Jinrui Mina Menrui: A Fusion of the Near Future and Japanese Culture

On November 23, 2024, Jinrui Mina Menrui, one of the most popular restaurants in Osaka, opened its first Kyoto branch. The name of the new restaurant is “Jinrui Mina Menrui: A Fusion of the Near Future and Japanese Culture,” a name that suggests a new and unprecedented experiment.

With such an intriguing name, what kind of things are being done at this restaurant? With such curiosity, I visited the new ramen shop in Shijo-Kawaramachi on my way home from work the other day…

The interior certainly looks futuristic…Jinrui Mina Menrui: A Fusion of the Near Future and Japanese Culture is a restaurant like this…

The restaurant, Jinrui Mina Menrui: A Fusion of the Near Future and Japanese Culture, is located on the first floor of a building just a short walk from Kyoto Kawaramachi Station on the Hankyu Railway line in the direction of Gion. The shop is located on the first floor of a building, but it is a little further back, so it may be a little difficult to find if you are just walking along Shijo Dori. And there is another reason why it is hard to find. There are currently no long lines at this restaurant like there are at the Minamikata location of Jinrui Mina Menrui Osaka Head Shop. I visited the restaurant during lunch time on a weekday and was able to get in easily without waiting in line. If you know the situation of restaurants in Osaka, you would find this hard to believe.

After entering the restaurant, I first purchased a meal ticket from the ticket vending machine and took my seat. Inside the restaurant, there is a kitchen + counter and a small room at the back of the kitchen, and the total number of seats is 22 according to the information in the Tabelog. The interior of the restaurant certainly looked futuristic or, personally, spaceship-like. Now, I wonder how this futuristic look and Japanese culture will blend together. I guess that’s something to look forward to after eating the ramen…

How was the Kyoto-only “Jinrui Mina Menrui: A Fusion of the Near Future and Japanese Culture” Guilt-Free Happiness Ramen?

What I ordered this time at Jinrui Mina Menrui: A Fusion of the Near Future and Japanese Culture, was one of the Kyoto-only menu items available only at this restaurant so far: Guilt-Free Happiness Ramen. There are three thicknesses of chashu pork to choose from: thin, thick, and two thick…

After handing the ticket to the waiter, it took about 10 minutes for the Guilt-free Happiness Ramen to appear in front of me. The cloudy white soup is reminiscent of Toripaitan, but the white color is actually sake lees from the Sasaki Sake Brewery, a long-established sake brewery in Kyoto for 130 years. I guess this is how the restaurant has recovered both the “near future” and “Japanese culture” added to its name.

Let’s start with the soup… It looks like it has a very rich flavor. It is balanced enough to have a strong umami flavor, but not at all cloying. Then, a little later, the aroma of mellow sakekasu (sake lees) wafts from the mouth to the nose. It is not too refined, but has a very well-balanced taste. It has been a long time since I have encountered something that can be called a “new taste” of ramen.

On the other hand, the noodles were not the familiar whole wheat noodles, but straight, medium-thick noodles with a smooth surface. The noodles were pasta-like with a slightly high water content and a crispy texture when chewed. I heard that these noodles are gluten-free. I see, so that’s what “guilt-free” means…

And the main toppings, two thick slices of chashu pork, a specialty of Jinrui Mina Menrui… As always, the pork is thick and meaty, and the satisfaction that comes with the extra portion is unmistakable. Two pieces of this thick chashu pork will satisfy any craving, no matter how hungry you are for chashu pork, right? Well, that may be a far cry from “zero guilt”…

In this way, I finished up the guilt-free happy ramen in a few minutes, which is provided by Jinrui Mina Menrui: A Fusion of the Near Future and Japanese Culture. My stomach and heart were satisfied with the new sensation of having sake-kasu ramen, which I had never had before. Sakekasu is good for the body as it has skin beautifying, blood pressure lowering, and cholesterol lowering effects, so even those who are concerned about their health and save ramen can eat it with peace of mind. Of course, the ramen is satisfying enough to eat on a regular basis, so please try the only sake-kasu ramen in Kyoto.

Of course, three types of standard soy sauce ramen are also available… To get to Jinrui Mina Menrui: A Fusion of the Near Future and Japanese Culture, the nearest station is Kyoto Kawaramachi Station on the Hankyu Kyoto Line, a one-minute walk away.

At Jinrui Mina Menrui: A Fusion of the Near Future and Japanese Culture, of course, three types of classic soy sauce ramen are available: “Ramen Genten”, “Ramen Micro”, and “Ramen Macro”. Kyoto ramen lovers will be delighted to know that ramen from the restaurant that draws ridiculously long lines every day in Osaka will now be available in Kyoto as well. Perhaps it is a matter of recognition, but at the moment there are surprisingly few customers compared to the main store in Osaka or Jinrui Mina Menrui Premium in Umeda (it is common to be able to enter the store without waiting in line), so now is a good time to visit the place. In fact, I think it would be a good time for people from Osaka to come to Kyoto to eat here….Here are the details of the restaurant…

P.S. If you are looking for delicious ramens in Kyoto, please stop by this article below…