When you hear “independently run ramen shop,” you might think it would be a little difficult to visit with family or children.
Is that not the impression you have?
In Kasaoka City, Okayama Prefecture, a hidden ramen destination, there’s a ramen shop where you can easily drop in even with children!
It’s Harasho.
This ramen shop is run primarily by female staff.
What’s more, it’s housed in a trailer home, and its interior and exterior look just like a cafe.
That makes it an easy place to visit with children.
In addition to Kasaoka ramen, a local specialty, it offers eight distinctive varieties, including Onomichi ramen, Taiwanese ramen, and tonkotsu ramen.
So there’s no need to worry even if everyone in the family has different tastes.
What’s more, each ramen is added to the menu only after careful research, and the shop takes pride in preparing each bowl with care after receiving an order.
It’s the kind of place that makes you want to try a different ramen the next time you visit.
Here’s an introduction to Harasho, a ramen shop with a commitment to quality.
The information provided is current as of the article’s publication in September 2020. Please note that it may differ from current information.
Harasho is a unique ramen shop housed in a trailer home
Harasho is a ramen shop in the eastern part of central Kasaoka City.
It is conveniently located just off National Route 2, with a large supermarket nearby.
As a result, many customers visit on both weekdays and weekends.
Harasho originally started out as a food stall.
It later opened as a permanent shop at its current location.
▼Harasho’s exterior has a stylish look, with red-brick-colored walls, a black roof, and white pillars and doors.
There’s also a wooden deck, and at first glance it looks more like a cafe than a ramen shop.
In fact, the building is a “trailer home.”
A trailer home is a dwelling on wheels that can be moved.
Harasho’s shop doesn’t look like a trailer home at first glance, but it actually has wheels underneath.
▼The interior, like the exterior, has the stylish atmosphere of a cafe.
Harasho has the following seating:
- Counter seats: 7
- Tables seating four: 3
- Tables seating six: 1
- Terrace tables seating four: 2
▼It’s unusual for a ramen shop to have terrace seating on a wooden deck.
▼Smoking is not allowed inside, but smoking is permitted at the two terrace tables.
▼There’s a chair swing on the wooden deck.
Children visiting the shop are welcome to play on it while waiting.
Please take care not to get hurt.
Harasho’s recommended and popular menu items
We asked deputy manager Mayuko Tanabe about Harasho’s recommended dishes and the items popular with customers.
Harasho is a ramen shop, so ramen is its main offering.
As of 2020, Harasho has eight varieties of ramen.
All eight varieties have their own distinct character and are appealing.
A large serving of ramen costs an additional 100 yen (before tax).
Menu and prices are as of 2020 and exclude consumption tax.
“Kasaoka Ramen” is a local Kasaoka ramen made with kashiwa chicken
First up is the Kasaoka Ramen (550 yen before tax).
I tried the Kasaoka Ramen during the interview.
Kasaoka ramen is a local specialty of Kasaoka City with a long history.
This ramen is unique to Kasaoka, where poultry farming once flourished. It features a soy sauce broth made with kashiwa (mature chicken) stock and slices of braised kashiwa chicken as a topping.
▼Harasho’s Kasaoka Ramen is also topped with braised kashiwa chicken.
▼Kashiwa chicken is known for its firm, chewy texture.
The more you chew its pleasantly firm texture, the more you taste the chicken’s umami, while the flavor of the simmered soy sauce spreads across your palate.
The braised chicken is sliced thinly, so I think it’s easy to eat even if you’re not fond of chewy textures.
▼The noodles are medium-thin and straight.
▼The broth is slightly sweet, with an irresistible soy sauce flavor and richness from the chicken oil (chiyu).
I found myself sipping it down, and before I knew it, I’d finished the whole bowl.
I love Kasaoka ramen and eat it often, so of Harasho’s ramen, the Kasaoka Ramen is my top recommendation!
“Harasho Ramen” is a popular Onomichi ramen that has been on the menu since the shop opened
Alongside the Kasaoka Ramen, Harasho’s signature dish is the Harasho Ramen (550 yen before tax).
Harasho Ramen is made in the style of Onomichi ramen.
I also tried the Harasho Ramen during the interview.
In fact, Harasho Ramen has been on the menu since the shop first opened.
That’s why it bears the shop’s name.
▼The soy sauce broth has a clean finish and is easy to drink.
It’s also a soy sauce-flavored broth, but comparing it with the Kasaoka Ramen, I could tell the difference.
It tastes sweeter than the Kasaoka Ramen broth, and feels similar yet distinct.
▼It also contains pork back fat, a hallmark of Onomichi ramen.
