AKITA - RAMEN JAPAN

Ramen Japan, welcome to Akita. We go in search of local ramen favorites to warm the body and soul in the heart of snow country. Welcome to Japan, the land of ramen. Akita lies to the northwest of Japan's Tohoku region. Surrounded by sea and mountains, close to 70% of its land is covered in forest. Winters here are harsh, sometimes seeing snowfall of over 2 meters. Locals have a long tradition of finding clever ways to keep warm. And when it comes to Akita ramen, one place can't be overlooked. The southwestern port town of Yurihonjo. It's 4.30 a.m. Even though it's still dark out, this ramen shop is open for business. Customers come in one after another, and the sounds of slurping ramen fill the air. Ramen for breakfast. Eating ramen as a morning meal or morning ramen has become a local tradition. Around two-thirds of the ramen shops here in Yurihonjo offer morning ramen. To find out why, this is the place to go. The morning market in front of the station. Fresh fish, vegetables and all kinds of foods are bought and sold here. The market is also open to the public. And after the shopping is done, the market apparently started with street vendors in the late 1950s. There were street vendors who brought in local ingredients and sold them on the train. We bought them and distributed them all over the place. Shoiko are wooden racks that were worn on the back to carry goods. At the time, porters would buy produce at the market and carry it on their backs to sell elsewhere. It was to workers like these at the market that ramen was first offered for breakfast. Ramen has become an Akita tradition. One style dates back to 1935. Surrounded by mountains to the east and west, the Yokote Basin is the largest in Japan. To the south lies Jumonji, a town of just under 12,000 residents, where the ramen in question is found. Despite the blizzard, this shop is still open for business. I think it's a taste that Tohoku people love the most. Third generation owner, Sato Hirokazu, tells us what makes it so special. The dashi is the life. The dashi is made from grilled dried fish, simmered dried fish, and bonito flakes. We take the dashi and blend it with the soy sauce to complete the dish. Japanese style dashi, customarily made with shaved dried bonito and kombu seaweed. Then there's the noodles. They're not made with the alkaline water used to make ordinary ramen. Alkaline water turns wheat flour yellow, adding flavor and a firm texture. I can't use my waist, so I do hand kneading to make the noodles thinner. Let's watch the expert noodle makers at work. The hand kneading is done by these women. Doi Misako is a 27-year veteran. Hand kneading produces distinctive noodles with irregular thickness and a delicate curl. Most unique of all to this local variety of ramen are the toppings they use. The real standout is this. It's called fu. Fu is a dried food made from wheat gluten. As is, it's far too hard to eat. But when it absorbs liquid, it expands like a sponge and becomes soft. It's long been used as an ingredient in dishes like miso soup. This style of ramen has been in the family for generations. When it comes to local ramen history, one shop in particular can't be overlooked. It's run by second generation owner Kawagoe Yoko and her son Ryo. Way back in 1935, the town was visited by someone from China who taught noodle making. Yoko's father Kuraji was a student. Kuraji, his wife Tama and her sister Yuki came up with a soup that paired well with the noodles. It's a mixture of kelp and a few types of dried fish. I think it's very rare to find this kind of soup in Japan. The real question was the toppings. Before the car industry, people used to make soup out of horse mackerels and cows. I don't think you could get much out of it. I heard that they added fugu to make it more filling. Noodles made without alkaline water, Japanese-style dashi soup, and fugu, wheat gluten, as a topping. First served in 1935. Now for the people who live here, this is ramen. I've been eating it since I was in middle school. It's the only thing I enjoy. I've been eating it for decades. It's been 40 years. It's been 60 years. 120 years. Hasn't the taste changed? No, it hasn't. Ramen made for over 90 years, still a beloved local favorite to this day. Akita City, the prefectural capital, is home to its own distinctive ramen. With a port on the Sea of Japan, it's long been a flourishing center for maritime trade. And here we find... Champon. Miso champon. Champon is a noodle dish originally from Nagasaki. Vegetables, pork, seafood, and lots of other ingredients, all simmered up together with the noodles. The first shop to offer champon in Akita is still in business today. The kitchen is run by second generation owner, Wadunabe Yoshiki. Akita style champon was the creation of his father, who was born in Nagasaki, where the dish originally came from. Plenty of veggies and seafood, just like the Nagasaki original. But he added his own special touch. Coating them in oil helps the noodles stay firm longer. This lets customers take their time while enjoying all the different toppings. There's another way Akita has made champon its own. Third generation owner, Ishikuro Satoshi, still makes it the original way. Soup made with miso, an Akita favorite that's also been thickened. And the bowl is filled to near overflowing. The thickened soup stays hotter longer. Outside the shop, the temperature is 0 degrees centigrade. In such bitter cold, lots of eager customers come in for the piping hot champon. I want customers to be satisfied with the taste as well as the appearance. I've been here for almost 40 years. I have three children. How is it? It's good. My body feels warm. Ramen born in the deep snow and bitter cold of Akita winter. Inspiring the people who offer it to look for ways to make it a little tastier, a little more satisfying. It's no wonder that even as the snow piles up outside, people brave the bitter cold for a taste. I'm going to work in the snow. I'm full of energy. Put on your warmest winter coat and come pay a visit for the best bowl of ramen you've ever had.