Ichiran Shimbashi Branch

In Shimbashi, the holy ground for working businessmen, there’s a ramen shop open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. If that shop were Ichiran, the famous tonkotsu ramen spot, wouldn’t that be awesome? In Shimbashi, you can get authentic Hakata tonkotsu ramen 24/7, whenever you want it. So, eager to take advantage of this, I visited Ichiran Shimbashi Branch on a weekday morning for some morning ramen…

“This is Shinbashi for you!”—that’s the kind of scene it is, but it makes it a bit awkward to enter the shop in the morning… Ichiran Shinbashi Branch is a restaurant like this…

I arrived at Ichiran Shinbashi Branch around 6 a.m. on a weekday morning. It operates on the second floor of the MANEKI Shinbashi Building, likely owned by the karaoke chain Manekineko. So, I tried to go up to the second floor… but a young guy passed out drunk was sprawled across the building entrance, making it hard to get inside. It’s a scene that makes you think, “That’s Shinbashi for you!” but to avoid any trouble, maybe it’s better to be a bit careful about visiting early in the morning.

Anyway, I made my way past them into the building, went up to the second floor, bought a meal ticket from the vending machine, and entered the restaurant. True to Ichiran style, there are no table seats inside; instead, there are 32 counter seats designed for focused eating. What surprised me a bit was that, despite the early hour, about half the customers at this time were foreigners. Could it be that the Japanese morning ramen culture is finally spreading to foreign tourists too…?

This time I customized the soup to be richer… How did the Natural Tonkotsu Ramen (since founding) + Soft-Boiled Salted Egg + Extra Chashu (4 slices) I ordered at Ichiran Shimbashi Branch actually turn out?

So, let me introduce the Natural Tonkotsu Ramen (since founding) + Soft-Boiled Salted Egg + Extra Chashu (4 slices) (¥1,520 including tax) I ordered at Ichiran Shimbashi Branch this time. After handing my meal ticket to the staff and waiting just under 10 minutes, the ramen brought before me was…

Like this. The ramen’s visual appearance is the same as always, but the chashu and soft-boiled egg arrived on a separate plate. By the way, this time’s customization was…

I only adjusted the “soup flavor intensity” to “rich flavor,” keeping everything else at the standard setting.

Alright, let’s dive right into that soup… Hmm, the umami depth is definitely richer compared to the standard. It’s just a tad oily, with a rich, mellow pork flavor… Until now, “flavor intensity → standard” was my default at Ichiran, but I might switch to “rich flavor” from now on. That said, the faint hint of pork bone aroma lingering in the soup is also slightly stronger. Personally, I’d call it just a “slight quirk,” but if you dislike pork bone aroma, you might want to skip the “rich flavor.”

On the other hand, the noodles are straight, thin, and have a chewy texture. It feels like classic Ichiran! But because the soup is richer, even my lazy morning taste buds can really feel the soup’s flavor spreading in my mouth when I slurp the noodles.

Then, the toppings I ordered extra: four slices of chashu pork…

…and a soft-boiled salted egg. The chashu is thinly sliced, and each piece isn’t very big, so you can easily eat it in one bite. It’s best to dip each slice thoroughly in the soup, letting it soak up the moisture and pork bone umami before popping it in the mouth. The soft-boiled egg, meanwhile, had a perfectly runny yolk but was barely seasoned. Since it arrives cooled down, I recommend dropping it into the soup right away and letting it sit for a bit before eating.

That’s how I thoroughly enjoyed my morning ramen at Ichiran Shimbashi Branch before leaving. It had been a little over a year since my last morning ramen visit to Ichiran’s Head Office, but man, morning ramen at Ichiran is just the best… I think opting for a richer soup flavor this time was perfect for waking up my sleepy brain and taste buds. I wonder if there are 24-hour Ichiran locations in Kyoto or Osaka? I should look into that and give them a try.

Sure enough, there’s a shop corner… Access to Ichiran Shimbashi Branch is a 3-minute walk from JR Shimbashi Station, the nearest station.

Despite its compact space, Ichiran Shimbashi Branch does indeed have a shop corner…

The prices are a bit higher than regular instant ramen, but if you love Ichiran’s flavor, buying some as a souvenir to take home is a good idea. Also, some products can be purchased online or through hometown tax donation programs. I’ve included links to the purchase pages below, so feel free to use them if you like.

Now, here are the shop details…