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Menkui Wanderer（麺喰ワンダラー）

column 2025.06.03 The 1,000 yen wall vs plain ramen

The “1,000 yen wall(千円の壁 Senenno Kabe)” has been in the news every day. In the midst of this, plain ramen is starting to get the spotlight. The basic menu has become 1,000 yen or more, and as a solution to this, “plain ramen(素ラーメン Su ramen)” is being offered for under 1,000 yen.

At “MAIKAGURA” in Chitose Funabashi, the basic soy sauce ramen is now 1,100 yen. So the menu item “kakesoba(かけそば; Plain noodles)” (890 yen) was born. It is said that many people, including students, order this dish, which only has noodles and soup.

For several years, “Ramen Yamaguchi(らぁ麺やまぐち)” (Waseda) has been offering “Kakesoba” (930 yen). Since it is a town with many Waseda students and prep schools, it seems that many people order this menu item.

“Nanzo(なんぞ)” (Sengawa), which just opened this year, also has “Plain noodles with soy sauce” for 800 yen, compared to the basic menu which costs 1,000 yen. When I asked the owner, he said that many people who eat consecutive meals order this as their second bowl. I actually ate it that way too, and when a shop offers soy sauce and salt flavors and the toppings are the same, I thought “I wish they had plain ramen,” so maybe there is a demand for it.

Shop Information

Ramen MAIKAGURA(らーめんMAIKAGURA)
Official information
1-38-4 Funabashi, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo 156-0055

Ramen Yamaguchi(らぁ麺やまぐち)
Official information
3-13-4 Nishi-Waseda, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 169-0051

Ramen Specialty Shop Nanzo(ラーメン専門店 なんぞ)
Official Information
2-25-20 Wakabacho, Chofu City, Tokyo 182-0003

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