Last Updated on 2週間 ago by Nomambo
The Places We Return To
My wife and I are always curious about somewhere new.
We like going to different places, seeing different landscapes, and encountering different ways of life. Because of that, it is actually quite unusual for us to visit the same place twice.
Yet there are a few places we keep returning to.
Handmade Ramen Kaede, a small ramen shop in Utsunomiya, Tochigi, is one of them.
It takes us nearly two hours to drive there.
For a bowl of ramen.
The drive itself has become part of the experience.
On the way, my wife and I talk about the ramen we had last time and carefully discuss what we should order this time.
Which bowl should we try?
Should we order the same thing?
Should one of us finally try something different?
Our discussion is surprisingly serious for a family driving two hours for lunch.
Meanwhile, our children are singing loudly in the back seat, completely unconcerned with our strategy.
Entering Our Little Secret
Kaede stands along a busy road in Utsunomiya, but the entrance has a slightly hidden feeling.
We walk through a narrow passageway with screens blocking the view from the road.
Every time I walk through it, I get a small sense of excitement.
It feels almost like entering a secret base.
Of course, it is not a secret at all.
Other people know about this place, and the restaurant is part of everyday life for people in the neighborhood.
But to us, after the long drive and the anticipation of the meal, that little passage feels like an entrance into somewhere special.
Inside, we carefully make our way past the customers sitting at the counter and take our seats at a small table.
After all the discussion during the drive, it is finally time to order.
We Ordered the Same Ramen Again
A little later, the staff bring our food to the table.
And in the end, we ordered the same thing we had ordered before.
Pork belly chashu ramen.
Perhaps we had spent too much time discussing our options only to return to what we already knew.
But the lightly charred slices of chashu are difficult to resist.
There is something about their appearance that makes me want to order them every time.
I start eating.
The noodles disappear one mouthful at a time, and I begin to think that perhaps choosing the familiar bowl was not such a bad decision after all.
Then I notice a man at another table.
He is eating the kalbi ramen.
That was the bowl I had been tempted to order.
The one I had admired but never quite had the courage to choose.
I watch him for a moment.
Maybe next time.
A Ramen Shop That Feels Lived In
Kaede is not the kind of ramen shop that tries to impress you with its interior.
It does not have the polished atmosphere of some of the fashionable ramen shops you might find in Tokyo.
There is no elaborate presentation designed to make the bowl look spectacular in photographs.
It simply feels like a place where people come to eat.
Perhaps that is what I like about it.
The restaurant gives me the feeling that it has quietly existed alongside the everyday lives of people in Utsunomiya.
People come in, order their usual meal, eat, and leave.
There is nothing particularly dramatic about it.
And that is precisely what makes the place interesting to me.
In a city that is better known to visitors for its gyoza, Kaede’s dumplings are also somewhat different from the lighter, vegetable-heavy style often associated with Utsunomiya gyoza.
The filling here is more meat-forward and substantial.
For visitors who do not speak Japanese, ordering may look a little intimidating at first.
The menu and ticket machine are in Japanese, and I would not expect much English to be spoken.
However, the ticket machine has photographs, so it is possible to choose a dish by matching the pictures.
That small detail makes the experience considerably easier.
Maybe Next Time
On the drive home, we will probably talk about the ramen again.
We will probably remember the charred chashu.
We may talk about the gyoza.
And I suspect the kalbi ramen will come up, too.
Next time, perhaps I will finally order it.
Then again, there is a good chance that when we arrive, walk through that narrow passage, and sit down at our table, I will see those slices of charred pork on the menu and make the same decision all over again.
Some places become special not because they are extraordinary, but because you keep finding yourself returning to them.
For us, Kaede is one of those places.
And for one bowl of ramen, we are happy to drive two hours.
Small Notes
Location
Handmade Ramen Kaede, Utsunomiya, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan.(Google Map Link here)
Access
The nearest bus stop is Bentenbashi. Kanto Bus routes 01, 52, 56, and 58 serve the area.
One Practical Tip
Kaede does not appear to maintain a website or social media account, and its closing days may be posted by hand at the entrance.
If you are making a special trip to Utsunomiya just to eat here, I recommend having a backup restaurant in mind in case you find the shop closed.
Another restaurant located nearby Kaede we like, Tsukushi, is about a 20-minute walk or a seven-minute bus ride from Kaede. Perhaps that will be another story.