Arriving in Hokkaido at New Chitose Airport? Don’t miss the Ramen Stadium on the 3rd floor!

Text and photos by /Happy Yun

With autumn in the air lately, Yun suddenly craved ramen!!!! Recently, an old colleague mentioned going on a company trip to Hokkaido, Japan in a few days, which reminded Yun of her first visit to Hokkaido a few months ago. The trip was brief, but it happened to coincide with lavender season. And there was also super delicious Japanese ramen....Wow!!!! In this chilly season, I really want to eat a steaming bowl of rich, hearty ramen!!!

New Chitose Airport in Japan is such a lovely airport, and it’s super friendly to our Taiwanese friends too!! If you didn’t have time to exchange for yen, you can check out the SMART PAY (debit payment) service; withdraw money at designated ATMs in the airport, fee-free, and the exchange rate is based on the previous day’s rate!!!

Also, some shops in the airport not only offer fee-free payments via SMART PAY, but also give you a 2% cashback!!!! For example: LAWSON......etc.; super convenient and super great value!!!! For more details, please visit the official website or check out Yun’s previous article!!!!

Hahaha.... Today’s main point is to tell everyone that if you’re flying back to Taiwan from New Chitose Airport, you must, MUST leave extra time for the airport!!!

Because Hokkaido’s New Chitose Airport is just way too.... fun, too good for shopping, and way too delicious!! Aside from the beloved Doraemon (Doraemon),

the Ramen Stadium on the 3rd floor (Hokkaido Ramen Stadium) is just..... amazing!!! It brings together famous ramen shops from Hokkaido (around nine or ten stores)

including Ichiban, Asahikawa Baikohken, Shirogane Shanzan, Jirochou, Ginparusu, Ouwa, Sapporo Miso Ramen Keyaki, Sapporo Ramen Yokocho....... (apparently they rotate some shops from time to time)

If your stomach allows, you can try them all in one go here, but there are just too many delicious ramens in Hokkaido.

So you still have to pick just one!! At the Ramen Stadium, every shop is so tempting!! And each has its own loyal fans.

Ah~~~~ So hard to choose!!!!! Which one should I go for???

Our local friend “Kobayashi,” who used to work at a ramen shop, recommended “Ichiban” as a ramen expert. What’s so special about this ramen??

Just by looking at the crowd lining up outside the shop, you can tell it must be a great place!! At that time, this shop seemed to have the longest line.... We waited nearly half an hour before finally getting seated. What’s special about this shop is that their broth is made with “shrimp”!!

Ah~~~ shrimp, Yun’s favorite, so of course she ordered it without hesitation!! But honestly, making broth with shrimp is actually quite risky—if the shrimp isn’t good quality or fresh...etc., the resulting broth can turn out pretty.... awful!!!

When the staff served noodles to other tables, the whole shop was filled with a rich aroma—the sweet, fresh scent of shrimp wafted through the air, reminding one of the manga “Cooking Master Boy.” This was the realm of the ocean, the kingdom of shrimp. This Ichiban, using sweet shrimp heads to make the broth, was truly something to look forward to!!! Maybe it’s because everyone was so excited that they were willing to wait in such long lines, waiting and waiting....

A bowl of shrimp ramen for 780 yen arrived!!! Wow~~~ there were also bright red shrimp roe (I think?? Kind of forgot). Took a sip of the broth, and the rich, fresh shrimp flavor burst in my mouth, shooting straight to my brain through saliva and air!! Wow~~~~ What a “shrimpy” sip of broth—wonder how much shrimp essence went into it!!! The broth.... is so delicious!!!! This.... is absolutely a dish for shrimp-loving Yun, totally different from any ramen broth I’ve had before!

Now for a bite of the noodles!! The firmness is just the familiar Japanese ramen texture—chewy noodles. Some might find them a bit too firm, but this is exactly the texture I love. One bite of noodles, one sip of broth, so..... satisfying. Then another bite of the pork slice and a spoonful of the onsen tamago (egg)—such a simple bowl of ramen, yet so incredibly happy-making!

All those doubts while waiting in line about whether to switch to another shop..... all those thoughts just faded away. I’m so glad we stuck with our choice to meet such a uniquely delicious experience. The ramen expert Kobayashi’s recommendation was truly professional!!! Amazing!! He also recommended a ramen shop in Sapporo’s Tanukikoji area yesterday—it was super yummy too (all the customers were Japanese)

Ichiban’s shrimp ramen broth is all-shrimp flavored, but they also have a half-shrimp, half-pork bone version. According to a friend who tried it, the broth has two distinct layers of flavor, which was also awesome. Looking at the photos again, reminiscing about that ramen moment, my stomach’s growling—I really want to eat ramen now!!!　

Hahaha, next time I go to Hokkaido’s New Chitose Airport, I’ll definitely have to grab a bowl of ramen when I arrive, and another on the way back!! I want to try all ten ramen shops here!! Next time friends go to Hokkaido, don’t miss out on this amazing airport and the Hokkaido Ramen Stadium!!

Hokkaido Ramen Stadium

http://www.new-chitose-airport.jp/ja/spend/shop/eat/place/place6.html

*For more content, see --->Happy Yun’s Travel Blog*