The back fat has a melt-in-your-mouth texture, with a gentle sweetness from the meat.
▼ The noodles are medium-thin and straight.
▼ They said you can choose how firm you want the noodles, so I asked for them “firm.”
▼ There are two slices of chashu pork.
The chashu has a rich, savory meat flavor.
The slices are also quite large and satisfying.
Hachirakusho Ramen is where Hachirakusho began.
It’s the flavor we’ve served since our food-stall days!
Hachirakusho Ramen has been a customer favorite since the restaurant opened, so you can’t go wrong with it!
“Taiwan Ramen (Red, White, or Extra Vegetables)” has the highest repeat-customer rate
Hachirakusho Ramen came first, followed by Kasaoka Ramen.
Then, after the restaurant moved into a permanent location, “Taiwan Ramen (Red or White)” (680 yen before tax) was added to the menu.
They had wanted to try making a spicy ramen from the beginning, but couldn’t do so during their food-stall days because of the limitations of operating a stall.
Once they had a permanent location, they finally began developing a spicy ramen, and after much experimentation, Taiwan Ramen was born.
It was added to the menu later, but Taiwan Ramen is now as popular as Hachirakusho Ramen and Kasaoka Ramen.
It has the highest repeat-customer rate!
Some days, it’s even the most popular item.
Taiwan Ramen comes in two varieties: mildly spicy “Red” and non-spicy “White.”
It was originally only available spicy, but they added the non-spicy version in response to customers who said, “I can’t handle spicy food, but I’d like to try Taiwan Ramen.”
The Red Taiwan Ramen is also available in an “Extra Spicy” version (730 yen before tax).
If you love spicy food, give it a try.
▼ Taiwan Ramen is also available with extra vegetables, in “Extra Vegetables (Red or White)” (780 yen before tax).
There’s also “Double Extra Vegetables (Red or White)” (880 yen before tax), with about four times the usual amount of vegetables!
Taiwan Ramen is topped with garlic, bean sprouts, garlic chives, chili peppers, and minced meat—all nourishing ingredients.
Taiwan Ramen is a great choice from a nutritional standpoint, too!
Taiwan Ramen has a high repeat-customer rate and many fans.
It’s especially popular with women.
I think the generous amount of vegetables is part of its appeal.
The wide range of options, including a non-spicy version and extra vegetables, is another plus!
“Premium Pacific Saury Ramen” is a ramen for connoisseurs, fragrant with saury
“Premium Pacific Saury Ramen” (650 yen before tax) is a variation on Kasaoka Ramen.
The broth is carefully made from Pacific saury flakes, giving it a rich flavor with a distinctive seafood aroma.
▼ It also comes with more simmered chicken than Kasaoka Ramen.
▼ If you want an even stronger saury flavor, you can add powdered Pacific saury flakes.
The Pacific saury flakes are apparently brought in from Kyoto.
Most of our ramen is easy to enjoy, but this Premium Pacific Saury Ramen has a distinctive, acquired taste!
Please keep that in mind if you’re not fond of seafood flavors.
This ramen brings chicken and Pacific saury together in a combination that seafood lovers are likely to become hooked on.
“Tonkotsu Ramen” boasts a broth simmered for hours
Hachirakusho serves more than just ramen with soy sauce broth.
It also offers “Tonkotsu Ramen” (680 yen before tax).
The broth is made by carefully simmering pork bones for hours, giving it a deep pork-bone flavor.
Since it was introduced, Tonkotsu Ramen has been a big hit with customers who love pork-bone broth.
▼ Tonkotsu Ramen also comes with homemade toppings.
There are four toppings:
- Pickled red ginger
- Spicy takana mustard greens
- Extra-spicy takana mustard greens
- Seasoned wood ear mushrooms
We recommend adding the toppings you like and enjoying how they change the flavor!
In response to customers who said they wanted to enjoy the toppings at home, some of the toppings are available to take away.
They’d go well not only with ramen, but also with rice.
“Umamiso Ramen” is back by popular demand!
If you have soy sauce and pork-bone broth, you’ll want a miso flavor, too.
Hachirakusho also serves “Umamiso Ramen,” made with miso broth.
They had actually offered a miso ramen before, but it was taken off the menu.
However, many customers asked for it to return, so they brought it back.
The harmony of the sweet-and-savory miso broth, the sweetness of the vegetables, and the crisp texture of the corn is irresistible!
Give the enduringly popular Umamiso Ramen a try, too.
“Chilled Oroshi Ramen” is a refreshing Japanese-style dish available in summer
As its name suggests, “Chilled Oroshi Ramen” (750 yen before tax) is served cold.
