1/28 11am vs 11pm
The lines on avg were 45mins +/- 15 depending on luck. Temperature that day was near freezing with strong winds and rain. Lineup composed of all tourists.
Again not making any judgements. Tourists are welcome to fulfill their ig/tiktok dream of eating there. The fact is no locals are willing to brave these circumstances to eat ichiran. Whether I think it’s mid or not is not important.
For the record I’ve had ichiran multiple times, always late night post drinks when there are no viable options close by. If there is a small independent open I will always defer to that. Have never lined up at ichiran nor will ever consider doing so. Perfectly servicable in those circumstances.
No I didn’t go in on the day these pics were taken. My hotel was nearby and I thought it was interesting to see so many people brave the elements. I also thought of this sub and the constant bickering ichiran generates.
by tangjams
10 Comments
This is on a Tuesday btw. We all know lineups are ubiquitous on weekends in tourist hotspots of japan nowadays.
Please don’t be insulted when people say there are better ramen shops that have better cost performance, with less of a wait. That’s simply a fact, not something worth getting butthurt about.
People go to ichiran for the “fun” cultural experience, it’s a story they’ve been sold, food is secondary. That’s something plenty of restaurants are guilty of and nothing to be ashamed of. You certainly cannot sell taste on social media. Good for them for becoming a successful international juggernaut.
What’s annoying is when people in good faith make alternative suggestions and get casted into “hater” category.
Locals don’t go to Ichiran as it’s kind of become an unspoken rule that it’s a great distraction for the tourists. It’s basically Disneyland at this point.
I agree with you. It’s a massive chain, which means it will never be that great but chains are good for convenience (I’ve also had it late at night after drinking, and it really hits the spot). The massive lines at tourist hot spots mean the opposite of convenience, which defeat the purpose of Ichiran for me tbh. It’s like lining up for Starbucks – it’s passable quality and very convenient, but the product is simply not worth lining up ages for, and often you can find much better coffee at a local independent spot (same with ramen in Japan).
Also idk about Fukuoka, but in Tokyo there are locations that are much less busy than the touristy spots. Why wait hours at Ichiran in Shinjuku when you can take the train 3 stops to Nakano where you can probably just walk straight in? Aren’t they all the same anyway?
That is a cool building though.
Scared to ask since some people act like elitists here, but is that entire building the restaurant? I looked it up and it appears to be the largest location, so I’m assuming, but still thought I’d inquire.
Locals don’t go to Ichiran anymore. No one has the time or desire. It got so popular with tourists because of its unique model where the customer doesn’t have to interact with anyone, and people saw that on social media and thought “wow, that’s so Japanese” and started flocking to it when they visited. What used to be an easy way to get some quick ramen in Japan has become an ordeal that just isn’t worth it anymore. If you can find a shop that doesn’t have a line in front of it, it’s worth trying, but it’s not worth waiting 45 minutes outside
We stayed in Fukuoka in a hotel right around the corner of Ichiran and I think we walked past their HQ multiple times a day.
Managed to basically walk right in on day two because we were hungry and there was absolutely no line.
Ramen was pretty decent, but nothing special.
So more of a been there-done that kind of experience.
Just behind Ichiran (where the bar/izakaya/red light district is) is a small Ramenya that seems to be really popular, because there was always a really long line of people waiting.
The Ichiran ramen were the only ramen we had during this stay in Japan though, because when it comes to food, my husband and I are drifters. We drift until we end up at whatever restaurant/bar we stumble upon that suits our mood at that moment. As long as the food looks good, we’ll eat it. Even if it’s tuna stew with tuna eyeballs in a restaurant at the fish market (the stew was really delicious).
If I were a tourist and I had a choice between ichiran and a local place then I think I would choose ichiran. I don’t have any around me so it might be the only time I get to eat a massively popular chain. 45 minutes wouldn’t be that long of a wait for it.
I would try multiple ramen places though, so hopefully I wouldn’t have to make that decision
デカイなぁ(笑)
I always loved the one in Shinjuku and u can’t even tell how it spiders throughout many floors of the building (but not all)