Try Aoshima Shokudo’s Nagaoka Shoga Shoyu Ramen

by Tomo · Published December 5, 2019 · Updated September 9, 2022

Niigata is a prefecture situated about 300 km northwest of Tokyo.

And Nagaoka (長岡) currently has the second largest population in the prefecture, approximately 2.7 hundred thousand, after Niigata City.

Nagaoka is nationally famous for its fireworks festival annually held on August 2 and 3, when many people come to see it from around the country.

The city also prides itself on a flavor of ramen known as one of Niigata’s five major local ramen, and I visited the place the other day.

Nagaoka Shoga Shoyu Ramen (長岡しょうが醤油ラーメン)

The regional specialty of Nagaoka, called Shoga Shoyu Ramen (しょうが醤油ラーメン), is also available in instant noodles, and I enjoyed one just now.

In its name, Shoga (しょうが) is the Japanese word for ginger, while Shoyu (醤油) is soy sauce.

And Shoga Shoyu Ramen is a bowl of soy sauce-based ramen with a hint of ginger taste.

Several ramen restaurants in Nagaoka are popular for Shoga Shoyu Ramen.

And among them, Aoshima Shokudo (青島食堂) is the most famous, known as the originator of Nagaoka Shoga Shoyu Ramen.

The long-established shop has three branches in Nagaoka, and I visited the Miyauchi-Ekimae head shop in front of JR Miyauchi Station.

As you can see in the photo, the shop may be hard to find because the signboard denoting the place is small besides old.

Nonetheless, the restaurant always has many people slurping the noodles.

Aoshima Shokudo’s Shoga Shoyu Ramen features a deep soy sauce taste, and its subtle ginger note makes the aftertaste refreshing.

It is a bowl of ramen loved by locals for decades, with its name known throughout Niigata.

I also love it for a long time for its delicious taste, and I can confidently recommend it to all ramen lovers.

Fortunately, Aoshima Shokudo has a location in Akihabara, Tokyo (Google Map).

So if you are curious about the taste, why not drop by the place?