Delicious ramen with smooth noodles and soup.
Sano City, Tochigi Prefecture, has a local ramen made using a slightly unusual method. Sano ramen is well-known nationwide, but surprisingly few people know much about its characteristics and history.

So this time, we will introduce you to the appeal of Sano ramen, including its characteristics and origins.

Characteristics of Sano Ramen

Sano ramen is a local ramen that is characterized by its curly noodles, made using a method called "Aotakeuchi," in which the noodles are made using green bamboo.

It is characterized by a clear soy sauce soup made from pork bones and chicken bones, and is light yet rich in flavor, making it a delicious match for the green bamboo noodles. Depending on the restaurant, it can also be paired with soups flavored with salt, miso, or sesame.

The origin and origin of Sano Ramen

Sano ramen has a long history, and it was around 1916 that a Western restaurant first served ramen in Sano.

At that time, a chef from China who worked at a Western-style restaurant is said to have taught Sano how to make noodles with a bamboo shoot. Later, the chef from the Western-style restaurant inherited this technique and opened a new ramen shop in 1930, which is said to be the beginning of Sano ramen.

At that time, ramen delivery was often used by workers in the textile industry and as a way to eat when they were busy. In the early Showa period, there were nearly 160 ramen restaurants for a population of 50,000, so it can be said that the culture of eating ramen was already deeply rooted in Sano.

It was around 1988 that Sano ramen started to spread across the country. Wanting more people to try the delicious Sano ramen, ramen shops in the city got together and formed the "Sano Ramen Association."

It is said that the name "Sano Ramen" spread throughout the country after promotional activities for bamboo-throwing were held at department stores in Tokyo and other places.

Ingredients and recipe for Sano Ramen

Sano Ramen is often made using the "Aodakeuchi" method, which involves placing a bamboo pole on top of a dough of hardened wheat flour, then hooking one foot onto the bamboo and bouncing your whole body to create the noodles at a steady pace.

By using green bamboo to make the noodles, tiny air bubbles are created within the noodles, and by adding a little more water to the noodles and kneading them, they are finished into unique hand-made noodles that have just the right amount of softness and firmness.

Another unique feature of Sano ramen is the boiling time for the noodles. Because there are many air bubbles in the noodles, they are easily heated and boiled in a shorter time than usual. The perfect boiling time gives the noodles a firm texture and a unique rough mouthfeel.

In addition, Sano ramen is made with many ingredients such as roast pork, bamboo shoots, naruto (fried vegetables), and spring onions, giving it an appearance reminiscent of old-fashioned Chinese noodles. Its mild, unobtrusive flavor means you won't get tired of eating it every day, and it is still loved by people of all ages.

The appeal of Sano ramen

The appeal of Sano ramen is that you can enjoy the original deliciousness of the noodles, such as the texture of the uneven parts of the handmade noodles, the feel on the tongue when slurping them, and the smoothness they go down easily.
The freshly made noodles are cut with a knife and then kneaded by hand to make them purposely curly. This makes them easier to mix with the soup, creating a sense of unity between the noodles and soup when eaten.

Another secret to the deliciousness of Sano ramen is the water used in the noodles and soup. The water in Sano, nurtured by the rich natural environment, is said to be mild and mellow, making it ideal for making ramen.

Tochigi Prefecture is blessed with such abundant natural blessings, but its climate has certain unique characteristics.
In winter, dry winds blow, nights are cold, and summers are hot and humid, resulting in a climate with large temperature differences. For this reason, the amount of water used in ramen noodles is changed depending on the temperature, humidity, and weather of the day, and the way the noodles are made is adjusted daily.

Also, some Sano ramen restaurants deliberately offer machine-made noodles in order to provide a consistent, delicious taste.
It is these clever innovations that make Sano ramen so delicious and give the restaurant its unique flavor.

Access to Sano City

From here, we will introduce how to access Sano City.

Speaking of Sano, there is the Izuruhara Benten Pond Spring, which has been selected as one of the 100 famous waters of Japan.
This is the source of the Izuru River, and if you stand on its banks you can clearly see the carp swimming gracefully in the water and the algae growing on the bottom.

Clear water springs from the cracks of the limestone, a paleozoic layer, and the water temperature is around 16 degrees throughout the year. The surrounding area is lush with forests, and the cool weather makes it a popular summer resort. The vermilion-painted tower gate and Isoyama Benzaiten shrine next to the spring pond are also highlights, so why not stop by when you're sightseeing?

If you are heading to Sano by train, you can take the JR Tohoku Shinkansen from Tokyo to Oyama Station, then transfer to the JR Ryomo Line to Sano Station. The whole journey takes about 80 minutes.

If you are coming from the Tokyo metropolitan area by car, take the Tohoku Expressway from Kawaguchi JCT to Sano Fujioka JC. It takes about 35 minutes.

If you are heading by highway bus, we recommend taking a direct bus from Tokyo Station or Shinjuku Station if you are coming from the Tokyo area. This will take you to Sano Shintoshi Bus Terminal without any transfers. It takes about 95 minutes. Please use this as a reference.

Location of Sano City, Tochigi Prefecture

summary

This time, we introduced the characteristics, history, and appeal of Sano ramen, a local gourmet food of Tochigi Prefecture.

At first glance, Sano ramen may look simple, but it is a dish that offers a deep flavor thanks to the attention to detail in noodle making and the texture created by a unique manufacturing method.

The official website of the Sano Ramen Association also has a ramen map with a list of participating stores. If you find a store that interests you, be sure to try a bowl of ramen there.

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