ICHIRAN Original Shop and Headquarters — Restaurant in Fukuoka

Instagram:osaka.okkun(Japanese office worker、travel world every month)

・Original Tonkotsu Ramen:980 JPY ・Additional green onions:130 JPY ・Small rice:200 JPY

Japan's leading ramen chain restaurant, Ichiran. Its head office is in Fukuoka. Yeah, of course, this is the first restaurant I visit on my trip to Fukuoka. My visit was at the beginning of August 2023. Unfortunately, my trip to Fukuoka coincided with a typhoon. Even though I came to Fukuoka from Osaka, many restaurants were closed due to heavy rain & strong wind. Even in such a situation, this restaurant is definitely reliable.

The entrance to this restaurant is on the 2nd floor. Even in the heavy rain, many foreigners and Japanese office workers are lined up on the stairs leading up to it(there are more foreigners than Japanese.lol). I was surprised to find that truly popular restaurants have long lines regardless of the weather.

There were about 10 people in line in front of me, but the wait was only about 10 minutes. As you all know, paper order forms is handed over, ・Strength of taste ・Amount of garlic ・Types of green onions ・With or without chashu ・Noodle hardness select these things and order original ramen you like(toppings circled with dotted lines are recommended by Ichiran)

There are various techniques when filling out this order form. For example, the green onion. You can choose between white onions and green onions, but if you circle both, you can get both. Also, when handing the form to the staff, if you tell them that you want the green onions on a separate plate, the ramen will be served without it, instead of being topped on ramen(For example, this is useful when sharing ramen with your child who doesn't like green onions).

And speaking of Ichiran, a table with partitions called Ramen Focus Booth. It allows you to concentrate on enjoying your ramen in a relaxed manner, free of unnecessary distractions. This system also supports a uniquely Japanese way of thinking. For Japanese people who care about what others think of them, going out to eat alone is not a good idea. (I think this is crazy, because I don't care how others think of me at all.That’s why my life is excellet, as you can see on my Instagram. lol) So, spread as a ramen restaurant that is good for even one person to eat.

Needless to say, the rich soup & ramen noodles are very delicious. Having eaten a lot of ramen, I honestly thought that Ichiran's ramen was just for tourists. The idea was turned...

"There's no way I waited 20 minutes for the exact same experience as any other Ichiran," I thought, walking out after my meal.

But that's the unfortunate truth.

Surely Ichiran HQ has some menu items or services only offered here right? If that's why you're visiting, save yourself the trip. It's Ichiran. Don't get me wrong, I love Ichiran. It's good, cheap, and easily accessible to foreigners since you don't need to say a word to enjoy your meal. So there's really no reason to come here specifically to get Ichiran.

There is literally nothing different about this place compared to any other Ichiran you've had other than the fact that:

If you don't beat the crowd of tourists by getting here early, you're going to have to wait in line as usual, only this time the line snakes up multiple floors in a stairwell that isn't really comfortable to stand in after you get over the initial novelty in the first couple of minutes. Later in the day it looks like they set up a line outside. But either way you'll be waiting. The good thing is that even though the lady asked me if an hour wait was okay (which I wasn't about to just leave after walking 45 mins to get here), I didn't actually wait more than 20 minutes after pre-filling out my ramen ordering sheet in the stairwell that I got from an employee stationed there.

Although the building is impressive, the restaurant itself is exactly the same on the inside as any other Ichiran (oh wait, the dividers between seats are a little taller) , and there's no extra services or menu items you can't get at a normal Ichiran...so do yourself a favor and just go to any other Ichiran and save yourself the wait.

...or come here to take a couple pics of the building exterior and...

Hai yes the Grand Headquarters of Ichiran Ramen - the pride of Hakata OSU. It’s a huge tall building with all the Ichiran colours n huge flags denoting Ichiran - You can’t miss it! ☝️The ichi ban ramen for Tonkatsu Ramen has its Iconic head office and an outlet here in Fukuoka! The outlet has 2 types of seatings, the usual single counter seats or yatai styled ones. The Ramen is ordered quintessentially Ichiran style - machine n finalised with a note for condiments n way u like your noodles. Tick it off - non spicy, spicy or very spicy/ noodles soft, medium, hard etc etc. It’s all very standardised and efficient. Ichiran Tonkatsu Ramen is then served in their unique Rectangular “Bowl”, shutters are pulled down for privacy n you’re off to slurp your noodles in peace. The broth is as expected thick with strong umami that has the deep taste of pork bones that have been boiled forever n ever! Yummylicious! Again I would add - some red ginger or tsukemono would give the meal that 101% touch. Once done and after that prerequisite Burp denoting full satisfaction, u head off with the sweet memory that u had your Ramen at the Mecca of Tonkatsu Ramen - Ichiran HeadQuarters! Gochisusama deshta...