SoraNews24 —Japan News—

Bringing you yesterday's news from Japan and Asia, today.

TOP

» Japan
» Anime game girl helps make Tokyo ramen restaurant famous, chef becomes her fan

Featured

Weird
Studio Ghibli
Jobs

Anime game girl helps make Tokyo ramen restaurant famous, chef becomes her fan

Casey Baseel Nov 23, 2020
Tweet

Akihabara noodle joint becomes sacred ground for fans of voice actress game.

If you work in Akihabara, Tokyo’ neighborhood for all things anime and video game-related, you can assume that a lot of otaku have laid eyes on your place of business. However, even some people who’ve never visited Akihabara have seen local ramen restaurant Ryuken.

▼ Ryuken (exterior pictured top right)

昔ながらのラーメンを安価で提供しております！
ラーメン一杯480円！お財布に優しく営業中！！
併せて　名物リブ肉ラーメンも是非ご賞味ください！！

※トラブル防止の為コメントは差し控えさせていただきますので予めご了承いただければ幸いです。#関取ラーメン #秋葉原 pic.twitter.com/l8msmbQ0yK

— 関取ラーメン　竜軒 (@akiba_ryuken) March 15, 2020

That’s because the eatery shows up as a setting in mobile game Cue, in which the player helps a group of attractive and eager young ladies chase their dreams of becoming anime voice actresses.

▼ Cue

Specifically, Ryuken shows up in a scene involving the character Mahoro Miyaji, a college student whose favorite food just so happens to be ramen. Being as aspiring voice actress naturally takes her to Akihabara, and she stops by Ryuken for a bite to eat.

こんにちは！
先程お客さんに教えてもらったんですけどcueっていうゲームに店を使っていただいてました😂
ありがとうございます！！！！#関取ラーメン #竜軒 #秋葉原 #ざる中華〔夏限定〕#らーめん #cue pic.twitter.com/6RUrFx7TW6

— 関取ラーメン　竜軒 (@akiba_ryuken) June 6, 2020

▼ Mahoro

Ryuken’s owner didn’t know his restaurant had been featured in the game until some of his customers started telling him, but was happily surprised. “A customer just told me that some game called Cue was kind enough to use our restaurant as a setting. Thank you!!!!” reads the above tweet from the Ryuken official account.

Since then, Ryuken has become a seichi, or “sacred ground,” as real-world locations featured in anime and games are called by fans. Two months after the restaurant’s owner learned about its appearance in Cue, fans started bringing in Mahoro fan art and merch as gifts for the restaurant, eventually inspiring the owner to try the game out for himself, with helpful customers showing him how to play.

▼ “A customer who came in this evening gave me this Mahoro illustraton. It’s so well-done! Thank you. Oh, and I’ve also started playing Cue.”

https://twitter.com/akiba_ryuken/status/1298593868712038400

▼ The fan art in a place of honor on Ryuken’s wall

【竜軒さんは素晴らしいお店】
「安い」「旨い」「親切」
あんなに美味しいラーメンがこんなに安い！
さらに店主さんがめちゃくちゃ良い人！
マネージャーの皆さんが持ち寄ったグッズも丁寧にラッピングして飾ってくださるし
まだ3回しか行けてないのに顔まで覚えてくださるし
行かなきゃ損ですよ！ pic.twitter.com/C0JrLYYQla

— もっちKAMIKAZE＠ナリブ最推し (@KAMIKAZ54084215) November 14, 2020

Cue features a cast of 16 characters, but naturally Ryuken’s owner has a soft spot for Mahoro.

▼ “I heard there was a Mahoro gacha event going on, so I tried a pull, but it was no good LOL LOL. Gotta save up my points again.”

こんばんわ🌝
本日も無事営業終了致しました🍜
明日は定休日です。
よろしくお願いします。

ちなみに、まほろちゃんのガチャイベント来てると教えていただいたので引きましたが爆死でした笑笑
また貯めます笑#関取ラーメン #竜軒 #らーめん #秋葉原 pic.twitter.com/LBg5cYcA07

— 関取ラーメン　竜軒 (@akiba_ryuken) September 6, 2020

Ryuken has been in business for 43 years, serving up rib meat ramen and other types of noodles at extremely affordable prices, with the simplest bowl costing just 480 yen (US$4.60) and with a location right in front of a branch of popular dojinshi independent anga store Tora no Ana. Cue, on the other hand, just came out last year, but the extra attention from the game is now helping introduce a whole new generation of otaku to Ryuken’s ramen, just as they in turn are introducing Ryuken’s owner to a whole new part of the pop culture scene.

Restaurant information
Ryuken / 竜軒
Address: Tokyo-to, Chiyoda-ku, Soto Kanda 4-3-12
東京都千代田区外神田4-3-12
Open 11 a.m.-9 p.m.
Closed Mondays (Tuesdays if Monday is a holiday)

Source: Twitter/@akiba_ryuken via Kinisoku, Cue official website
Top image: YouTube/CUE!
● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!