Its toppings include grated daikon radish, nametake mushrooms, bonito flakes, shredded nori, tempura bits, and wasabi.
And the nametake is homemade!
I thought this ramen had a unique Japanese-style feel.
It’s a ramen I haven’t seen anywhere else.
Chilled Oroshi Ramen is available for a limited time in summer and in limited quantities.
It’s available starting in late May!
It has a refreshing flavor and seems easy to slurp down even on hot days.
What’s more, for the chilled ramen, you can choose one or one and a half portions of noodles.
Both options are the same price, so it’s a great deal!
You can also get extra noodles with your ramen
You can also order an extra serving of noodles (150 yen before tax) with your ramen.
▼The extra serving comes with noodles, green onions, and one slice of chashu pork.
This feels like a pretty good deal!
A wide selection of side dishes
Many ramen shops offer appealing side dishes in addition to ramen.
Harasho also has a wide selection of side dishes.
▼If ramen alone doesn’t feel like enough, try adding a mini rice bowl or fried rice.
▼Harasho’s fried rice is apparently made by cooking the rice together with the other ingredients.
Another recommended feature is the chopped simmered chicken mixed in.
There are also various toppings.
How about going all out with “everything on top” (an extra 450 yen before tax)?
Harasho also puts a lot of effort into its menma.
In addition to the regular menma, they had “shoot tips” and “extra-thick” (both an extra 150 yen before tax).
▼There are also snacks, gyoza, drinks, and more.
▼There are two kinds of gyoza, as well as fried chicken and more.
▼“Kasaoka seared simmered chicken” (300 yen before tax) is a dish with a distinctly Kasaoka feel.
It would be perfect as a snack to enjoy with drinks.
Taste three kinds of their signature homemade menma
▼We got to sample Harasho’s menma, which they say they put a lot of effort into.
The menma in the photo above is not on the menu.
Instead, they offer a “three-kind menma platter” (300 yen before tax).
▼First, the regular menma that comes in the ramen.
It is less strongly flavored than typical menma, with a moderate saltiness.
Because it is thin, it has a soft texture.
▼Next, “extra-thick menma.”
It has a rich, robust seasoning.
Its thickness also gives it a satisfyingly crunchy texture.
Of the three kinds, I thought this one had the strongest “menma-ness.”
▼Lastly, “shoot-tip menma.”
It is long and slender, with a striking appearance. That’s because it is made from the tip of madake bamboo shoots, which are used to make menma.
That’s also where its name comes from.
It is tender, and its seasoning is lighter than the extra-thick kind.
Its flavor is perhaps closer to that of regular menma.
It feels like eating ordinary simmered bamboo shoots, so it is very easy to eat.
There are lots of ramen shops in Kasaoka, so we started focusing on menma because we wanted to do something different from the others!
Tasting them side by side showed that even though they are all menma, each has a different flavor and character.
Few shops offer three kinds of menma, so this is a special treat you can enjoy at Harasho.
You could enjoy the differences by ordering the everything-on-top option or the three-kind platter.
If you find a favorite, be sure to try it as a ramen topping.
Harasho offers a wide-ranging menu and makes ramen with distinctive character and care.
We interviewed Harasho’s assistant manager, Mayuko Tanabe.
Harasho data
| Name | Harasho |
|---|---|
| Address | 3-25 Ichibancho, Kasaoka City, Okayama Prefecture |
| Contact | 0865-63-7028 |
| Parking | Available 7 spaces |
| Hours | 11:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m., 5:00 p.m.–10:00 p.m. |
| Closed | Thursday |
| Payment methods |
PayPay |
| Reservations | Accepted ・Reservations may not be available during busy periods ・Reservations by phone |
| Seating | 33 seats in total ・One table seating 6 ・Three tables seating 4 ・7 counter stools ・Two terrace tables seating 4 |
| Smoking | Non-smoking (smoking permitted only in designated areas) |
| Restroom | Western-style toilet |
| Families with children | ・Children’s tableware available ・Children’s booster chairs available (for sofa seats) ・Strollers allowed inside |
| Accessibility | Ramp Wheelchair access available (generally limited to counter seats) ※ The restroom is not wheelchair accessible |
| Website | Ramen Harasho | Kasaoka Ramen and Onomichi Ramen specialty shop in Kasaoka City, Okayama Prefecture |
What would you like to know about Kurashiki?
Enter a word to search articles on this site
Our Kasaoka Ramen is adapted to make it more approachable for everyone than the typical Kasaoka ramen!
We recommend it as an introduction to Kasaoka ramen.