When you hear “ramen,” do you picture something that’s delicious but gets tiresome if you eat it every day?
On the other hand, ramen is also a national dish enjoyed by people of all ages and genders. “Chukasoba Kouta,” in Kojima, Kurashiki City, is a casual ramen shop serving food you’ll want to eat every day without getting tired of it.
Its appeal also includes thick-cut chashu pork and “seasonal soba” topped with plenty of vegetables in season.
Let’s take a closer look at Chukasoba Kouta, including what makes the shop special, its commitment to quality, and how it got started.
Chukasoba Kouta has two locations, the Kojima main shop and the Nakasho shop. This article mainly introduces the Kojima main shop.
The information presented here is current as of when this article was published in July 2025. Please note that it may differ from current information.
Chukasoba Kouta is a ramen shop in central Kojima
Chukasoba Kouta is a ramen shop in central Kojima, Kurashiki City.
It has welcomed many customers every day since opening in 2016.
The shop is just off National Route 430, a major road, and is also within walking distance of Kojima Station. It is in a very convenient location.
The shop is in a striking building that has a warm, natural wood feel.
The interior also has a calm atmosphere with plenty of wood.
Menu
Information as of June 2025. Prices include tax.
The basic ramen menu item is “chukasoba.” There are variations with different toppings and other changes.
“Nikusoba” has extra chashu pork compared with chukasoba.
Another option is “Spicy Negi Soba,” topped with shredded white leek seasoned with a spicy, savory sauce.
There is also “seasonal soba,” topped with plenty of vegetables in season, and “kids’ soba,” a half-size serving of chukasoba.
In hot weather, cold “zaru chuka” is also available.
The timing is decided each year based on the weather.
You can order a large serving or an extra serving of noodles; the shop recommends the extra noodles.
There are various toppings to choose from.
“Seasoned soft-boiled egg” and “fried mochi” are especially popular.
Side dishes include classics such as “gyoza,” “fried rice,” and “fried chicken,” as well as the original “soboro rice.”
There is also a second location in Nakasho
There is also a second location, “Chukasoba Kouta Nakasho Shop,” in the Shimojo area of Kurashiki City.
The Kojima main shop is only open for lunch, while the Nakasho shop also has evening hours.
The basic menu is the same, but it does not offer “seasonal soba,” “soboro rice,” or “extra rice.” Instead, it has “sara-meshi,” available only at the Nakasho shop.
Chukasoba Kouta Nakasho Shop overview
| Address | 632-2 Shimojo, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture |
|---|---|
| Phone number | 086-441-6772 |
| Parking | Available (35 spaces) |
| Hours | 11:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m., 5:30 p.m.–8:45 p.m. |
| Closed | Monday Third Tuesday of the month |
Popular and recommended menu items
Here are some of the popular items and the shop’s recommendations from Chukasoba Kouta’s menu.
Chukasoba
“Chukasoba” is Kouta’s basic ramen.
It is topped with chashu pork, menma, green onions, and spinach in a soy sauce broth.
The broth is golden brown.
When you drink it, a pleasant saltiness and deep umami spread through your mouth.
You can also taste a moderate seafood flavor.
Its pleasant aftertaste lingers, making you want to take another sip right away.
The noodles are thin and straight.
The broth clings to them nicely.
The menma is extra thick, with a crunchy texture that makes it very satisfying to eat.
The chashu pork is very thick-cut.
The meat melts away tenderly as you bite into it, letting you enjoy the flavor of the lean meat, the sweetness of the fat, and just the right amount of salt. Having such a satisfying, hearty slice of chashu is a real treat.
Another distinctive topping is spinach.
The owner, who has experience working at an obanzai restaurant, says the idea to add it came from obanzai.
The spinach is delicious when thoroughly dipped in the soup, and makes a perfect palate cleanser.
Kouta’s Chinese noodles have a nostalgic, comforting flavor that makes you want to come back for more.
The generously thick, satisfying chashu is another highlight.
