Ichikanjin — Restaurant in Kamakura

There’s a quiet little building on the road to somewhere else in Kamakura: nondescript from the outside, like the setting for a Netflix doc about a retired assassin who now only wants to make noodles. Walk past, and you might miss it. Most do. But if you’re wise (or just lucky and hungry) you’ll duck through the blue doors of this place and into a steamy, umami-soaked sanctuary where the broth is thick, the portions are reckless, and the vibes are pure Showa-era soul with a splash of Tampopo energy.

Let’s talk tsukemen, baby. You’ve got options. The “small” is 300g, which in noodle terms is “light lunch for sumo apprentice.” The large? 600g of carb-dense destiny. I went medium like a coward and still had to schedule a second stomach. The dipping broth? Rich, funky, porky, and a little smoky...like bacon took a sabbatical in a miso hot spring and learned to chill. The roast pork? Thick slabs of joy. The egg? Marinated perfection, like someone whispered secrets to it overnight.

I flirted with the spicy habanero tsukemen, which sounded like a dare from the kitchen, and yeah = it delivers. Enough heat to make you sweat respectfully, but not enough to question your life choices (unless you add extra TonToro for ¥450, then all bets are off).

Inside, it’s cash-only and cozy, with bar seating that encourages introspection or ramen-fueled spiritual awakenings. There’s a quirky charm to the place...vintage decor, handwritten signs, and what appears to be a small army of figurines silently judging your chopstick skills.

Pro Tip: Don’t make dinner plans after eating here. You won’t need them. You may not even need breakfast the next day. Just lean back, close your eyes, and let the broth rearrange your DNA.

Ichikanjin is a ramen shop that hides in plain sight, waiting to reward the observant and the hungry. Skip the hype spots, trust your gut (literally), and walk in. This is the kind of place that makes you cancel the rest of your Kamakura itinerary and just noodle-sit for the afternoon.

⭐ 4.8/5 — subtracting 0.2 stars only because I almost exploded from...

I still dream about the soy milk ramen that I got here. If you’re in kamakura, stop in and have a bowl of amazing noodles. Their regular pork is also amazing if you don’t have the budget for the pork cheek.

We got the soy milk ramen, dipping noodles, and the salad. The salad is so refreshing. Comes with a sort of creamy dill sauce, and one of the sweetest tomatoes I’ve had.

The soy milk ramen is unbelievable. I’ve never have anything like it elsewhere.

The dipping noodles are so chewy and perfect. The sauce for it is quite salty, but it’s a stellar combo with the noodles. You can ask for a jug of their hot broth water to water the dipping sauce down. You can turn your leftover dipping sauce into a soup at the end of your meal (if you still have room after the big meal).

The regular portion of noodles was enough for us. Save your stomach for more treats (fried taro, taro/green tea ice cream/ octopus sheet crackers) along the way to the temples if...

You would have to go to at least 50 ramen restaurants in Sydney to find one that comes close to this. We tried three ramen soups, one with soy sauce base, one with salt base and one with soy milk base. They were all delicious, with rich and flavorful stock. The soy sauce soup flavor was a standout. The pork slices in these soups are out of this world. So so good. I recommend ordering a bowl with extra pork (three slices instead of one), the meat is THAT good. You might not finish the bowl either way. It is a pretty big serve.

As an aside, the menu is in English and I was concerned stepping in that it would be a place that caters to foreign tourists who don’t know their food. Well, nothing could be further from the truth. This place is heaven for foodies. It was packed with locals and the menu being in English is a genuine courtesy to food-lovers who don’t read Japanese.

You haven’t had ramen until you’ve had ramen here.

Oh, and the...