Tonkotsu Ramen Restaurant: Bowls for the Soul

Kurume is the birthplace of tonkotsu ramen. There is a ramen restaurant along the national highway that is visited by 3,000 people every day. On holidays, a couple always sips “morning ramen” together. A truck driver stops by on his drive from Aomori to Kagoshima, and an industrial worker who has been coming here after night shift since he was 15 years old and will soon reach retirement age. Founded in 1958 when Tokyo Tower was built. We listen to the stories of each of them as they tell us about their ramen lives at the restaurant, which was one of the first in Japan to open for business 24 hours a day and has continued to warm the stomachs of its customers.