Japanese Ramen Chains Abroad: Find the Originals in Japan
Plenty of people meet Japanese ramen through a chain at home: Ippudo in London, Ichiran in New York, AFURI in Portland, Ikkousha in Jakarta, Santouka in Vancouver.
This page covers seven of those chains: where each one started in Japan, examples of the cities it runs in abroad, and the shops in Japan worth visiting if you want the original.
The chains
Ichiran 一蘭
Started in Fukuoka
Hakata tonkotsu eaten alone in a booth, with a red chili sauce and a paper order form. It started in Fukuoka, and its headquarters shop is in Nakasu. Abroad it runs shops in New York, Hong Kong, Taipei and Taichung.
Abroad: United States, Hong Kong, Taiwan
Ichiran in Japan and abroad →Ippudo 一風堂
Started in Fukuoka
Hakata tonkotsu from Fukuoka's Daimyo district, opened in 1985, known for its Shiromaru and Akamaru bowls. It has the widest reach of the chains here, with shops in New York, California, London, Paris, Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Jakarta and Singapore among others.
Abroad: United States, United Kingdom, France, Australia, Indonesia, Singapore
Ippudo in Japan and abroad →AFURI 阿夫利
Started in Kanagawa and Tokyo
Light chicken broth with yuzu citrus, named after Mount Afuri in Kanagawa. It began at the foot of the mountain in 2001 and opened its first Tokyo shop in Ebisu in 2003. Abroad it runs shops in Portland, New York, Los Angeles, Houston, Toronto and Hong Kong.
Abroad: United States, Canada, Hong Kong
AFURI in Japan and abroad →Ramen Nagi ラーメン凪
Started in Tokyo (Shinjuku Golden Gai)
Started in 2004 in an eight-seat space in Shinjuku's Golden Gai, open one day a week. In Japan it is known for intense niboshi (dried sardine) ramen; abroad most shops serve its Butao pork bowls, in the Philippines, Taiwan and California.
Abroad: Philippines, Taiwan, United States
Ramen Nagi in Japan and abroad →Santouka 山頭火
Started in Asahikawa, Hokkaido
Mild shio (salt) ramen on a white pork broth, served with a small pickled plum. It started as a nine-seat shop in Asahikawa, Hokkaido, in 1988. Abroad you find it across the US and Canada, often inside Mitsuwa supermarkets, and in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand.
Abroad: United States, Canada, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand
Santouka in Japan and abroad →Hakata Ikkousha 博多一幸舎
Started in Fukuoka
Foam-topped Hakata tonkotsu, opened in Hakata in 2004. Ikkousha says it has more than 60 shops in 10 countries, most of them in Indonesia, including Jakarta. In Australia the group's shops trade as Hakata Gensuke.
Abroad: Indonesia, Singapore, Mainland China, Australia, United States, Canada, Philippines, Brazil
Hakata Ikkousha in Japan and abroad →Tadaima Henshinchu ただいま変身中
Started in Tokyo
French-style ramen from chef Shota Saka, who spent 14 years in French cooking. The Tokyo original, Tadaima Henshinchu in Nakano, serves oyster ramen. Abroad the group runs Salmon Noodle 3.0 in New York and Jakarta and shops in Bangkok and Taipei, with Manila and Paris coming soon.
Abroad: United States, Thailand, Taiwan, Indonesia, Philippines, France, Switzerland, Italy
Tadaima Henshinchu in Japan and abroad →
Overseas cities come from each chain's own store list or printed shop map, checked in October 2026. Shops open and close, so check the chain's own site before you plan around one.
Comparing chains inside Japan?
Our Japanese ramen chains comparison covers ten chains you will see around Japan, with prices, ordering and broth styles. To find independent shops near the chain you plan to visit, use browse.