Kitakata Kura Town & Ramen
喜多方
Home of one of Japan's three great ramen styles, with more than 4,000 preserved earthen storehouses; start the morning with a bowl of soy-sauce ramen, then stroll the old streets.
Kitakata lies about 20 km north of Aizu-Wakamatsu and, together with Sapporo and Hakata, is known as one of Japan's three great ramen cities. Its flat, wavy thick noodles are served in a clear soy-sauce broth. The city has more than 100 ramen shops and a morning ramen culture known as 'asa-ramen.' The famous shops Sakauchi Shokudo and Makoto Shokudo open as early as 7 a.m. The old town preserves more than 4,000 white-walled or brick earthen storehouses (dozō). You can wander through shops converted from storehouses, sake breweries, and the Kitakata Kura-no-Sato Museum. From Aizu-Wakamatsu, the JR Banetsu-Sai Line takes about 20 minutes to Kitakata Station, and bicycles can be rented for touring the city.
Opening hours
Open all day (ramen shops mostly open morning to afternoon)
Nearby sights
- Shingu Kumano Shrine Nagatoko
- Aizu Han School Nisshinkan
- Nanokamachi Street
- Suehiro Sake Brewery (Kaei-gura)
- Sazaedo
- Mount Iimori (Byakkotai Graves)
- Tsuruga Castle (Aizu-Wakamatsu Castle)
- Fukushima Museum