Ramen Jun Kamata

Located a 5-minute walk from JR Kamata Station East Exit, this is the first Tokyo branch of "Ramen Jun," known as the pioneer who introduced Niigata Tsubame-Sanjo style (Tsubame-Sanjo-kei) pork back fat soy sauce ramen (sebura shoyu ramen) to the city. Since its opening in June 2005, it has been a long-standing favorite in the competitive Kamata area, with a sister branch also located in Kameido, Tokyo. Its signature style, originating from Niigata's Tsubame-Sanjo region, is "pork back fat x dried sardines (niboshi) x soy sauce," with chopped onions and rock seaweed (iwanori) as essential toppings. The soy sauce-based soup, rich with the aroma of dried sardines, combines with a generous amount of sweet pork back fat, crispy chopped onions, and flavorful rock seaweed, creating a hearty dish that is satisfying without being overly rich. The noodles, unexpectedly thick and slightly wavy for "Chuka Soba" (Chinese noodles), are close to udon in thickness, offering a chewy texture and coated with pork back fat with every slurp. With a substantial 250g of noodles before cooking, it offers a top-class satisfying meal. The signature Iwanori Ramen (¥1280) is visually dominated by a massive amount of rock seaweed (iwanori) that covers the entire bowl, creating an impactful presentation where almost nothing else is visible. Beneath the rock seaweed, you'll find large slices of sweet pork belly chashu (braised pork) with less fat, seasoned bamboo shoots (menma), and chopped onions. The iwanori topping is said to have originated and spread from the "Ramen Jun" lineage in Niigata. The Chuka Soba (¥990) offers a classic, simple composition, while the Jiro-inspired (Jiro-kei) Junjiro Ramen (¥1340) is a dream dish for many, loaded with vegetables, offering a sense of indulgence, and topped with a soft-boiled egg (ontama). A diverse range of other options is also available, including Spicy Green Onion Ramen, Spicy Miso, and Abura Soba (oil noodles). The amount of pork back fat can be selected from 5 levels at the ticket machine: Ko-abura (less), Standard, Chu-abura (1.5 times standard), Oo-abura (2 times standard), and Oni-abura (4 times standard). Up to the third level, Chu-abura, is free, allowing you to customize freely according to your preference. Chopped onions are free, with options for "standard" or "extra," where the onion's crunchy texture and refreshing quality subtly balance the soup's richness. The table is equipped with yuzu kosho (citrus chili paste), grated garlic, white pepper, black pepper, ichimi togarashi (single-spice chili powder), and noodle sauce, offering a wide range of flavor adjustments. Open continuously from 10:00 AM to 12:00 AM on Mondays-Thursdays and Sundays, and from 10:00 AM to 1:00 AM (the following day) on Fridays and Saturdays, it's one of the few places where you can enjoy ramen from lunch to a late-night meal.