Travel Guide
Ganso Supporo Ramen Yokocho, or Sapporo Ramen Alley, is a narrow lane lined with stores serving Sapporo's famous ramen you've ever tasted. The price is just right, the menu is not complicated. Ganso Ramen Yokocho is in the entertainment district of Susukino not far from the Susukino metro station on the Namboku Line.
The area was originally known as the Kouraku Ramen Meitengai, and was established in 1951, but was demolished in preparation for the 1972 Winter Olympics. Later the Ganso Supporo Ramen Yokocho was established in its place. Although ramen is especially suited to Sapporo’s cold winter nights, it’s just as delicious in the summer and Ganso Supporo Ramen Yokocho is popular with tourists year round.
In general, ramen is very famous in Japan, but Sapporo (the capital city of Hokkaido) is known as the birth place of Miso Ramen. Your trip to Sapporo is not complete without paying a visit to Ganso Ramen Yokocho. This alleyway is small and has many ramen shops to choose from.
In order to pick the right eatery, the first rule of thumb is to follow the local crowd. Once you are nicely seated and ordered your choice of ramen, look around and you’ll be able to observe something unusual, at least to my culture. When it comes to eating noodles the Japanese way, making slurping noises while eating is perfectly acceptable, in fact it is part of their culture and by doing so, it gives a cooling effect to the noodles and also to bring out the full flavor. In most of our culture it is rude to slurp, but in this case, it is rude not to slurp because it could indicate that the noodles is not tasty enough. But generally, it is okay not to slurp if you don’t look like a Japanese.
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Travel Advice
Sapporo Ramen
Ramen is a Japanese noodle, and Sapporo ramen is one of the three major ramens in Japan. The others are Hakata in Fukuoka city in Kyushu island and Kitagata in Fukushima Prefecture in Tohoku District. So there are many ramen restaurants in Sapporo.
Sapporo ramen is characterized by topping of fried vegetables. And some restaurants add butter to the soup. Generally, ramen comes in shoyu (soy sauce), salt, and miso flavors. Of them, Sapporo is known as the birthplace of miso ramen, a ramen noodle dish using miso, and Sapporo ramen is also widely known.
It is said that there are over 1,000 ramen restaurants in Sapporo city. Ganso Supporo Ramen Yokocho is one of the famous district where visitors can enjoy Sapporo ramen.
There are two Ramen Yokochos in Susukino district. One is Ganso Supporo Ramen Yokocho, and it has more than a dozen restaurants. Ganoso means original or first, and it was opened in 1971. The other is Shin Ramen Yokocho, and it has 4 restaurants. Shin means new, and it was opened in 1976. Both Ramen Yokocho are located near each other. Ganso Supporo Ramen Yokocho introduced here is Ganso Supporo Ramen Yokocho.
Additionally, there is Sapporo Ramen Kyowakoku (Republic of Ramen) on the 10th floor in ESTA (a commercial building) in front of JR Sapporo station. It is a theme park with 8 ramen restaurants. Half of the restaurants are from Sapporo, but the others are from Hakodate, Asahikawa, and so on.
Ask almost any Japanese what they would like to eat in Sapporo and invariably one of the first answers is the ubiquitous Ramen. These bowls of noodles are of course found everywhere else in Japan, but true connoisseurs (unless they are from Asahikawa or some other town on the island) believe those from Sapporo’s to be the best.
Visit
| Address | Nishi 3-8, Minami 5 jo, Chuo-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido | |
| Phone | 011-663-7575 (Ganso Sapporo Ramen Yokocho Association) | |
| Admission | Free | |
| Hours | 11:00 to 3:00 | |
| Closed | Open 7 Days a Week | |
| Duration | 1 hour | |
| Getting There | By Train 3 minutes ride by train from Susukino Station on subway Nanboku Line or subway Toho Line. By Car Take Hokkaido Expressway to the Sapporominami exit. It is approximately 12 kilometers from exit. |
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| Parking | Paid parking available nearby | |
Attractions in Japan