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Clear tonkotsu ramen becomes a cult hit at “Ramen Runway” in Japan

Oona McGee Oct 9, 2024
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A cheap meal that gives ramen at Michelin-starred restaurants a run for their money.

As the birthplace of tonkotsu ramen, Fukuoka Prefecture is a must-visit for lovers of pork-bone broth noodles, and you can bookend your time there with a bowl at the local airport, where you’ll find a lineup of famous ramen shops from all over the country at a place called “Ramen Runway“.

It’s become such a hotspot that even locals who aren’t travelling stop by there, and the store that draws some of the biggest crowds is Buta Soba Tsukiya, which has been attracting attention for a very unusual dish called “Clear Tonkotsu“.

▼ The restaurant even has “クリア豚骨” (“Clear Tonkotsu”) printed on the noren curtain at the entrance.

▼ This sign at the front of the store also draws the eye, with its simplicity exuding an air of refinement.

Tonkotsu ramen typically contains a cloudy broth which signifies rich, meaty, hearty flavours, so the big question with a broth this light is: Will it be equally light in flavour?

It certainly looks exquisite, especially for the cheap price of 800 yen (US$5.41), and the noodles and chashu pork are clearly visible beneath the glossy broth.

The restaurant pays careful attention to the broth, finessing it so that it retains a strong umami flavour without the characteristic scent of pork bones.

Instead of crushing the bones and cooking them at high temperatures, they remain uncrushed and are cooked slowly at a low temperature to extract a better flavour. The scum and supernatant fat are then carefully removed, resulting in a broth that is rich in pork but without the strong bone-broth scent, which can be a love-it-or-hate it aspect of the dish.

The restaurant also recommends a four-step process for enjoying the meal — first, you can taste the broth as is, then add green onions to change the flavour before squeezing a slice of kabosu citrus into it to transform the aroma. Then, the final step is to drink up the rest of the broth in peaceful bliss.

Our reporter Masanuki Sunakoma was on hand to try this new approach to ramen, and he dutifully followed the steps suggested by the restaurant, first trying the broth on its own.

As soon as he tasted the soup, he was seriously shocked. It was as if the restaurant had found a way to extract a highly concentrated level of pork bone flavour without including any unpleasant aroma. The broth was exceptionally clear, and the noodles were moderately soft and chewy, displaying the perfect amount of bite.

Green onions added extra flavour to the dish, while the splash of citrus worked well to enhance the lightness of the broth and give it a refreshing taste.

The broth is so light you can easily drink it all up with minimal effort, and if you want even more of it, you can request “Oi Soup” (“Chaser Broth“) for an additional 200 yen.

Masanuki has tried a lot of tonkotsu noodles in his life, but this one was like nothing he’d ever tasted before. It opened his eyes to what a refined, luxurious tonkotsu ramen can taste like, and he says it’s so good it gives Michelin-starred ramen restaurants a run for their money.

If you can’t make it to Fukuoka, the restaurant also has locations in Ginza in Tokyo and Osaka’s Nishiumeda, so be sure to stop by and try the clear ramen when you can. It’s an experience all tonkotsu ramen lovers ought to try at least once in their lives, and there’s another special bowl of tonkotsu waiting to please you at this restaurant in Akihabara as well.

Restaurant information
Buta Soba Tsukiya Fukuoka Airport store / 豚そば月や福岡空港店
Address: Fukuoka-ken, Fukuoka-shi, Hakata-ku, Shimousui 767-1, Fukuoka Airport Domestic Terminal Building 3F, Ramen Runway
福岡市博多区下臼井767-1 福岡空港国内線ターミナルビル3F ラーメン滑走路内
Hours: 10:00 a.m.-7:30 p.m.
Website

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