Tabelog ratingMen Dokoro Akimoto (麺処 秋もと) is a ramen counter in a suburban shopping building in Yokohama's Aoba ward. It is built around a shoyu broth with an unusually strong katsuobushi (smoked bonito) backbone, and regulars say they cannot find the flavour anywhere else. The owner trained at Sapporo miso houses. His miso ramen, made with lard-fried miso, ginger, sansho pepper and aosa seaweed, is the bowl people travel for. The shop was selected for the Tabelog Ramen 100 in 2023, 2024 and 2025.
Almost every review praises the bonito-forward broth, served very hot under a layer of oil, and the thick, chewy, hand-rubbed flat noodles. The tokusei topping set is singled out again and again. It brings charcoal-grilled pork shoulder, melting pork belly, smoked chicken breast, plump shrimp wonton and a deeply marinated soft egg. The kombu-water shio tsukemen also earns strong mentions.
Most criticism concerns the service rather than the food. Queue handling is the most common complaint: guests are kept waiting outside while seats sit empty. Several reviewers describe a tense kitchen and a brusque owner, and some find the broth oily or salty.
Reviewers in 2024–2026 paid the following:
- around ¥1,200 for plain shoyu or shio ramen
- ¥1,350 for miso
- ¥1,650 for tokusei shoyu
- ¥1,850 for tokusei miso
- ¥1,900 for the spicy mala miso
- ¥390 for niku-meshi (diced chashu over rice)
- ¥150 extra for a large portion
- ¥550 for a Heartland beer
Expect ¥1,200–1,900 per person, at lunch and dinner alike. That is expensive for ramen, but most reviewers find the quality and the generous tokusei toppings justify it. A vocal minority disagrees. The plain ¥1,200 bowl is the safest value.
- Getting there: 2 minutes' walk (130 m) from Ichigao Station, West Exit, on the Tokyu Den-en-toshi Line.
- Booking: reservations are not accepted, so walk in and queue. Buy your ticket at the machine inside before joining the queue, because tickets are collected in advance. Weekend queues reach 20 or more people by the 11:00 opening, and mid-afternoon is quieter.
- Payment: cash only. Credit cards, electronic money and QR payments are not accepted.
- Children: the listing welcomes school-age children. Infants cannot be held while you eat; several reviews describe parents being refused. Bring a stroller or take turns outside.
- Seats: 15 seats (7 at the counter and two tables for four). There are no private rooms, and the shop is non-smoking.
- Parking: none. A coin car park next door charges ¥200 per 15 minutes, and another about 50 m away charges ¥200 per 20 minutes.
- Hours change, so check the shop's X account before going. Miso and tsukemen can sell out. Paper aprons cost ¥20 via a ticket.
