chashu cut into a size that’s easy to eat with the noodles, the cloudy yet refreshing soup, the cabbage that’s softened just the right amount, making it a very unique dish. You can also add garlic to switch up the flavor a little bit—that’s been a popular thing to do at Komurasaki long before places offered options to add to your meal after it’s served.

（Chako）

The smell of the old-fashioned tonkotsu soup is the best.

（Sakaguchi Kosei）

Kagoshima Ramen doesn’t have a strict definition, but Kagoshima Ramen Miyoshi-ya is a restaurant with a soup made with tonkotsu and lots of vegetables that’ll have you drinking it all to the last drop. I have mine with gyoza.

（Worita）

You can’t talk Kagoshima noodles without mentioning Zabon Ramen. It’s similar to champon, which has been a favorite of locals for ages.

（MEE）

Somen Nagashi in Kagoshima is different from the traditional style in which noodles slide down a long strip of bamboo. Instead, it’s in a circular device that keeps the noodles endlessly flowing in a circle. Tosenkyo, located in Ibusuki, uses delicious water for the flowing noodles. Recently they’ve introduced basins with water flowing in the opposite direction for left-handed guests, in addition to their right-handed and double-capacity basins. I’d love to go here with friends or family one summer.

（Satsuma Okojo）

Not only is it a blast sitting around a round table with everyone and eating noodles from a basin that keeps the noodles flowing in water, but it’s absolutely delicious. My favorite shop in Ibusuki is Tosenkyo Somen Nagashi.

（Kayoko）

It’s fun having noodles spin around in a basin of water. My family and friends have so much fun when we eat here. It’s such a charming place.

（Kami）

Tosenkyo Somen Nagashi in Ibusuki City, Kagoshima is a must-visit place if you visit Kagoshima in the summer. The noodles flow in cold spring water, and they make their own original soup base. You can enjoy a real feast when you eat here.

（Hamaguri）

Yabukin is a restaurant on the Sakurajima Ferry that takes 15 minutes each way. Nankai Udon is a restaurant on the Kamoike-Tarumizu Ferry, which takes 45 minutes each way. These “Ferry Udon” restaurants offer comfort food that’s a huge draw when riding these ships. The Sakurajima Ferry has a short travel time, so the udon is on the soft side, while the udon on the Kamoike-Tarumizu Ferry is a bit firmer. No matter which is your preference, it’s amazing to be able to enjoy the udon on the water at the same time you’re enjoying the great views. The simple kake-udon with broth and no toppings is also super delicious!

（Asuka）

The Tarumizu Ferry, which takes riders from the Osumi Peninsula to the Satsuma Peninsula, includes an udon restaurant. Passengers park their cars at the bottom of the boat, go up to the cabin, and for some reason, everyone goes to eat the udon. So many Kagoshima people who have left the prefecture, including myself, can imagine the soup smell of this “Ferry Udon” when thinking about our hometown.

（quuuuuma）