Ramen Japan

    Santouka Ramen in Japan: The Asahikawa Original and Shops Abroad

    山頭火 · started in Asahikawa, Hokkaido

    Where to start in Japan: Santouka Asahikawa Honten (the first shop), Asahikawa. More Santouka shops below

    Where it started

    Hitoshi Hatanaka founded Santouka in March 1988 in Asahikawa, Hokkaido, four months after his family praised a pork soup he had been working on. The first shop had nine seats and one item on the menu: shio (salt) ramen.

    The style

    A white tonkotsu broth kept mild and low in salt, served in a round bowl with a small pickled plum (umeboshi) on top.

    Santouka says it does not reboil the finished soup, so a bowl can arrive less hot than you expect.

    Santouka outside Japan

    Santouka has its largest overseas presence in North America. Many of the US branches sit inside Mitsuwa Marketplace, a Japanese supermarket chain.

    • United States

      Los Angeles area (Torrance, Costa Mesa, Irvine, Cypress, LAX airport), San Diego, San Jose, Arlington Heights (Chicago area), Edgewater (New Jersey), Honolulu, Seattle and Bellevue, Boston, Cambridge and Allston, Tysons (Virginia)

    • Canada

      Vancouver, Richmond, Toronto

    • Hong Kong

      Tsim Sha Tsui

    • Taiwan

      Taichung, New Taipei

    • Malaysia

      Kuala Lumpur

    • Philippines

      Metro Manila, Tagaytay, Nuvali, Clark

    • Thailand

      Bangkok

    From the sources below, checked 2026-10-27. Branches open and close, so check the Santouka official site (English) before you go.

    Eating Santouka in Japan

    The Asahikawa Honten, near Asahikawa Station, is the first Santouka shop.

    Asahikawa is better known for shoyu ramen, so a shio bowl here stands apart. Santouka also has a branch in Asahikawa Ramen Village and one in Biei.

    Santouka shops on Japan Ramen Guide

    Read more

    Sources