Seasonal Noodles
The “Seasonal Noodles” are a great-value menu item.
They start with a base of Chinese noodles, topped with a generous variety of ingredients, mainly vegetables.
The vegetables used are mainly sourced from Kurashiki City and the surrounding area.
Since they are seasonal, the types of vegetables included vary depending on the time of year.
They also vary depending on what is available from suppliers that day.
When we visited in May, the vegetables included zucchini, asparagus, carrots, cabbage, wood ear mushrooms, and green onions.
In addition to vegetables, it also includes the thick-cut chashu and extra-thick menma found in the Chinese noodles.
It’s also nice that it comes with narutomaki and beaten egg.
It’s packed with vegetables, letting you enjoy their natural flavors.
You can also savor the combination of vegetables and soup.
Grated ginger is served on the side, so you can add it to taste and change up the flavor.
Seasonal Noodles is a win-win ramen dish, offering a generous portion and a well-balanced range of nutrients.
Fried Rice
“Fried rice” is one of the classic side dishes.
It comes in regular and half sizes.
We ordered the half size during our visit.
Even the half portion is quite generous.
The ingredients are green onions, egg, and chashu.
The chashu is the same as the kind used in the Chinese noodles, cut into pieces and added to the fried rice.
By deliberately cutting the chashu into uneven pieces, they make it possible to enjoy a variety of textures and flavors!
The moderate saltiness combines with the savory meatiness and saltiness of the chashu to create fried rice with a pleasant, easy-to-eat flavor.
The unevenly cut pieces of chashu make the flavor of each mouthful of fried rice a little different, which is fun.
Soboro Rice
“Soboro rice” is a side dish unique to Chukasoba Kouta.
Rice is topped with a sweet-and-savory sauce, followed by spicy pickled mustard greens and finely chopped chashu, then garnished with chopped green onions and a raw egg yolk.
Soboro rice originally started out as a staff meal.
The staff loved it, and after someone suggested, “Why not serve it to customers?” it was added to the official menu.
Break the egg yolk and mix everything together as you eat.
The flavor of the chashu, the saltiness and gentle heat of the spicy mustard greens, and the sweet-and-savory sauce all come together, with the egg yolk adding a creamy richness.
The crisp texture of the mustard greens adds another nice touch.
It goes perfectly with the rice, and we found ourselves eating it up in no time.
Gyoza
“Gyoza” are a popular side dish.
The gyoza at Chukasoba Kouta are distinctive for their unusual shape. They are small enough to eat in one bite.
Our gyoza are bite-sized.
It started with the thought that regular-sized gyoza might be difficult for children and others to eat.
We considered what size would be easy to eat, and this is what we came up with.
The gyoza wrappers are seared to a beautiful golden brown. They have a crisp, crackly texture when you bite into them, with a deliciously toasted aroma.
Inside, the garlic and ginger come through strongly alongside the flavor of the meat.
These gyoza have a rich flavor.
Chukasoba Kouta is a local favorite in Kojima, with a flavor you could enjoy every day.
We spoke with its owner, Kasai Kota.
Chukasoba Kouta details
| Name | Chukasoba Kouta |
|---|---|
| Address | 4047 Ajino, Kojima, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture |
| Contact | 086-697-6686 |
| Parking | Available (15 spaces) |
| Hours | 11:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m. |
| Closed | Monday Third Tuesday |
| Payment methods |
|
| Reservations | Not accepted |
| Seating | 26 seats total (maximum) ・Counter: up to 10 seats (varies depending on circumstances) ・Five tables seating four ・One table seating six |
| Smoking | Entirely non-smoking |
| Restroom | Western-style toilet |
| Families with children | Strollers may be brought inside Children’s chairs available Children’s tableware available |
| Accessibility | Wheelchair users can enter the restaurant, but the entrance has stairs and assistance is required Restroom is not wheelchair accessible |
| Website | Chukasoba Kouta Instagram |
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This ramen is based on a paitan broth made by thoroughly simmering chicken bones.