The world’s only gendered ramen – a popular Okinawa brand makes its Taiwan debut

By MOOK Scenic Spots Editorial Team

The must-try ramen in Okinawa, “Ryukyu Shimpai Tonton,” made its Taiwan debut in March of this year as a limited 21-day pop-up store, generating an overwhelming response and drawing large crowds. It also set the highest sales record for that area since its opening. And with joint efforts from Japan and Taiwan, Tonton’s overseas store has officially confirmed its opening in Taipei on September 9. The plan is to open two branches in the short term, located in Taipei’s two major transit hubs – one in the east and one in the west.

“Ryukyu Shimpai Tonton” is famous for claiming to be the world’s first “gendered ramen,” featuring a rich pork bone broth for the male flavor, and a light, smooth salt-flavored chicken broth for the female flavor. The idea originated when there were various opinions on how to name the pork bone and salt-flavored chicken broths. The spontaneous ideas of “male flavor” and “female flavor” were met with unanimous praise and have been retained ever since.

The first overseas branch of “Ryukyu Shimpai Tonton” officially opened on September 9 at Taipei’s Uni-President Department Store. The second branch will open on October 4 at Taipei Main Station. The Taiwanese branches will debut in a new format called “ramen izakaya,” offering not only ramen but also distinctive Okinawan izakaya dishes.

Additionally, the Uni-President store will begin a trial run on September 5, with a daily limited release of 500 bowls of ramen. Customers may also have the chance to win round-trip flight tickets between Taipei and Okinawa.